Surf culture, particularly that of Southern California, gave rise to surf rock. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, it reached the height of its popularity.

There are two types of surf rock. Instrumental surf rock recreated the sounds of breaking waves with a lot of reverb on the guitars, bass, and drums. On the other side, vocal surf combined vocal harmonies with surf sound.

Continue reading to learn more about ten of the most well-known surf rock bands in this genre. Have fun while reading!

The Beach Boys

We should obviously begin our list with The Beach Boys. Although they didn’t create surf rock, they were in charge of making it more well-known. Being one of the few American bands to withstand the British Invasion’s onslaught, they were so well-known.

In 1961, the Beach Boys were founded in Hawthorne, California. Over the course of their career, they have sold over 100 million copies of their 29 albums. One of their greatest hits, “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” captured the essence of surfing culture. Additionally, “Surfin'” and “Surfin’ Safari” were recorded.

But they stopped using beach themes in 1965 and started concentrating on more introspective lyrics. The band’s singles “California Girls” and “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” brought them even more success.

The Surfaris

In 1962, the iconic instrumental surf rock band The Surfaris was founded in Glendora, California.

In their career, they put out eleven albums, but “Wipe Out,” their breakthrough single, brought them notoriety and history. The song was written by the band members themselves. The band’s 45 rpm single included two sides: “Surfer Joe” and “Wipe Out.” These two songs were successful in charting.

Because of its drum solo, “Wipe Out” became one of the most unforgettable instrumental tracks. The song became popular abroad after peaking at number two on the US charts in 1963. The Surfaris were admitted into the 2019 Musician’s Hall of Fame and Museum specifically for this song.

Best Coast

American indie rock group Best Coast was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Similar to Wavves, Dum Dum Girls, and Surfer Blood, they were a part of the surf rock comeback that took place in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Lo-fi and sentimental tunes like “Boyfriend,” “When I’m with You,” and “The Only Place” are among Best Coast’s most well-known compositions. They combine garage, rock, and pop elements with surf rock. They provide a dreamy, melodic sound that appeals to both casual and diehard surf rock enthusiasts.

Jan and Dean

William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence are the vocal surf rock combo Jan and Dean. The two, who were both football players in high school in Los Angeles, ended up harmonizing in the locker room.

If the Beach Boys were the ones who popularized surf rock, Jan and Dean were the trailblazers. The first surf rock song to reach number one on the charts, “Surf City,” is among their greatest hits. For two weeks, it held that position on the Billboard Hot 100.

Between 1963 and 1964, Jan and Dean’s commercial success peaked. During their joint career, they amassed an incredible 16 top 40 songs on the Billboard charts.

The Trashmen

The rock group The Trashmen, which has its roots in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will be playing next. They got their moniker from the song “Trashman’s Blues,” written by Kai Ray.

The Trashmen listened to Dick Dale and were interested in surf rock. They then came up with the idea for “Surfin’ Bird,” which when they performed it, the crowd enjoyed it. The song was a parody of “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” and “The Bird’s the Word” by The Rivington.

Their largest claim to fame and standout hit, “Surfin’ Bird,” was achieved by the band. The Billboard Hot 100 listed it at number four. After “Surfin’ Bird,” The Trashmen never achieved widespread commercial success, though they did have another record, “Bird Dance Beat,” which peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Astronauts

The Astronauts, our next band, was formed in 1961 and lived in Boulder, Colorado, until 1968. In honor of astronaut Scott Carpenter, who was also born in Boulder, they adopted his band name.

The Astronauts weren’t as successful as the other bands on this list, despite being well-known in the area. Their 1963 release of “Baja,” their debut song through RCA Records, was met with a lackluster reception. The instrumental song peaked at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.

They continued to put out singles in the vain hope of striking gold. Over the next nine months, they put out four full-length albums. On the Billboard charts, their album Surfin’ with The Astronauts peaked at number 61.

Man Or Astro-Man?

Though surf rock’s glory days in the 1960s were brief, bands like Man or Astro-Man? benefited greatly from its seas and helped to sustain the genre.

In Auburn, Alabama, the band was founded in 1992. This band played mostly instrumental music and pretended to be aliens visiting Earth to perform surf rock. The members each have a persona, such as Birdstuff (Brian Teasley), Coco the Electronic Monkey Wizard (Robert Del Bueno), and Star Crunch (Brian Causey).

In addition to classic surf rock sounds, they take a more adventurous stance. They employed strange instruments as well as noises that weren’t instruments. They also included sound bits and snippets from vintage science fiction films and TV shows.

The Chantays

American surf rock group The Chantays was founded in 1961 in Santa Ana, California. Their most well-known song is “Pipeline,” a blockbuster single that has become an iconic surf rock anthem of all time. The song has a catchy guitar melody, an energetic beat, and a surf sound effect that simulates the sound of a wave breaking.

Along with these surf rock classics, the Chantays have recorded “Runaway,” “Monsoon,” and “Blunderbus.” The Chantays have been inducted into both the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Surfing Walk of Fame. Numerous other surf rock bands, including the Mermen, the Lively Ones, and the Surfaris, have been influenced by them.

Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, who are regarded as the real forerunners of instrumental surf rock music, will be the next act. One of the original surf rock songs was “Let’s Go Trippin’,” and Dale had a big impact on the movement.

Reverb and scales from Middle Eastern music were used by Dale in his performance. He has had a big impact on heavy metal with his tremolo picking and his pursuit of maximizing the sound quality of amplifiers.

In addition to four solo albums, Dale released six albums with His Del-Tones. “Misirlou” and “King of the Surf Guitar” are two of his greatest hits.

The Challengers

Next up comes The Challengers, another instrumental surf rock group. The group came together as a replacement for the surf rock group Bel-Airs, which disbanded due to creative differences.

The Challengers used to perform at neighborhood clubs and high school dances. They eventually saved up enough cash to produce Surfbeat, their debut album. Songs from the album has impacted surf rock.

After its release, Surfbeat quickly rose to the top of the charts. It went on to become the all-time best-selling surf album.

The group continued to be successful as they put out a couple albums year. Considering that most musicians release an album every two years, this was unexpected.

The Sound of the Surf

The saxophone, electric pianos, and Fender guitars are authentic instruments of the surf sound.

The eleventh Beach Boys studio album, “Pet Sounds,” is known as the definitive compilation of surf music, despite the fact that The Bel-Airs, The Challengers, The Shadows, The Atlantics, Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, and The Surfaris topped the charts.

The followers arrived after the pioneers. The Phantom Surfers, Reef, Donavon Frankenreiter, Jack Johnson, and many more have reworked the old surf classics with hip, new sounds.

If you want to learn more about the history of surf music, watch the documentary “Sound of the Surf,” which compiles the surf tunes that shaped rock music beginning with the original sounds heard in California in the 1950s and 1960s.

The history of surf culture is ingrained in the genre of surf music. Look through our roster of surf musicians and bands, then press play on your favorites.