Editing Surf music (section)

==Instrumental surf==
===Form===
[[File:ComeWail009.jpg|thumb|upright|1963 performance flyer, promoting surf musicians]]
Surf music emerged in the late 1950s as [[Instrumental rock|instrumental]] [[rock and roll]] music,<ref name="AllMusicSurf"/> almost always in straight 4/4 (common) time, with a medium to fast tempo. The sound was dominated by [[electric guitars]], which were particularly characterized by the extensive use of the "wet" [[spring reverb]] that was incorporated into [[Fender amplifiers]] from 1963, and was meant to emulate the sound of waves.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313–1314}} The outboard separate [[Fender Reverb Unit]] that was developed by Fender in 1961 (as opposed to reverb that was incorporated as a built-in amp feature) was the actual first "wet" surf reverb tone.  This unit is the reverb effect heard on Dick Dale records, and others such as "[[Pipeline (instrumental)|Pipeline]]" by the [[Chantays]] and "Point Panic" by [[the Surfaris]].   It has more of a wet "drippy"<ref>{{Cite web|title=Secrets of the Surf Guitar Sound|url=https://reverb.com/uk/news/secrets-of-the-surf-guitar-sound|access-date=2021-08-23|website=reverb.com|date=18 January 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=How to get the surf guitar drip sound|url=https://menga.net/surf-guitar-drip-tone|access-date=2021-08-23|website=menga.net}}</ref> tone than the "built-in" amp reverb, due to different circuitry.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Guitarists also made use of the [[Tremolo arm|vibrato arm]] on their guitars to bend the pitch of notes downward, electronic tremolo effects and rapid (alternating) [[tremolo picking]].<ref>A. J. Millard, ''The Electric Guitar'' (JHU Press, 2004), p. 129.</ref> Guitar models favored included those made by [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]] (particularly the [[Fender Jazzmaster|Jazzmaster]], [[Fender Jaguar|Jaguar]] and [[Fender Stratocaster|Stratocaster]]), [[Mosrite]], [[Teisco]], or [[Danelectro]], usually with [[single coil]] pickups (which had high treble in contrast to double-coil [[humbucker|humbucking]] pickups).<ref>T. Wheeler, ''The Stratocaster chronicles: Fender : celebrating 50 years of the Fender Strat'' (Hal Leonard, 2004), p. 117.</ref> Surf music was one of the first genres to universally adopt the electric bass, particularly the Fender [[Precision Bass]]. Classic surf drum kits tended to be [[Rogers Drums|Rogers]], [[Ludwig-Musser|Ludwig]], [[Gretsch]] or [[Slingerland]]. Some popular songs also incorporated a tenor or baritone [[saxophone]], as on [[the Lively Ones]]' "[[Surf Rider]]" (1963) and [[the Revels]]' "Comanche" (1961).<ref name="music-usa">R. Unterberger, S. Hicks and J. Dempsey, ''Music USA: the rough guide'' (Rough Guides, 1999), p. 382.</ref> Often an electric organ or an [[electric piano]] featured as backing harmony.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}

===History===
By the early 1960s,  instrumental rock and roll had been pioneered successfully by performers such as [[Link Wray]], [[Nokie Edwards]] and [[the Ventures]] and [[Duane Eddy]].{{sfn|Sabin|1999|p=158}} This trend was developed by Dick Dale, who added [[Middle Eastern music|Middle Eastern]] and [[Mexican music|Mexican]] influences, the distinctive reverb{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313–1314}} (giving the guitar a "wet" sound), he also add [[blues]] influence in his music.<ref>Ian S. Port, "[[The Birth of Loud|The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry That Shaped Rock 'n' Roll]]" (Simon and Schuster, 2019), {{ISBN|1-5011-4176-7}}, p. 164</ref> and the rapid alternate [[guitar picking|picking]] characteristic of the genre{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313–1314}} (influenced by [[Arabic music]], which Dale learnt from his [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] uncle).<ref name="washfile">{{cite web|last=Holgate|first=Steve|title=Guitarist Dick Dale Brought Arabic Folk Song to Surf Music|url=http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/September/20060914165844ndyblehs0.0821802.html|work=The Washington File|publisher=[[Bureau of International Information Programs]], [[United States Department of State]]|access-date=29 August 2010|date=14 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020083054/http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/September/20060914165844ndyblehs0.0821802.html|archive-date=2011-10-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> His performances at the Rendezvous Ballroom in [[Balboa, California]], during the summer of 1961,<ref name=surfingmuseum-rendezvous/> and his regional hit "[[Let's Go Trippin']]{{-"}} later that year, launched the surf music craze, which he followed up with hits like "[[Misirlou]]" (1962).{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313–1314}}

