Well Surf had its day in the late fifties and early sixties prior to the British invasion. It was fairly short-lived.
Now I could eulogise about the Beach Boys with their Chuck Berry rip-offs but I found them too lightweight and besides they were just jumping on the scene and weren’t coming out of the real thing. Then there was Jan and Dean who at least were real surfers. And I did enjoy those instrumentals by the Chantays, Trashmen, Ventures and Surfaris. Even Duane Eddy got in on the act.
But they were all the commercial side of things. The real Surf Music took place in the small clubs. It was loud, raucous and played by largely unknown bands.
There were numerous revivals.
So my list is kind of short – someone who was exciting, experimental and innovative:
Dick Dale