Ronald Lee Wilson (June 26, 1944 – May 12, 1989) was an American musician and recording artist, best known as an original member and drummer of

The Surfaris The Surfaris are an American surf rock band formed in Glendora, California, United States, in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" and " Wipe Out", which ...

, an early

surf music Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental s ...

group of the 1960s. Wilson's energetic drum solo on " Wipe Out" (a #2 US/#5 UK hit) made it one of the best-known instrumental songs of the period.

Biography

Ron Wilson's drum riff on "Wipe Out" was so striking that "the yardstick for every aspiring young drummer in the early 60s was to be able to play a drum solo called 'Wipe Out'." Wilson played Drums for a high school band Charter Oak Lancers in

Covina, California Covina is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley. The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 census, up from 47,796 at the 2010 census. The city's slogan, " ...

in 1962. Their parents took them to gigs because none of them was old enough to drive. The members were inspired by the guitarist

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting with reverb eff ...

, but it was the drummer who inspired their biggest hit. Wilson said he had dreamed of a surfer and with the others wrote a song called "Surfer Joe", sung by Wilson. It was recorded at Pal Studios in

Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the 28th ...

, California in January 1963. The band needed a B-side and Wilson played a drummer's practice exercise called a

paradiddle In ''rudimental drumming'', a form of percussion music, a drum rudiment is one of a number of relatively small patterns which form the foundation for more extended and complex drumming patterns. The term "drum rudiment" is most closely associa ...

. Wilson added stresses to what had been a rhythm he played in his school marching band, and the guitarists followed. According to band member

Bob Berryhill Bob Berryhill (born December 15, 1947) was a member of The Surfaris and co-writer and recording artist of " Wipe Out" and other Surfaris' hits. In 1960, when Berryhill was 13, he took a trip to the Hawaiian Islands and learned to surf and play uk ...

, "Ronnie loved Scottish marches and played with our high school Tartan marching band. That came into play coupled with my suggestion of bongo rock-type breaks for an arrangement, a drum-solo type of song with a simple guitar melody. Ronnie started playing the famous Wipe Out solo and in about ten minutes we had the song together." They subsequently toured in various forms for many years and at times invited members of the audience to attempt Wilson's drum riff while the guitarists played the melody. He is sometimes mistaken for another Ron Wilson that collaborated with

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

for the 1968 songs "We're Together Again" and "I'll Keep On Loving You". They are not related. Ron Wilson also played drums for legendary folk singer Tim Morgon during the late 1960s. Morgon was a wildly popular fixture at Bob Stane's Glendale Ice House and later at the Pasadena Ice House to sell out shows. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Wilson was the drummer with the Monica Dupont band, which included Mel Brown, Johnny Heartsman, Bobby Forte'. and from time to time Bard Dupont. They recorded Honky Tonk live at the Stony Inn, in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. Wilson died of a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circul ...

on May 12, 1989. Wilson and the rest of the Surfaris were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Ron Wilson, Ron 1944 births 1989 deaths American rock drummers 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians