There was darkness, and God said…
Okay, so it wasn’t all that pompous, but the idea of teenage boys playing rock n roll in their parents’ garages was fairly unknown in the 1950’s. Indeed, the true inspiration for these bands were only themselves beginning to form. Still, the seeds were already forming with artists and bands that were incorporating a rawer form of rock and roll. These artists would be the forerunners for what would become surf music and frat rock.
So who was the first? Well, some might argue (Okay, maybe I might argue) it was Johnny Burnette (later famous for You’re Sixteen) and his Rock n Roll Trio. Indeed, the rawest form of rock n roll in its infancy was seeded in the roots of rockabilly. Check out their version of Train Kept a Rollin’
Rockabilly was undoubtedly an influence but the real roots of garage rock, like most forms of rock, would be found in R&B, Case in point: The great Link Wray, who practically invented the fuzz guitar. Some people have referred to him as the Father of Heavy Metal. He certainly was one of the earliest purveyors of distortion as we note in his legendary first and biggest hit, Rumble. He would also score instrumental classics like Rawhide, Comanche, and Jack the Ripper.
Probably separate from the rockabilly bands and Wray, but not in spirit, the first region where the first garage bands would become notorious cropped up. The Wailers, out of Tacoma, Washington, are considered, perhaps, the first of the many garage rock bands that would sprawl out over the world, really. They scored a hit with Tall Cool One in 1959. Another instrumental band, the Frantics, followed, and soon there were R&B outfits spread out all over the Pacific Northwest that included Paul Revere and the Raiders out of Idaho of all places.
Finally, we get to the early sixties and a new form of music now known as Frat Rock. This was a genre that featured one hit wonders like the Trashmen (Surfin Bird) and the Rivieras (California Sun). By far the biggest of these bands, another Northwest band out of Portland Oregon, would record a version of Richard Berry’s Louie Louie. By the end of 1963, the Kingsmen had produced one of Rock’s great anthems.
The Kingsmen would release a string of live albums from 1963 to 1966 and you can hear the energy on these albums
Mojo Workout (From the Kingsmen in Person)
And thus the cast was dyed. Maybe this was the future of Rock n Roll. But then some pesky guys out of England arrived on the scene and not only changed the face of Rock n Roll, but also changed the face of what would one day become known as garage rock. But, we’ll delve into that later. Until then, to quote one Peter Ivers of New Wave Theatre, don’t be a gherkin. See you next time.