Mention surf songs, and the Beach Boys immediately hang ten in the minds of many. But the surf music genre owes its creation to several innovative musicians, individuals like the great guitarist DickDale and the harmonious duo known as Jan and Dean. Originating in California in the early 1960s, the surf sound developed from instrumental rock and evolved into vocal surf music, collectively known as the California Sound. Along the way, a part of this genre was reimagined as hot-rod music. But it all testified to the joys of California youth and the brief window between 1962 and 1964 when the world was all about boards, cars, and girls. And all these years later, the sound waves still reverberate.
Click through and revisit the California surf scene of the early 1960s and the memorable music that provided its optimistic, sun-soaked soundtrack.