Let There Be Drums
Encyclopedia
"Let There Be Drums" is a 1961 instrumental song
composed by American drummer
Sandy Nelson
and guitarist
Richard Podolor
, who later became a renowned record producer. The piece is a guitar
and drums duet and is an early example of surf music
. It was released as a Sandy Nelson single on Imperial Records
and was a charted hit, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
and #9 on the Cash Box charts.
Cover versions were later recorded by notable surf and rock and roll
bands:
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
composed by American drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Sandy Nelson
Sandy Nelson
Sandy Nelson is an American drummer. Nelson, one of the best-known rock drummers of the early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and was a session drummer on many other well-known hits, and released over 30 albums.-Career:His first recording, with a band called The Renegades Sandy...
and guitarist
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
Richard Podolor
Richard Podolor
Richard Podolor was a record producer.Richard Podolor, who is also known as Richie Podolor or Richard Allen, produced hits including "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night and "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf. His early hits were as guitarist and co-writer on the drummer Sandy Nelson's records...
, who later became a renowned record producer. The piece is a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and drums duet and is an early example of surf music
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
. It was released as a Sandy Nelson single on Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
and was a charted hit, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and #9 on the Cash Box charts.
Cover versions were later recorded by notable surf and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
bands:
- The VenturesThe VenturesThe Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
on The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely BullThe Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely BullThe Ventures Play Telstar and the Lonely Bull is a 1963 album by the band the Ventures.-Personnel:As written on the back cover*Don Wilson - rhythm and lead guitar*Bob Bogle - lead guitar, bass guitar*Nokie Edwards - lead guitar...
(1963) - Incredible Bongo BandIncredible Bongo BandThe Incredible Bongo Band, also known as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, was a project started in 1972 by Michael Viner, a record artist manager and executive at MGM Records. Viner was called on to supplement the soundtrack to the virtually anonymous B film The Thing With Two Heads. The...
on Bongo Rock (1973) (this version was featured in Ken BurnsKen BurnsKenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' Baseball) - Bev BevanBev BevanBev Bevan is an English rock musician, who was the drummer and one of the original members of The Move and Electric Light Orchestra...
of the Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
. Solo single Let There Be Drums/Heavy Head (1976) - The TubesThe TubesThe Tubes are a San Francisco-based rock band, whose 1975 debut album included the hit single, "White Punks on Dope". During its first fifteen years or so, the band's live performances combined quasi-pornography with wild satires of media, consumerism, and politics...
on Wild in LondonWild In LondonThe Tubes released this live album in 2005. Wild In London was recorded on 6 December 2004 at Londons' Shepherd's Bush Empire and features some newer Fee Waybill characters such as 'Russell Chaps'...
(2005) - Queen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
on Return of the ChampionsReturn of the ChampionsReturn of the Champions is a double live album by English rock band Queen + Paul Rodgers. It was recorded in May 2005 during the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England and released on 19 September 2005...
(2005) - The DelltonesThe DelltonesThe Delltones, a popular Australian rock 'n roll band, originally formed in 1958. They started out as a vocal harmony group with the lineup consisting of Brian Perkins, Noel Widerberg, Ian 'Peewee' Wilson and Warren Lucas...
- 13th Floor Elevators13th Floor ElevatorsThe 13th Floor Elevators were an American rock band from Austin, Texas formed by guitarist and vocalist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, and guitarist Stacy Sutherland, which existed from 1965 to 1969...