The Challengers (band)

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The Challengers were an instrumental surf rock band in the 1960s, located in Los Angeles. They started early in the game and helped make the genre popular. Their debut album Surfbeat is the biggest selling surf album of all time and almost single-handedly brought surf from California to the rest of the world.

The band was formed out of the ashes of The Bel-Airs. The Bel-Airs were just high schoolers at the time (the bassist was in 8th Grade), but had a hit with "Mr. Moto." Their potential was cited by many, but parental intervention led to their breakup.

Soon afterward, Bel-Airs drummer Rick Delvy (b. Richard Delvechio) decided to form a new band. He brought other Bel-Airs members Jim Roberts (keyboards) and Randy Nauert (bass guitar) in and they became The Challengers. For guitar, Glenn Grey was brought in for lead and Don Landis for rhythm. They played at high school and local dances and such, and eventually got earned enough pay to rent a jazz studio to record. Nick Hefner had just joined on saxophone; he plays on only one track. In about three and a half hours, they had an album. Surfbeat was released in January of 1963 and quickly went up the charts. Just months earlier, The Beach Boys' and Dick Dale's collective debuts had ben released. The surf culture was becoming a national phenomenon and The Challengers helped put it in full gear. The album contained songs that were early influences on surf rock, including numbers by The Fireballs and Duane Eddy.

The Challengers moved on and continued to record albums. During the recording of On The Move, Hefner, Grey and Landis all left the band. Hefner was replaced by Phil Pruden, while Art Fisher and Eddie Fournier filled in the guitar spot. In 1964, they released the album K-39. The title track became a big hit and is their best-known song. The group continued their career, recording several albums a year, shocking by today's "one album every two years" pattern. They also had their own TV show, Surf's Up. LA cartoonist Rick Griffin, who later designed posters for groups during the psychedelic period, drew several cartoons for the band featured on the LP sleeves.

In 1965, as music changed, so did The Challengers. They began recording more pop-oriented music, like an instrumental version "Kicks" by Paul Revere & The Raiders. By 1966, they had gone the way of all other surf bands, into history. A 1970 release of the band was titled, fittingly Where Were You In The Summer Of '62.

The Challengers were involved with former Bel-Airs guitarist Paul Johnson, who also was involved Eddie & the Showmen, and PJ & the Galaxies.

[edit] Selected discography

Surfbeat (1963)
Lloyd Thaxton Goes Surfing With The Challengers (1963)
On The Move (1963)
K-39 (1964)
Sidewalk Surfing! (1964)
At The Teenage Fair (1964)
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (1965)
The Surf's Up (1965)
California Kicks (1966)
Au Gogo (1966)
Wipe Out! (1966)
Billy Strange And The Challengers (1967)
Light My Fire (1969)
Vanilla Funk (1970)
Where Were You In The Summer Of '62? (1970)

Compilations

Killer Surf! The Best Of The Challengers (1994)
Tidal Wave! (1995)
New Wave (1995)

[edit] References

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