Eddie & the Showmen

Eddie & the Showmen were a surf rock band of the 1960s. Formed in Southern California by Eddie Bertrand, formerly of The Bel-Airs, they released several singles on Liberty records though never a full album. Their highest-charting single in Los Angeles was Mr. Rebel, which reached #4 on the Wallichs Music City Hit List on February 10, 1964.

The band originally formed because Eddie Bertrand wanted to move on from the Bel-Airs. While the Bel-Airs focused more on guitar interplay and a moderate sound, Eddie & the Showmen played more in the style of Dick Dale with a prominent lead guitar and heavy sound. The band's original drummer was ex-Mousketeer Dick Dodd, who later joined The Standells. Interestingly enough, one of Eddie & the Showmen's biggest hits, Squad Car, was a cover of the Bel-Airs. Squad Car is also one of the most covered surf instrumentals among modern surf bands, and most versions sound more like the Eddie & the Showmen version than the Bel-Airs version.

1963 Performance Flyer

Singles

• Toes on the Nose b/w Border Town (Liberty Records 55566, 1963)
• Squad Car b/w Scratch (Liberty Records 55608, 1963)
• Mr Rebel b/w Movin' (Liberty Records 55659, 1963)
• Lanky Bones b/w Far Away Places (Liberty Records 55695, 1964)
• We Are The Young b/w Young and Lonely (Liberty Records 55720 , 1964)

In summer 2007, Eddie returned to the surf music scene. See http://www.eddiebertrand.com

CDs

• Squad Car (complete singles-collection plus seven bonus tracks)

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