The Trashmen

The Trashmen
Origin	Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Genres	Rock and roll Surf rock Garage rock
Years active	1962–1967 1982–present
Members
Tony Andreason Dal Winslow Bob Reed Mark Andreason Robin Reed
Past members
Steve Wahrer

The Trashmen are a rock and roll band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1962.^[1] The group's original lineup was Tony Andreason on lead guitar and vocals, Dal Winslow on guitar and vocals, Steve Wahrer on drums and vocals, and Bob Reed on bass guitar. The group played surf rock which included elements from garage rock.

"Surfin' Bird"

The Trashmen's biggest hit was 1963's "Surfin' Bird",^[1] which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the later part of that year. The song was a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". The earliest pressings of the single credit the Trashmen as composers, but following a threat from The Rivingtons' legal counsel, that group was subsequently credited as composers.^{[citation needed]} The early single was credited solely to the drummer (and singer) - Steve Wahrer. The song was later re-recorded by artists including the Ramones, The Cramps, Silverchair, Pee-Wee Herman, Equipe 84, and the thrash metal band Sodom. It has been used in filmmaking and television productions including, most notably, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket; Vince Vaughn's "Fred Claus"; John Waters' Pink Flamingos; and the soundtrack to the video game Battlefield Vietnam.

More recently, the song was the subject of a 2008 episode of the animated series Family Guy, launching the song to #8 on the iTunes Top 10 Rock songs chart and #50 on the UK Singles Chart in 2009. Additionally, in 2010 a Facebook campaign was launched to get the song to #1 in the UK over Christmas; this was largely intended (as with Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", in 2009) as an unofficial protest against the takeover of the No.1 spot by The X-Factor winner's song. The track debuted in the UK Top Ten for the first time, on 19 December, at #3.

Later history

The Trashmen went on to have other hit singles on the charts. In 1964, "Bird Dance Beat" reached #30 on the Billboard in the United States,^[2] as well as becoming a top 10 hit in Canada, and a hit in Brazil.^{[citation needed]} Five other Trashmen singles charted, and overall the group released fourteen albums. A four CD box set of their work was released.^{[citation needed]}

The group disbanded in 1967 but reunited in the 1980s, playing together until the death of Steve Wahrer, who died of cancer in 1989.^[3] Tony Andreason's brother, Mark, replaced Wahrer as drummer. Reed's son Robin joined on as a touring member in 2009 on drums filling in for Mark Andreason.

In 1999, The Trashmen played at The Las Vegas Grind and have played select gigs including Chicago (July 2007), Spain (September 2007), Chicago (November 2007), Wisconsin, and Cleveland (March 2008). They toured Europe 2009 with gigs in Germany, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Austria. Following up again in 2010, they added Norway, Sweden and Finland to the mix.

After having toured extensively in Europe in 2009-2010, they also play selected dates and festivals in the United States.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	US 200
1964	Surfin' Bird	48
1989	Comic Book Collector
1990	Live Bird'65-'67
1992	Tube City!: The Best of the Trashmen
1994	The Great Lost Trashmen Album
1998	Bird Call!: The Twin City Stomp of the Trashmen
2009	Teen Trot: Live At Ellsworth, WI, August 22, 1965

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions		Album
		US	UK
1963	"Surfin' Bird"	4	3	Surfin' Bird
1964	"Bird Dance Beat"	30	—

Other singles included:

• "Bad News"/On The Move" 1964
• "Peppermint Man"/"New Generation" 1964
• "Whoa Dad"/"Walking My Baby" 1964
• "Dancing With Santa"/"Real Live Doll" 1964
• "Hanging On Me"/"Same Lines" 1965
• "Bird '65"/"Ubangi Stomp 1965
• "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby"/"Lost Angel" 1965
• "Green, Green Backs Back Home"/"Address Enclosed" 1967

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 33. ISBN 1-904041-96-5. 
2. ^ "The Trashmen". All-Music Guide
3. ^ Steve Wahrer (born November 22, 1941 in Minnesota – January 21, 1989) according to The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars, pg. 252

External links

• VH1.com: The Trashmen
• History of Rock - The Trashmen
• "Birdland Revisited: 35 years ago teen rock like the Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird" caught a wave across the prairies — and rode it into adulthood." Archive.org (City Pages (10/14/98))