Classic Pop Icons

The rock ‘n’ roll era was a great period for instrumental songs, with bands such as The Ventures, Booker T. and the MGs and The Shadows recording classic tunes and achieving impressive sales. Here’s the Classic Pop Icons “Ten of the Best” rock ‘n’ roll instrumentals.

Sleep Walk – Santo & Johnny

Santo and Johnny Farina were Italian-American brothers from Brooklyn, NY. In 1958, the brothers and their Uncle Mike Dee recorded the instrumental “Deep Sleep” under the name Mike Dee & The Mello Tones. This was changed to “Sleep Walk” and released the following year as Santo and Johnny’s “Sleep Walk.” “Sleep Walk” was a number one hit in the US and has been one of the most enduring instrumentals of all time. It was used to great effect at the end of the 1980s Richie Valens biopic “La Bamba.”

Tequila – The Champs

The Champs were formed after “Tequila” was recorded, because the musicians had actually gathered to provide backing for a song by rockabilly singer Dave Burgess called “Train to Nowhere.” “Tequila” was a happy accident that developed from a studio jam by the Flores Trio and other assembled musicians. It was originally released as the B-side of “Train to Nowhere” but became the bigger song when DJs began playing it instead of the A-side.

“Tequila” hit number one on the US charts on March 28, 1958.

The musicians present at the session were:

• Lead guitar – Buddy Bruce
• Rhythm guitar – Dave Burgess
• Bass – Cliff Hills
• Saxophone – Danny Flores
• Drums – Gene Alden.

They began recording together as The Champs the following month and “Tequila” is always credited to The Champs.

Misirlou – Dick Dale

Dick Dale was a multi-instrumentalist who became known for his trademark guitar reverb and tremelo picking. He was known as the “King of the Surf Guitar.” “Misirlou” was a Greek folk song first performed in the 1920s by the Michalis Patrinos rebetiko band. Dick Dale rearranged the song in 1962, turning it into a brilliant rocker.

Dick Dale’s “Misirlou” found a new lease of life in the 1990s when Quentin Tarantino used it on the soundtrack of his hit movie “Pulp Fiction.”

Green Onions – Booker T. and the MGs

In their role as house band at Stax Records in Memphis, Booker T. and the MGs played on some of the most important records of the 1960s, including classics by Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Wilson Pickett.

Booker T. and the MGs also released their own records, starting with “Green Onions” in 1962, which would be their biggest hit. The song developed from a jam during downtime at a session for Billy Lee Riley. Stax Records President, Jim Stewart, liked what he heard and recorded the song.

“Green Onions” went to number three in the US and sold over one million copies.

The following musicians played on “Green Onions”:

• Organ – Booker T. Jones
• Guitar – Steve Cropper
• Bass – Lewie Steinberg
• Drums – Al Jackson Jr.

Apache – The Shadows

The Shadows rose to fame as Cliff Richard’s backing band, but went on to be one of the most successful British chart acts of all time. The band, which was originally named the Drifters, took its members from several skiffle groups.

The Shadows’ most successful line-up, and that which appeared on “Apache,” was:

• Lead guitar – Hank Marvin
• Rhythm guitar – Bruce Welch
• Bass guitar – Jet Harris
• Drums – Tony Meehan.

“Apache” was the band’s breakthrough as a solo group. The song, which was written by Jerry Lordan, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios on June 17, 1960. It was released the following month and spent five weeks at number one in the UK.

“Apache” was first recorded by Bert Weedon, earlier in 1960, but The Shadows’ version was released first. The song is better known in America for its 1961 cover by Danish jazz guitarist, Jørgen Ingmann.

The Shadows went on to have another 34 hit singles in the UK, including “Wonderful Land,” which was number one for eight weeks.

Red River Rock – Johnny and the Hurricanes

Johnny and the Hurricanes were originally called The Orbits and played on a few recordings for Mack Vickery. They recorded “Crossfire” as Johnny and the Hurricanes in 1959 and followed it up with “Red River Rock,” which is by far their most memorable recording.

