Song:Wipe Out
Album:Rock Instrumental Classics Vol. 5: Surf
Of course everyone knows this instrumental classic. It's one of most enduring songs of mid-60s surf music. It charted twice and was even a top ten R & B hit. It's hard to believe that Wipe Out was an impromptu afterthought when The Surfaris needed a B-side for another song. The Surfaris were from Glendora, CA with Jim Fuller on lead guitar, Bob Berryhill on rhythm guitar, Pat Connolly on bass and Ron Wilson on drums. So the story goes that The Surfaris were recording their debut single Surfer Joe in 1962. They had signed with Dot Records. So now they have to record a B-side. They got the idea of recreating the sound of crashing a surfboard. That's called a wipe out. The manic voice at the start of the song is the band's manager Dale Smallin. From there the song was improvised including Ron Wilson's extended drum breaks. Who cares? It was only supposed to be a B-side. So I'm sure they were very surprised when DJs turned the record over and Wipe Out reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. It also reached #10 on the R & B Singles chart and reached #16 n the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. No less an authority than session drummer Hal Blaine praised Wilson's drumming. Apparently the idea came from Wilson's background in high school marching bands. You can get Wipe Out on this various artists budget comp from Rhino. The Surfaris added sax player Jim Pash and Pat Connelly was replaced by Ken Forssi. Forssi was a member of Love later on. The Surfaris split up in 1966 but Bob Berryhill and Jim Fuller lead different versions of The Surfaris today. Ron Wilson was a member of Joy Of Cooking and Bloodrock. He died of a brain aneurysm May 7, 1989. Here's a video for Wipe Out by The Surfaris featuring Bob Berryhill.
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