The Rumblers

The Rumblers earned their primary recognition from the instrumental "Boss," which climbed to number 52 in early 1963. Although the Southern California outfit produced extensive material over the following two years, none of those releases matched the original single's performance. Frequently categorized as a surf act, the band actually explored multiple boisterous instrumental rock & roll approaches and also cut several vocal tracks. Teenagers from the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk assembled the group at the close of the 1950s; by 1962 they had begun recording for the small independent Downey label, located in the neighboring L.A. suburb of the same name. Downey's sole major success arrived with the Chantays' 1963 surf classic "Pipeline," and the company proved unable to duplicate that achievement through the Rumblers, even though "Boss" reached the Top Ten on various local outlets and peaked at number two on KFWB in Los Angeles. That regional standing and the hit itself secured an LP on Downey plus multiple subsequent 45s, among them sides issued under alternate names such as the Nylons and Bel Canto's, the latter of which featured an arrangement by a young Barry White on "Feel Aw Right." The group stood apart from many surf-scene contemporaries through its heavy saxophone presence—at one point the lineup contained two saxophonists—and a stronger R&B emphasis. Guitarist Johnny Kirkland's draft notice prompted the Rumblers' dissolution in late 1965. The remaining members continued as the Interns, whose 1967 single adopted the vocal garage-pop-rock manner that had already rendered surf music largely obsolete.