Legacy Recordings

The Beach Boys didn’t invent car culture in pop, or even the notion of a musical drag race. But when they put auto-themed songs such as “409” and “Shut Down” on the flip sides of their surfing singles, they codified a genre. Pretty soon, GTO’s, Sting-Rays and T-Birds were chasing each other around the radio dial. The Rip Chords were the creation of Beach Boy-to-be Bruce Johnston and pal Terry Melcher (Doris Day’s son), and they gave Columbia their biggest entry in the pop-rod sweepstakes. The Rip Chords lacked staying power, but Melcher became a key figure in shaping the label’s pop-rock profile.

Listen to “Hey Little Cobra” by The Rip Chords on Rhapsody or Buy the CD at LegacyRecordings.com.