The Bel-Airs were an early and influential
surf rock
Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a Music genre, 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 in ...
band from
South Bay,
Los Angeles, active in the early 1960s.
They were best known for their 1961 hit "Mr. Moto", an instrumental surf rock song that featured a
flamenco-inspired intro and contained a melodic piano interlude. The song's theme was used in the solo for the song "Seed" by
Sublime
Sublime may refer to:
Entertainment
* SuBLime, a comic imprint of Viz Media for BL manga
* Sublime (band), an American ska punk band
** ''Sublime'' (album), 1996
* ''Sublime'' (film), a 2007 horror film
* SubLime FM, a Dutch radio station dedic ...
.
Upon splitting up, guitarist Eddie Bertrand formed
Eddie & the Showmen in 1964, while guitarist
Paul Johnson later joined
Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys
Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys was an American musical group, originally formed in New York and later based in Mendocino, California, most active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
History
Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys was co-foun ...
in 1970. Original Bel-Airs drummer
Dick Dodd joined Bertrand in Eddie & the Showmen, and later joined
the Standells, playing drums and singing lead on their major 1966 hit, "
Dirty Water".
Richard Delvy replaced Dick Dodd on drums,
Randy Nauert replaced Steve Lotto on bass, and Art Fisher replaced Eddie Bertrand on guitar. Delvy, Fisher Nauert and Roberts went on to found the surf group
The Challengers.
Johnson has continued in music, both in recording and as a performer. Among other music associations, he has been a member of the "Jim Fuller version" of
the Surfaris since 1990. Bertrand also continued in music, touring as Eddie and the Soundwaves, among other performance configurations. Dodd has participated in various reunions and later recordings of the Standells.
Eddie Bertrand died of cancer on October 27, 2012, at age 67.
Dick Dodd died of cancer on November 29, 2013, at age 68.
Band members
*Eddie Bertrand (lead guitar)
*
Richard Delvy (
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
), replacing Dick Dodd
*Dick Dodd (drums)
*George Dumeshousen (drums)
*Art Fisher (lead guitar), replacing Eddie Bertrand
*
Paul Johnson (
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
)
*Steve Lotto (bass, vocals)
*
Randy Nauert (bass guitar), replacing Steve Lotto
*Jim Roberts (
piano)
*Chas Stuart (
saxophone)
Discography
*"Mr. Moto" b/w "Little Brown Jug" (Arvee A-5034, 1961)
*"Volcanic Action" b/w "Runaway" (Arvee A-5054, 1962)
*"Kami-Kaze" b/w "Vampire" (Triumph TRI-54, 1963) (also included in ''
Surfbeat'' by
The Challengers)
*"Charlie Chan" b/w "Baggies" (Lucky Token LT-107, 1964)
*"Liverpool" b/w "The Intruder" (Lucky Token LT-111, 1965)
;CD compilations
*''The Origins of Surf Music 1960-1963'' (Iloki IL-1007, 1993)
*''Volcanic Action!'' (
Sundazed SC-11100, 2001)
References
External links
Paul Johnson's Guitar Heavensecondhandsongs.com: List of "Mr. Moto" covers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bel-Airs, The
Surf music groups
Instrumental rock musical groups
Musical groups from California
Musical groups established in 1961
1961 establishments in California