The Challengers

The Challengers
	General information
Genre (s)	Surf rock
founding	1962
resolution	1966
Founding members
Electric guitar	Don Smoker
Electric guitar	Glenn Gray
Drums	Richard Delvy
piano	Jim Roberts
Electric bass	Randy Nauert
saxophone	Nick Hefner
former members
singing	Art Fisher (PJ & Artie)
bass	Buzz Carre
guitar	Ed Fournier
guitar	John Anderson
piano	Raul Matute
saxophone	Jerry Brown ( Dick Dale & The Del-Tones )
saxophone	Phil Pruden (Baymen, Thom Starr & The Galaxies)
saxophone	Steve Douglas
Guitar (12-string)	Billy Strange

The Challengers was an American surf rock band that formed in 1962 with the lineup Jim Roberts ( piano ), Don Smoker alias Don Landis ( electric guitar ), Glenn Gray (electric guitar), Randy Nauert ( electric bass ), Richard Delvy alias Richard Delvecchio ( drums ) and Nick Hefner ( saxophone ) in Los Angeles , California and which emerged from the band The Belairs . The Challengers' debut album, Surfbeat, is one of the best-selling albums of the surfing era.

history

After Delvy and Roberts left the Belairs in late 1961, they formed the band The Challengers. In the recording studio World Pacific Los Angeles studio pictures have been recorded for their debut album in three and a half hours. The record label Vault Records took over the release of Surfbeat, and shortly after the album was released in January 1963 it entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart . The album includes pieces by performers with a great influence on surf rock such as The Fireballs and Duane Eddy .

After the success of the first album, other singles such as Torquay / Bulldog and Moon Dawg / Tidal Wave were released. In February 1963 they took part in the Battle of the Bands in Los Angeles with The Mar-Kets, The Lively Ones and The Avantis, among others . The radio station KFWB released together with Del-Fi Records the album Battle of the Surfing Bands, which includes the title Ramrod of the Challengers. Concerts and appearances on television, for example on the show Celebrity Party together with Dick Dale & The Del-Tones , increased the popularity of the Challengers.

When recording the album On The Move , Hefner, Gray and Landis left the band and were replaced by Phil Pruden, Art Fisher and Eddie Fournier. In 1964, the album K-39 was released with what is probably the most famous title song of the same name by the Challengers. The band now released several albums annually and had their own TV show, Surf's Up . The illustrator Rick Griffin designed several album covers for the band.

With the British Invasion in the mid-1960s, the Challengers also changed their style, as documented for example in the more pop- oriented song Kicks by Paul Revere & The Raiders. Like many other surf rock bands, the Challengers had disbanded by 1966.

Discography

Challengers singles

1962 - Torquay / Bulldog
1962 - Moon Dawg / Tidal Wave
1963 - Footapper / On The Move
1964 - Hot Rod Hootenanny / Maybellene
1964 - Hot Rod Show / K-39
1965 - Channel 9 / Can't Seem To Get Over You
1965 - Mr Moto '65 / Chieflado
1966 - Pipline / Come Right Back To Me

Challengers albums

1962 - Surf Beat
1963 - Lloyd Thaxton Goes Surfing With The Challengers
1963 - On The Move - Surfing Around The World
1964 - K-39
1965 - Go Sidewalk Surfing!
1965 - The Man From UNCLE
1965 - At The Teenage Fair
1966 - California Kicks
1994 - New Wave
1995 - Tidal Wave! (Rarities)

Appearances on compilations

1982 - Bustin 'Surfboards
1994 - Killer Surf
1995 - KFWB's Battle Of The Surfing Bands
1995 - Tidal Wave!
1996 - Cowabunga! Surf box
1996 - Let's Go Trippin '
1996 - Surf Crazy
1997 - The World Of Surf Music
1998 - Surf! Sand! Sun!
2003 - Lost Legends Of Surf Guitar - Vol. 03
2003 - TelstarMania
2005 - Instrumental Sixties EP Collection - Magic Records Box

literature

John Blair (Ed.): The Illustrated Discography Of Surf Music. 1961-1965 . J. Bee Productions, Riverside CA 1978, ISBN 0-9601880-0-2 .
Robert J. Dalley: Surfin 'Guitars. Instrumental Surf Bands of The Sixties . Surf Publications for RJ Dalley, Azusa CA 1988.