The Trashmen
Encyclopedia
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 drum
s and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar
. The group played surf rock which included elements from garage rock
.
", 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 composer
s, but following a threat from The Rivingtons' legal counsel, that group was subsequently credited as composers. The early single was credited solely to the drummer (and singer) - Steve Wahrer. 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 filmmaking
and television productions including, most notably, Stanley Kubrick
's Full Metal Jacket
; Vince Vaughn
's "Fred Claus
"; John Waters
' Pink Flamingos
; and 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 #1 in the UK over Christmas; this was 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 X-Factor
winner's song. The track debuted in the UK Top Ten for the first time, on 19 December, at #3.
. In 1964, "Bird Dance Beat" reached #30 on the Billboard
in the United States, as well as becoming a top 10 hit in Canada, and a hit in Brazil. Five other Trashmen singles charted, and overall the group released fourteen albums. A four CD
box set of their work was released.
The group disbanded in 1967 but reunited in the 1980s, playing together until the death of Steve Wahrer, who died of cancer in 1989. Tony Andreason's brother, Mark, replaced Wahrer as drummer
. Reed's son Robin joined on as a touring member in 2009 on drums filling in for Mark Andreason.
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, they added 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.
Other singles included:
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
formed in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, in 1962. The group's original lineup was Tony Andreason on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and vocals, Dal Winslow on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals, Steve Wahrer on drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. The group played surf rock which included elements from garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
.
"Surfin' Bird"
The Trashmen's biggest hit was 1963's "Surfin' BirdSurfin' Bird
"Surfin' Bird" is a song performed by the American surf rock band The Trashmen; it is also the name of the album that featured this hit single. It was released in 1963 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100...
", which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the later part of that year. The song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was a combination of two R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
hits by The Rivingtons
The Rivingtons
The Rivingtons were a 1960s doo-wop group. The group members were:lead vocalist Carl White , tenor Al Frazier , baritone Sonny Harris, and bass singer Turner "Rocky" Wilson Jr.. Frazier was replaced by Madero White for a period in the late 1970s.-History:Their first hit was "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow"...
, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
"Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" is a 1962 novelty nonsensical doo-wop song by The Rivingtons. The song peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #35 on the Cashbox charts.-Cover versions:...
". The earliest pressings of the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
credit the Trashmen as composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s, but following a threat from The Rivingtons' legal counsel, that group was subsequently credited as composers. The early single was credited solely to the drummer (and singer) - Steve Wahrer. The song was later re-recorded by artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
including the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
, Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
, Pee-Wee Herman
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
, Equipe 84
Equipe 84
Equipe 84 were an Italian Beat band formed in 1964 in Modena. The name translates as Team 84, and it was originally suggested by a friend of the band, Pier Parri...
, and the thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...
. It has been used in filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and television productions including, most notably, Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is an adaptation of the 1979 novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford and stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard and Adam Baldwin. The film follows a platoon of U.S...
; Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
's "Fred Claus
Fred Claus
Fred Claus is a 2007 Christmas family-comedy film produced and directed by David Dobkin, written by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti.-Plot:...
"; John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
' Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos
Pink Flamingos is a 1972 transgressive black comedy film written, produced, composed, shot, edited, and directed by John Waters. When the film was initially released, it caused a huge degree of controversy and thus became one of the most notorious cult films ever made. It made an underground star...
; and the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the video game Battlefield Vietnam
Battlefield Vietnam
Battlefield Vietnam is the second video game in Electronic Arts' Battlefield franchise after Battlefield 1942. The game was developed by the Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts on March 15, 2004 in North America and days later in other parts of the world....
.
More recently, the song was the subject of a 2008 episode
I Dream of Jesus
"I Dream of Jesus" is the second episode of the seventh season of Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Peter finds an incognito Jesus Christ working at a record shop, and convinces Jesus to make his second coming public.The episode was...
of the animated series Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, launching the song to #8 on the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Top 10 Rock songs chart and #50 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 2009. Additionally, in 2010 a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
campaign was launched to get the song to #1 in the UK over Christmas; this was largely intended (as with Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
's "Killing In The Name
Killing in the Name
"Killing in the Name" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, featured on their self-titled debut album, and was released as the lead single from the album in November 1992...
", in 2009) as an unofficial protest against the takeover of the No.1 spot by The X-Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
winner's song. The track debuted in the UK Top Ten for the first time, on 19 December, at #3.
Later history
The Trashmen went on to have other hit singles on the chartsRecord chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. In 1964, "Bird Dance Beat" reached #30 on the Billboard
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States, as well as becoming a top 10 hit in Canada, and a hit in Brazil. Five other Trashmen singles charted, and overall the group released fourteen albums. A four CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
box set of their work was released.
The group disbanded in 1967 but reunited in the 1980s, playing together until the death of Steve Wahrer, who died of cancer in 1989. Tony Andreason's brother, Mark, replaced Wahrer as drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
. Reed's son Robin joined on as a touring member in 2009 on drums filling in for Mark Andreason.
In 1999, The Trashmen played at The Las Vegas Grind
Las Vegas Grind
Las Vegas Grind was a festival held in 1999 and 2000 at the Gold Coast Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The programs for these festivals consisted of bands that were inspired by, or actually were part of, the garage rock genre of music of the 1960s...
and have played select gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
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, they added 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.
Albums
| Year | Album | US 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Surfin' Bird | 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 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1963 | "Surfin' Bird Surfin' Bird "Surfin' Bird" is a song performed by the American surf rock band The Trashmen; it is also the name of the album that featured this hit single. It was released in 1963 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100... " |
4 | 3 | Surfin' Bird |
| 1964 | "Bird Dance Beat" | 30 | — | |
Other singles included:
- "Bad News"/On The Move" 1964
- "Peppermint Man"/"New Generation" 1964
- "Whoa Dad"/"Walking My Baby" 1964
- "Dancing With Santa"/"Real Live Doll" 1964
- "Hanging On Me"/"Same Lines" 1965
- "Bird '65"/"Ubangi Stomp 1965
- "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby"/"Lost Angel" 1965
- "Green, Green Backs Back Home"/"Address Enclosed" 1967