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Hank himself, appropriately attired for the beach
Hugely influential British legends Hank Marvin and his group The Shadows are regarded more as a instrumental combo than a surf band by their legion of fans. That distinction was slight enough that the band were marketed as a surf group in the USA.
A pair of compilation albums, The Shadows Know and Surfing with The Shadows, were released Stateside to capitalise on the success of homegrown talent like The Ventures, Dick Dale And His Del-Tones and The Surfaris.
You can hear how they might have given California’s surf stars sleepless nights in Hank’s stunning Stratocaster tones on songs like Wonderful Land - click here for a classic YouTube clip from the Rudi Carell Show in 1962.
Haulin’ Hearse (listen here) is a song by spooky surf band The Ghastly Ones. Formed in Van Nuys, California in 1996 The Ghastly Ones mix classic surf sounds with an old school horror movie image. The group’s lead guitarist Garrett ‘Dr Lehos’ Immel collects and restores vintage Fender and Mosrite gear.
