The Trashmen

The Trashmen were an American surf rock band formed in Minneapolis in 1962 and are best known for their biggest hit, 1963's "Surfin' Bird", which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The original line-up of the group featured guitarists Tony Andreason and Dal Winslow, bassist Bob Reed, and drummer Steve Wahrer.Along with Colorado-based contemporaries the Astronauts, the Trashmen have been described as "the premier landlocked Midwestern surf group of the '60s." The band took their name from "Trashman's Blues", a song written and recorded in 1961 by Minneapolis musician Kai Ray (Richard Caire, 1935–2017), who later wrote songs for the band.Tony Andreason and Mike Jann were friends who learned and played guitar together, starting in 1955. They primarily played country music. In 1957, at the Crystal Coliseum, Tony and Mike met drummer Steve Wahrer (who was born in Keokuk, Iowa, and lived there until his family relocated to Minnesota prior to his freshman year of high school; while in Iowa, he worked as a bat boy for the 1955 champion minor league baseball team Keokuk Kernels), Dallas "Dal" Winslow, a guitar player, and a saxophone player. Tony, Steve, Dal, and the saxophone player played as The String Kings for a brief time period. Mike Jann was not part of the group, due to his primary interest in country music.Tony met Jim Thaxter through Steve and Dal. Jim was a singer who was looking to front a band. "Jim Thaxter and the Travelers" was then formed with the following line-up: Jim Thaxter on lead vocals and guitar (tuned to a bass register); Tony Andreason on lead guitar; Dal Winslow on rhythm guitar; Tom Diehl on piano; and Steve Wahrer on drums. In Spring 1961, the group took a hiatus as Tony and Jim had to enter military service, during which time Wahrer briefly played with Anoka-based band The Trespassers. In early 1962, Tony and Jim returned from their duties, but disagreements on musical direction caused Tony to leave the band, with Steve and Dal following him.Don (Woody) Wood, a bass player, joined the group. Steve made the decision to call the band "The Trashmen" when they discovered the 1961 single "Trashman's Blues" by Minneapolis guitarist Kai Ray. The group was primarily an instrumental act, with Steve gradually taking over more lead vocals. Don Wood soon departed to join his brother's band, The Startones, and was replaced by Bob Reed after an audition.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.