The Trashmen
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The Trashmen |
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The Trashmen are a rock and roll band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1962. The group's original lineup was Tony Andreason on lead guitar and vocals, Dal Winslow on guitar and vocals, Steve Wahrer on drums and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar. The group played surf rock which included elements from garage rock.
"Surfin' Bird"
The Trashmen's most notable hit was 1963's "Surfin' Bird", which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the later part of that year. The song was a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". The earliest pressings of the single credit the Trashmen as composers, but following a threat from The Rivingtons' legal counsel, that group was subsequently credited as composers.[citation needed] The song was later re-recorded by artists including the Ramones, The Cramps, Silverchair, Pee-Wee Herman, Equipe 84, and the thrash metal band Sodom. It has been used in movies and television shows including Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and John Waters' Pink Flamingos, and in the soundtrack to the video game Battlefield Vietnam.
More recently, the song was the subject of a 2008 episode of the animated series Family Guy, launching the song to #8 on the iTunes Top 10 Rock songs chart and #50 on the UK Singles Chart in 2009. Additionally, in 2010 a Facebook campaign was launched to get the song to No.1 in the UK Top 40 over Christmas; this is largely intended (as with Rage Against The Machine's Killing In The Name, in 2009) as an unofficial protest against the takeover of the No.1 spot by the The X-Factor winner's song. The track debut in the UK Top Ten for the first time ever, on Sunday 19th December, reaching #3.
Later history
The Trashmen went on to have other hit singles on the charts. In 1964, "Bird Dance Beat" reached #30 on the Billboard in the United States,[1] as well as becoming a top 10 hit in Canada, and a mega hit in Brazil.[citation needed] Five other Trashmen singles charted, and overall the group released 14 albums. A four CD box set of their work was released.[citation needed]
The group disbanded in 1967 but reunited in the 1980s, playing together until the death of Steve Wahrer, who died of cancer in 1989.[2] Tony Andreason's brother, Mark, replaced Steve as drummer. Bob's son Robin joined on as a touring member in 2009 on drums filling in for Mark.
In 1999, The Trashmen played at The Las Vegas Grind and have played select gigs including Chicago (July 2007), Spain (September 2007), Chicago (November 2007), Wisconsin, and Cleveland (March 2008). They toured Europe 2009 with gigs in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Austria. Following up again in 2010 adding Norway, Sweden and Finland to the mix.
After having toured extensively in Europe in 2009-2010, they also play selected dates and festivals in the United States.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | US 200 |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Surfin' Bird (Album) | 48 |
| 1989 | Comic Book Collector | |
| 1990 | Live Bird'65-'67 | |
| 1992 | Tube City!: The Best of the Trashmen | |
| 1994 | The Great Lost Trashmen Album | |
| 1998 | Bird Call!: The Twin City Stomp of the Trashmen | |
| 2009 | Teen Trot: Live At Ellsworth, WI, August 22, 1965 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1963 | "Surfin' Bird" | 4 | 3 | Surfin' Bird |
| 1964 | "Bird Dance Beat" | 30 | - | |
References
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5686 All-Music Guide
- ^ Steve Wahrer (born November 22, 1941 in Minnesota – January 21, 1989) according to The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars, pg. 252