Johnny
Fortune-Soul Surfer-Park Avenue 7” single
There’s so much that’s good about this
single from 1963 that I barely know where to start. It might be the actual tune
itself, a surf instrumental that lasts just over a couple of minutes, replete
with twangy guitar (but not too twangy that it makes a parody of the genre),
it’s just got the correct level of twanginess. The drums are just spot on;
sharp enough, but not overpowering the tune in the way that sometimes the drums
do in surf songs- no novelty rhythms for Johnny Fortune here. The bass line
just does its job and that’s all there is to it, guitars, drums and bass. What
more do you need? It’s all put together to make a tune, that if I was ever in
the enviable position to be hosting a radio show, then this would be the one
that I’d have as my theme tune. It’s such a great, great tune that it should be
played, as a matter of national policy, every night over the 6 o’clock news
titles on BBC 1 or in the event of any great occasion of State. And it’s just
the b-side to the single. The a-side, “Dragster”, makes anything that The Beach
Boys or Jan and Dean recorded about cars sound as if they were writing about a
ten year old Daewoo that had just failed an MOT.
The first time that the term “soul
surfer” was used was in the title of this song. It became used within surfing
communities to describe anybody who surfed just for the sheer love of the sport
and who resisted the competiveness of the sport and it’s increasing
commercialisation during the 1960’s and 70’s. Johnny Fortune’s little b-side on
a small label became a symbol of a counter-culture.
As if all this wasn’t good enough, then
there’s the band as well. Johnny Fortune; what a great name. Even if the single
was rubbish and he’d never done anything else it is still a brilliant rock and
roll name. If it wasn’t his birth name-and if it was, then surely a career in
rock and roll beckoned- it was an inspired choice. But this single-which he
recorded at just 16 years old-wasn’t a one-off, an obscure track by a nobody
who only had a fleeting acquaintance with fame. This b-side was also on his
first album, released at the same time and which has the same title. It was
that well thought of that he was invited to tour with Johnny Burnette in
England, but couldn’t go because he was too young. He later worked sessions for Sam Cooke, Glen
Campbell and The Beach Boys and played with the latter when they toured. He’s
still going strong and is now a top country guitarist in Nashville. The other
members of the band who recorded “Soul Surfer” were Jim O’Keith and, get this,
Joey Sudetta-a 10 year old drummer! Not only did Johnny Fortune have a great
drummer, but he was only 10 years old and had a name that would fit well in any
Scorsese film.
Get Totally Shuffled here...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Totally-Shuffled-Listening-Broken-ebook/dp/B00CJYZ3CA
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