The "Insane World Of Mike Sain" airs every Wednesday at 9:00 AM Eastern Time on WPON-AM 1460 Detroit. Today's show featured oldies instrumental songs in which the guitar takes center stage. Most of this morning's selections were surf rock songs by bands and artists who originated this style in the late 1950s-early 1960s.
- Raw-Hide - Link Wray And His Ray Men - 1959
- Spanish Harlem - Santo And Johnny - 1962
- Perfidia - The Ventures - 1960
- Walk - Don't Run - The Ventures - 1960
- Out Of Limits - The Marketts - 1964
- Let's Go (Pony) - The Routers - 1962
- Pipeline - The Chantay's - 1963
- Rebel-'Rouser - Duane Eddy - 1958
- Telstar - The Tornadoes - 1962
- Bustin' Surfboards - The Tornadoes - 1963 (by request)
- Apache - Jorgen Ingmann And His Guitar - 1961
- Midnight Beach Party - Santo And Johnny - 1963 (by request)
- Bulldog - The Fireballs - 1960
Notes:
- Link Wray is a highly acclaimed rock and roll guitarist whose best known songs include "Rumble" (1958) and "Raw-Hide" (1959) as heard this morning. (Note that "Raw-Hide" by Link Wray is not the same song as the well known "Rawhide" theme from the TV show.)
- Santo and Johnny were brothers (Santo and Johnny Farina) and they topped the charts in 1959 with "Sleep Walk." They also had a minor hit with an instrumental version of "Spanish Harlem" in 1962 (which peaked at only #101). This song was previously a hit for Ben E. King (1961) and later became a hit for King Curtis (1966) and Aretha Franklin (1971).
- Besides "Walk - Don't Run," the Ventures had many other surf rock guitar hits that also included "Perfidia" (1960). "Perfidia (Tonight)" dates back to 1941 when it first became a chart hit for many artists, i.e., Xavier Cugat, Jimmy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Gene Krupa. The Four Aces later also had a hit with "Perfidia" in 1952. Since their heyday on the charts in the 1960s, the Ventures have been actively touring and recording nonstop and have maintained a huge international following.
- The Ventures had a Top 10 hit in 1960 with "Walk - Don't Run" and also in 1964 with a revised version of this song, "Walk - Don't Run '65." "Walk - Don't Run" was the Ventures' chart debut song.
- The Marketts were an LA-based instrumental ensemble best remembered for their 1964 smash hit, "Out Of Limits." "Out Of Limits" kicks off with a four-note theme very similar to that of "The Twilight Zone."
- The Routers' "Let's Go (Pony)" (1962) is the song from which the well known cheerleaders' chant originated (clap-clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap-clap-clap "Let's Go!").
- "Pipeline" was a Top 10 hit for the Chantay's in 1963 and was this surf rock band's only charted song. In 1966, they recharted with this song and it became a minor hit, peaking at only #106. Many years later Bruce Johnston (of Bruce and Terry) also had a minor hit with this song in 1977 (peaking at only #109).
- Famed guitarist Duane Eddy originated the "twangy" playing style in the late 1950s. His best known songs include "Rebel Rouser" which became a Top 10 hit in 1958. Duane Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
- The Tornadoes were a British surf rock band famous for their chart topping "Telstar" (1962). Mary Singleton had a minor hit in 1963 with a sung version of "Telstar" (as "Magic Star (Tel-Star)"). Apollo 100 later also had a hit with "Telstar" on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1972.
- There was another surf rock group from the early 1960s called the Tornadoes. This band was from California and key members included brothers Gerald and Norman Sanders. They are best remembered for "Bustin' Surfboards" (1963) which was their only charted song. "Bustin' Surfboards" was later used in the soundtrack for the 1994 movie, "Pulp Fiction."
- Jorgen Ingmann smash hit, "Apache," was his chart debut song in 1961. Sonny James had a hit later that same year with a sung version of "Apache." This song later also charted for Davie Allan and the Arrows (1965) and the Sugarhill Gang (1982). The latter song incorporates samples of Jorgen Ingmann's original "Apache."
- The noncharting "Midnight Beach Party" by Santo and Johnny was included on their 1963 album, "Off Shore With Santo And Johnny" (Canadian American CALP-1011).
- The Fireballs were formed in 1959 and started out as an instrumental group. They changed to a vocal group several years after and in 1963 they topped the charts with "Sugar Shack." "Bulldog" as heard this morning is one of the Fireballs' hits from their earlier instrumental period.
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