The Trashmen

The Trashmen
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1962 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Founder	Tony Andreason, Dal Winslow, Bob Reed, Steve Wahrer
Headquarters	Minneapolis, United States
Products	Music albums, singles

The Trashmen were a rock band originating from Minneapolis in 1962, widely recognized for their 1963 chart-topping single, "Surfin' Bird", which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The founding members consisted of guitarists Tony Andreason and Dal Winslow, bassist Bob Reed, and drummer Steve Wahrer.

Along with their Colorado peers, the Astronauts, the Trashmen stood out as one of the premier Midwestern surf bands during the 1960s. Their name was inspired by "Trashman's Blues," a 1961 track by Minneapolis artist Kai Ray (Richard Caire), who later contributed compositions to the group.

Before The Trashmen

Tony Andreason and Mike Jann, longtime friends since 1955, began their musical journey playing country guitar. In 1957 at the Crystal Coliseum, Tony encountered drummer Steve Wahrer, guitarist Dallas "Dal" Winslow, and a saxophonist. Together, Tony, Steve, Dal, and the saxophonist briefly formed The String Kings; Mike did not join due to his focus on country music. Through Steve and Dal, Tony connected with vocalist Jim Thaxter, leading to the creation of "Jim Thaxter and the Travelers," featuring Jim on vocals and bass-tuned guitar; Tony as lead guitarist; Dal on rhythm guitar; Tom Diehl on piano; and Steve on drums. This ensemble paused activity in Spring 1961 when Tony and Jim entered military service. Upon their return in early 1962, creative differences prompted Tony, Steve, and Dal to depart from the band.

Formation of The Trashmen

Bass player Don (Woody) Wood joined the lineup next. The name "The Trashmen" was coined by Steve after a friend introduced them to guitarist Tony Caire's album titled The Trashman's Blues. Initially focusing on instrumentals with occasional vocals by Steve, he gradually assumed more lead singing responsibilities while Tony also contributed lead vocals at times. Don eventually left and was replaced by Bob Reed following an audition process. The band’s interest in surf rock grew after exposure to Dick Dale. Steve developed the concept for "Surfin' Bird," which rapidly gained popularity among their fans.

Breakthrough with "Surfin' Bird"

The Trashmen achieved their greatest success with the 1963 hit "Surfin' Bird", which climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This track merged two R&B songs originally performed by the Rivingtons, "The Bird's the Word" and "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". It was recorded at Kay Bank Studios located in Minneapolis. Initial releases credited Steve Wahrer as the songwriter; however, after legal intervention from The Rivingtons’ representatives, songwriting credits were reassigned to The Rivingtons.

Numerous artists have covered "Surfin' Bird," including Ramones, the Cramps, Silverchair, and thrash metal group Sodom. The song has appeared in films such as Full Metal Jacket, Fred Claus, and Back to the Beach.

Its popularity resurged following its feature in the Family Guy episode "I Dream of Jesus", where it reached No. 8 on iTunes’ Top 10 Rock songs list and No. 50 on the UK Singles Chart in 2009, becoming a recurring joke within the series.

In 2010, a Facebook-driven campaign sought to push "Surfin' Bird" to the top spot in the UK Christmas charts as a form of protest against The X Factor’s dominance. The song ultimately debuted at No. 3 in the UK Top Ten on December 19.

Additionally, it was featured in the soundtrack of the video game Battlefield Vietnam.

Disbandment

Apart from their hit "Surfin' Bird," The Trashmen experienced modest chart success. In 1964, their single "Bird Dance Beat" climbed to No. 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and secured a position within the top 10 in Canada. The band ultimately dissolved in 1967. Subsequently, Sundazed Music issued a comprehensive four-CD collection of their recordings.

Reunion

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, The Trashmen periodically regrouped for performances until the passing of Steve Wahrer from throat cancer in 1989. Following this, Mark Andreason, brother of Tony Andreason, assumed drumming duties. In 2009, Robin Reed, son of Bob Reed, joined as a touring drummer, substituting for Mark Andreason.

In 1999, the band appeared at the Las Vegas Grind festival and later embarked on tours across Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Spain during 2007 and 2008. Their European tours continued in 2008 and 2010 with concerts held in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

The Trashmen recorded four tracks at Custom Recording Studios located in Golden Valley, Minnesota in 2013 alongside guitarist Deke Dickerson for Major Label. They released an EP titled I'm a Trashman in March 2013 and followed it with the LP Bringing Back the Trash in April 2014. After performing several shows in Minneapolis in 2015, the band once again retired from active touring.

Original lineup

Tony Andreason – lead guitar and vocals (1962–1967, 1970s, 1982–2016)
Dal Winslow – rhythm guitar and vocals (1962–1967, 1970s, 1982–2016)
Bob Reed – bass guitar and vocals (1962–1967, 1970s, 1982–2016)
Steve Wahrer – drums and lead vocals (1962–1967, 1970s, 1982–1988)

Additional members

Don Woody – bass guitar (1962); succeeded by Bob Reed
Mark Andreason – drums and backing vocals (1989–2009)
Robin Reed – drums and backing vocals (2009–2016)
Deke Dickerson – guitar (2013–2014)

Albums

Year	Album	Label	Reissue	US 200
1963	Surfin' Bird	Garrett	Sundazed (1995)	48
1965	Bird Dance Beat	Garrett	Soma (1996±)
1989	Comic Book Collector	NPR
1994	The Great Lost Trashmen Album!
2014	Deke Dickerson and the Trashmen: Bringing Back the Trash	Major Label Records

Compilations, live albums, and EPs

Year	Album	Label
1990	Live Bird '65–'67	Sundazed
1992	Tube City!: The Best of the Trashmen
1998	Bird Call!: The Twin City Stomp of the Trashmen
2009	Teen Trot: Live At Ellsworth, WI, August 22, 1965
2013	I'm a Trashman

Singles

... (rest of singles remain unchanged) }

External links

Year	Single	B-side	Peak chart positions					Album
Year	Single	B-side	US	AUS	CAN	NZ	UK	Album
1963	"Surfin' Bird"	"King of the Surf"	4	7	2	5	3	Surfin' Bird
1964	"Louie, Louie"