The Surfrajettes, surf music and the Space Race

[Commentary]

Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA | 4 August 2024 (Updated 16 August 2024). Floridians love the Surfrajettes and surf music! As hurricane Debby approached the Big Bend region of Florida, one, referred to on air as Tom, of the Plant City-based Boss Hogg Radio Network’s legion of listeners telephoned legendary Radio Personality Charlie Brown, a combat-disabled veteran of the U.S. Navy and civilian pilot, during his weekend Boss Hogg Radio Network broadcast. The caller requested the tune ‘Hurricane’ by the Canada-based (Toronto, Ontario) Surf and instrumental music band known as the Surfrajettes. Days later, in the course of the Lady K and Miss Mystery Show, a live recording of the Surfrajettes’ ‘Paint it Black/Pipe Line’ was heard over the central Florida airwaves.

As noted above, the bodacious female musicians comprising the Surfrajettes, who perform while attired in 1960s-inspired fashions and hairstyles, have occasionally been heard on Boss Hogg Radio from Sebring to Ocala. The regular members of the dynamic group of extremely talented artists are Canadian guitarists Shermy Freeman, Nicole Damoff, Sarah Butler (on bass) and American (hailing from Cleveland, Ohio) drummer Annie Lillis. All three stringed instrument players are very accomplished, and Annie impressively attacks the drum set, somewhat, according to concert attendees, reminiscent of the late Keith Moon of the Who.

The Surfrajettes’ performances are literally music to one’s ears! Frankly, many residents along Florida’s Space Coast and inland consider their talent to be out of this world.

**Atlas V USSF-51 sunrise launch on 30 July 2024. Author.**

The Surfrajettes hearken back to an era of music that was popular long before their births. It is a fact that the Rolling Stones rocked camping World Stadium in Orlando on the 3rd of June. Unfortunately, the British icons’ concert did not include the Surfrajettes. Conceivably, had Mick and the boys heard the ladies’ instrumental cover of ‘Paint it Black’, or the performance (viewable from the 1:37 point to 3:32 on the YouTube documentary film posting The Ventures: Stars on Guitars Movie and Walk Don’t Run!) by Shermy and Nicole of the Venture’s 1960 classic ‘Walk Don’t Run’, the Rolling Stones perhaps would have issued an immediate invite.

**Rolling Stones’ 3 June 2024 concert. Photo by the author.**

Only weeks after the Rolling Stones’ phenomenal show, the Surfrajettes did battle oppressive summertime heat and humidity, in addition to vehicular mechanical problems, to join the Reverend Horton Heat tour at Florida venues located in Pensacola, St. Petersburg, Sanford and West Palm Beach. However, the tour failed to make any stops on or near the Space Coast. The Space Coast is a noteworthy surfing centre and home to the world-famous Ron Jon’s Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach.

The Surfrajettes not appearing on the Space Coast is also rather disappointing because, whilst the origins of surf music are largely credited to Southern California, the classic compositions seemed to coincide with the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the selection of the Mercury Seven astronauts in 1958 and the Space Race that featured rocket and space vehicle launches from Cape Canaveral.

**Cape Canaveral artwork. Photo by author.**

Pre-surf recordings appeared on the music charts in 1959 and at that time soon-to-be master guitarist Dick Dale (Richard Anthony Monsour) & The Del-Tones were forming. Eventually, the tide came in and the Del-Tones became recognised as the legacy surf instrumental band. In fact, Dale is generally credited as having written the first pure surf piece (‘Let’s Go Trippin’’) in 1961 that made considerable waves in the recording industry; this composition is widely considered to be the initial hit surf rock instrumental.

**Alan Shepard and Mercury-Redstone 3 launch. NASA photo MSFC-6100884.**

Concurrently, on the east coast of Florida NASA was generating headlines relating to manned spaceflight. Alan Shepard, one of the previously referenced Mercury Seven Astronauts, became the first American to ascend into outer space via a ballistic missile, and colleague Virgil (Gus) Grissom, the second.

**The Mercury Seven Astronauts. NASA GPN-2000-001286.**

The two men were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (now designated as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station). These momentous events took place the same year (1961) ‘Let’s Go Trippin’’ was being played on the radio. The brief spaceflights captivated surf band musicians, their fans, and practically everyone else.

**Mercury-Redstone 4. NASA MSFC-6414824.**

Former competitive surfer Jay DiMartino, obviously referencing the United States’ manned space programme, stated the following within his online article (updated on 11 April 2019) titled ‘The History of Surf Music’: ‘Come 1962, the surf music equivalent of the moon landing occurred by way of the Chantays whose “Pipeline” became the go-to instrumental archetype for the surf music genre.’ During (on 20 January) the referenced year, John H. Glenn piloted space capsule Friendship 7 on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, which likewise ascended from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Who can forget the album Surfin with The Astronauts (released during May of 1963) by the Astronauts? Leroy Gordon [Gordo] Cooper, Jr., rocketed to space aboard Faith 7 during the Mercury-Atlas 9 flight from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on an Atlas booster on 15 May 1963.

**The Astronauts’ classic 1963 record album.**

Don’t forget about the Surfaris’ and the group’s classic hit ‘Wipe Out’ (released in January of 1963), which reached the #2 spot on the charts and has since been incorporated into some 20 films and television series, that had students drumming on desks with pencils and driving their teachers to drink.

**Mercury-Atlas 9. NASA GPN-2000-000997.**

The Ventures, on 25 January 1964, released their immensely popular album (The) Ventures in Space. A few months afterward, on 8 April 1964, Project Gemini ushered in orbital flights of longer duration, with the first Gemini/Titan II launch from Cape Kennedy. Of note is that the Ventures recently returned to their space theme with the 2023 production of New Space, which features the song ‘Moon Base Drive’.

Surfing and space launches continue to be a fixture on the Space Coast to this day.

**Astra 1P SES-24 atop SpaceX Falcon 9 – 20 July 2024.**

The Surfrajettes are, to coin a 1960s phrase, ‘Way out man!’ Looking to the future, the young women are hoping to attain a new apogee of success with the debut of their vinyl LP album Easy as Pie, which is scheduled to be available for purchase as of 4 October, and the upcoming Great Lakes A-Go-Go Tour.

The pertinent question remains unanswered: When will the Surfrajettes appear and fill the air on the Space Coast with chords and notes?

The editor / author thanks the Surfrajettes for engendering many hours of musical enjoyment and stimulating long-forgotten pleasant childhood memories.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the management and staff of Military Aviation Chronicles.

Suggested Viewings

Paint it Black/Pipeline by the Surfrajettes (YouTube)

The Ventures: Stars on Guitars Movie and Walk Don’t Run! (YouTube)

Sources and Suggested Readings

1964 in spaceflight (Wikipedia)

Alan Shepard (Wikipedia)

Boss Hogg hits the airwaves

Cape Canaveral (Wikipedia)

Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40

Convair F-106 Delta Dart (Wikipedia)

Creation of NASA (Wikipedia)

Dick Dale (Wikipedia)