“Red River Rock” takes its melody from the 19th century folk song called “Red River Valley,” which has been recorded under various names. A large number of artists have recorded “Red River Valley,” including Bill Haley and the Four Aces of Western Swing, Jimmie Rodgers, Marty Robbins, Eddy Arnold, Gene Autry, Woody Guthrie and Jo Stafford and the Starlighters.

Johnny and the Hurricanes’ turned “Red River Valley” into a rock ‘n’ roll instrumental and renamed it “Red River Rock.” The song hit number five in the US and number three in the UK.

Johnny and the Hurricanes were:

• Saxophone – Johnny Paris
• Hammond organ – Paul Tesluk
• Guitar – Dave Yorko
• Bass guitar – Butch Mattice
• Drums – Bill “Little Bo” Savich.

Rebel Rouser – Duane Eddy

Duane Eddy is remembered for his trademark “Twangy” guitar sound. His debut LP “Have ‘Twangy Guitar Will Travel” was released in 1958 and featured his first two singles, “Moovin’ ‘N’ Groovin'” and “Rebel Rouser.” It was “Rebel Rouser” that was Duane Eddy’s first big hit, reaching number six in the US.

Duane had many chart hits, but “Rebel Rouser” was one of only three that made the top ten, along with “Forty Miles of Bad Road” (#9) and “Because They’re Young” (#4).

The following musicians feature on “Rebel Rouser”:

• Guitar – Duane Eddy
• Bass – Ike Clanton
• Piano – Al Casey
• Saxophone – Steve Douglas
• Drums – Mike Bermani or Bob Taylor.

Wipe Out – The Surfaris

The Surfaris were a Californian band formed in 1962 and their classic instrumental “Wipe Out” was one of the signature surf rock singles. The song has several classic elements that make it memorable, including the lively drum solo, the high pitched spoken intro (which gets irritating after a few spins!) and the classic melody played on lead guitar.

“Wipe Out” was originally the B-side of “Surfer Joe,” but it went on to spend four months in the US singles chart in 1963, peaking at number two and selling one million copies.

The Surfaris were:

• Drums – Ron Wilson
• Lead guitar – Jim Fuller
• Rhythm guitar – Bob Berryhill
• Bass – Pat Connolly.

They were subsequently joined by saxophonist Jim Pash.

Walk Don’t Run – The Ventures

The Ventures developed from a two piece band called The Versatones, which had been formed by guitarists Bon Bogle and Don Wilson in Tacoma, Washington in 1958. It wasn’t long before a bass player and drummer were recruited and the band’s name was changed to The Ventures. The Ventures went on to be the best selling instrumental group of all time, with worldwide sales of over 100 million records.

“Walk Don’t Run” was one of the band’s first hits, reaching number two in the US. It was also the title of their first album, which was released in December 1960.

Although “Walk Don’t Run” is forever associated with the Ventures, it was originally recorded five years earlier by Johnny Smith and had also been covered by Chet Atkins in 1957.

The Ventures have had several changes to their line up. The following musicians played on “Walk Don’t Run”:

• Lead guitar – Bob Bogle
• Rhythm Guitar – Don Wilson
• Bass – Nokia Edwards
• Drums – Skip Moore.

Raunchy – Bill Justis

Bill Justis was a trumpeter/saxophonist who had played in jazz bands and studied music at university before being taken on by Sam Phillips at Sun Records in the mid-50s. As well as recording his own material, he helped out with arranging music for some of Sun’s biggest stars, including Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.

“Raunchy” was recorded by Bill Justis in 1957 and was one of the first rock ‘n’ roll instrumental hits. The song achieved worldwide success, reaching number two on the US charts and hitting the top spot in Australia. “Raunchy” was covered by many artists, including Duane Eddy whose own guitar sound was almost certainly inspired by the song.

Is there a song that should have made the list but didn’t? Let us know.

More fantastic rock ‘n’ roll instrumentals