While Dick Dale was crafting his new sound in [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], [[the Bel-Airs]] were crafting their own in the [[South Bay (Los Angeles County)|South Bay]] region of [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]]. The band was composed of five teen-aged boys. In 1959 they were still learning to play their instruments: Dick Dodd on drums, Chas Stuart on saxophone, Jim Roberts on piano, and Eddie Bertrand and [[Paul Johnson (guitarist)|Paul Johnson]] on guitars. Said Johnson of his relationship with Bertrand, "Learning the guitar became a duo experience versus a solo thing. We learned to play by playing together, one guy would play the chords, the other would play the lead. This sound would become the basis for the Bel-Airs."<ref name=OCWeekly>{{cite web|title=Benefit Show Lends A Hand To Surf Rock Legend Paul "Mr. Moto" Johnson|date=6 December 2018 |url=https://www.ocweekly.com/benefit-show-lends-a-hand-to-surf-rock-legend-paul-mr-moto-johnson/|publisher=OCWeekly|access-date=6 December 2018}}</ref> They recorded their first single, "Mr. Moto", in June 1961 (with Richard Delvy on drums instead of Dodd) and the song received radio airplay that summer.<ref name=Southbay>{{cite web|title=The South Bay Bands that Created the 60's Surf Music Sound|date=20 July 2017|url=https://southbay.goldenstate.is/south-bay-bands-60s-surf-sound/|publisher=Southbay|access-date=6 July 2020|archive-date=28 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128135625/https://southbay.goldenstate.is/south-bay-bands-60s-surf-sound/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=They called it surf: 40 years after its peak, genre still rides wave of popularity|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-they-called-it-surf-40-years-after-its-peak-genre-2004sep26-story.html|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=26 September 2004|access-date=26 September 2004}}</ref> Dale was older, played louder, commanded a larger audience, and usually gets credit for creating surf music, but the Bel-Airs lay claim to having the first surf music single.

Like Dale and his [[Del-Tones]], most early surf bands were formed in Southern California, with Orange County in particular having a strong surf culture, and the Rendezvous Ballroom  hosted many surf-styled acts.<ref name=surfingmuseum-rendezvous>{{cite web|title=Rendezvous Ballroom|url=http://www.surfingmuseum.org/exhibit/reunion/rendezvous.html|publisher=Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum|access-date=13 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719182831/http://www.surfingmuseum.org/exhibit/reunion/rendezvous.html|archive-date=2011-07-19}}</ref>{{sfn|Sabin|1999|p=158}} Groups such as the Bel-Airs (whose hit "Mr. Moto", influenced by Dale's earlier live performances,<ref name=surfingmuseum-rendezvous/> was released slightly before "Let's Go Trippin{{'"}}), [[The Challengers (band)|the Challengers]] (with their album ''[[Surfbeat]]'') and then [[Eddie & the Showmen]] followed Dale to regional success.{{sfn|Blair|1985|p=2}}

[[The Chantays]] scored a top-ten national hit with "[[Pipeline (instrumental)|Pipeline]]", reaching number four in May 1963. Probably the single-most famous surf tune hit was "[[Wipe Out (instrumental)|Wipe Out]]" by [[the Surfaris]], with its intro of a wicked laugh; the Surfaris were also known for their cutting-edge lead guitar and drum solos, and "Wipe Out" reached number two on the Hot 100 in August 1963 and number 16 in October 1966. The group also had two other global hits, "Surfer Joe" and "Point Panic".{{sfn|Blair|1985|p=75}}

The growing popularity of the genre led groups from other areas to try their hand. These included [[The Astronauts (US band)|the Astronauts]], from [[Boulder, Colorado]]; [[the Trashmen]], from [[Minneapolis]], Minnesota, who reached number four with "[[Surfin' Bird]]" in 1964; and [[the Rivieras]], from [[South Bend, Indiana]], who reached number five in 1964 with "[[California Sun]]".{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313–1314}} [[the Atlantics]], from [[Sydney]], Australia, were not exclusively surf musicians, but made a significant contribution to the genre, the most famous example being their hit "Bombora", in 1963.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313–1314}} Also from Sydney were the Denvermen, whose lyrical instrumental "Surfside" reached number one in the Australian charts.<ref>[http://www.milesago.com/Artists/denvermen.html "The Denvermen, Sydney, 1961–65"], ''MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975'', retrieved 18 May 2010.</ref> Another Australian surf band who were known outside their own country's surf scene were [[the Joy Boys]], backing band for singer [[Col Joye]]; their hit "Murphy the Surfie"  from 1963 was later covered by the Surfaris.{{sfn|Warshaw|2005|pp=776–777}}

European bands around this time generally focused more on the style played by British instrumental rock group [[the Shadows]]. A notable example of European surf instrumental is Spanish band Los Relámpagos' rendition of "Misirlou". [[The Dakotas (band)|The Dakotas]], who were the British backing band for [[Beat music|Merseybeat]] singer Billy J. Kramer, gained some attention as surf musicians with "Cruel Sea", in 1963, which was later covered by [[the Ventures]], and eventually other instrumental surf bands, including the Challengers and the Revelairs.{{sfn|Blair|1985|p=126}}