The Malibooz

Bandleaders John Zambetti and Walter Egan shaped the relaxed blend of twangy surf sounds and AM-style pop that defines the New York-originated group the Malibooz. After early activity in the mid-'60s, the outfit formally reunited to issue Malibooz Rule! in 1981 and has periodically reassembled since, delivering further releases such as 1999's Living Water (The Surfer's Mass), 2002's Beach Access, and 2020's QE 2.

New York surf enthusiasts John Zambetti (vocals/guitars) and Walter Egan (vocals/guitars) launched the Malibooz in high school during the mid-'60s, driven by their shared vision of West Coast life. The ensemble built an East Coast audience and put out a 1965 EP along with the single "Goin' to Malibu," yet surf music's waning appeal led to an eventual breakup. Both members attended Georgetown University after graduation, where they formed the rock group Sageworth alongside drummer Tom Scarp and singer Annie McLoone. Egan stayed with Sageworth in the D.C. region and later around Boston, while Zambetti led Wine-Dark-Sea before entering medical school and maintaining a schedule of gigs and session work.

Egan relocated to California by the mid-'70s to launch a solo career, and Zambetti soon joined him after finishing his medical training; together they assembled the Walter Egan Band. Egan achieved a Top Ten hit in 1978 with "Magnet and Steel" from his second album Not Shy, which featured future Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Zambetti remained busy on the L.A. scene with his Johnny Z Band. Capitalizing on this momentum, Egan and Zambetti revived the Malibooz, releasing the retro surf album Malibooz Rule! on Rhino Records in 1981. The record contained the single "Hot Summer Nights," which later appeared in the 1985 TV movie California Girls, drawing interest from longtime surf devotees and a new generation of fans.

Throughout the following two decades the members juggled separate endeavors with their Malibooz commitments. Egan issued additional solo projects, while Zambetti recorded with the Johnny Z Band and composed film scores during the '80s and '90s. The group resurfaced in 1992 with the holiday collection Malibooz Yule: A Malibu Kind of Christmas. Their inventive surf reinterpretation of the Catholic Mass, Living Water (The Surfer's Mass), appeared as the Malibooz' third album in 1999. Another reunion produced Beach Access in 2002, followed by the archival collection The WRVR Sessions '65. Queen's English arrived as a studio album in 2010, and the Malibooz reconvened once more for QE 2 in 2020.