Did the Beach Boys Play in Garden Grove?

Anonymous believes he saw The Beach Boys perform at the grand opening of a building supply store during the 1960s, and wonders if anyone else remembers that...

Back in 1960 when I moved to Garden Grove, there was a building supply store on the southwest corner of Westminster and Brookhurst, the name which I cannot remember. Anyway, for some reason, I distinctly remember for the grand opening, a band performing in the parking lot. The name of the band was the Beach Boys. I remember the band passing out albums and I believe the picture had the band on a jeep-like vehicle with palm fronds on the roof. Surfin' Safari? According to amazon.com, this album was originally released in 1962.

Am I hallucinating? Is this a false memory that over time has become real?

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Blue Note Music in Santa Ana

An anonymous OCThen reader submitted the following memory of a favorite little shop in downtown Santa Ana...

After school in 1967 and 68 I sometimes wandered around downtown Santa Ana, "exploring." There was a marvelous place called The Little Shop, which featured an amazingly random collection of items such as used comic books and 10-cent popcorn. There was also a "psych shop" (on Third or Fourth Street I believe) with an excellent blacklight poster room as well as pipes and papers and where one could meet real Hippies as well as the occasional Hell's Angel....

This jogged my memory of a small music store I used to frequent in my high school days called "Blue Note Music" also in downtown Santa Ana. I haven't been in a long time, so I don't know if it's still there. But it was on Broadway and 3rd street. This would have been the early 1980s.

But it sold musical equipment, all acoustic stuff, as well as old sheet music and old LPs. I still have some old 1930s era sheet music framed and hanging from my office wall from that place. The store was always dark inside and smelled like a musty old attic.

I bought a harmonica from that store too.

The guy that used to mind the store was this old guy who seemed like he had seen it all and done it all and was now content to sit inside this little store, with a cup of coffee, and look through the window and watch the world the pass by.

I wonder if there are still stores like this?

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Chicago and Beach Boys Concert, Anaheim, 1975

Lisa W remembers the Chicago and Beach Boys concert in 1975 at Angel Stadium...

Does anyone remember the Chicago and Beach Boys concert in 1975 at Angel Stadium? My dad gave my boyfriend and I tickets to it. It was amazing!! The stadium was full, and we were in the upper stands, and everyone up there started jumping up and down, and security told us to stop because they were afraid the stands would fall, they were swaying!!

We waited in line all day because none of the seats were reserved so it was first come first serve.

I grew up in Tustin, does anyone remember the matinees on Saturdays at Tustin Theatre?

The Tiller Day parade?
Bonfires at the beach?
Marywood High School and the guys streaking across the courtyard?

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Looking for Justin Tusk

BajaBlond says she's been looking for Justin Tusk, who apparently was a musician that played a lot of gigs in OC...

I just found this web site, and was looking for Justin Tusk from years past. What about the great guys that were Bob Joly's other sound's. Rick Myers and Chief Wilson,along with Bob Joly made the sound's of the packed night life of the then Ruben's and other like resturant night club HOT spot's.They were from Tustin to Brea La and more. They were HOT and not to be stopped. They are very missed....Yesterday's New's Letter Lady for Justin Tusk...

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Confetti's Nightclub, Orange

Anonymous asks if anyone remembers Confetti's Nightclub in Orange...

Does anyone remember Confetti's Nightclub? It was located where The Block is now? How about The Hop or The Red Onion?

I don't remember it. But I do remember seeing The Hop, and I do remember going to The Red Onion a few times with my future wife.

I actually didn't care much for nightclubs. In my college days, my best friend Greg and I were into motorcycles and shooting pool. It wasn't until after I met my wife-to-be that I started doing some of that weird stuff.

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Sid's Blue Beet, Newport Beach

Anonymous asks if anyone else remembers a place in Newport Beach called, "Sid's Blue Beet"...

Anyone recall Sid's Blue Beet in Newport near the pier? Funky place with loads of ambiance and great live music. Sid, the onetime owner is wanted by the law and word has it, is hiding out in Vegas. It was hopping in the 70's.

Sid's Blue Beet is now "Blue Beet Cafe". I've never been there, but had heard about it.

I wonder if the person writing is either someone looking for Sid, or maybe Sid himself.

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New Wave Club in Fullerton

An anonymous OCThen reader asks if anyone knows the name of a new wave club in Fullerton...

I'm looking for the name of a New Wave Club in Fullerton. Berlin used to play there with a lot of other bands in the late 70's John Scalzo wrote a newsletter called the Fullertone. It was across from CoCo's off of Stage College and....?

If you have anything to add, please click on "Post a Comment" below...

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Newport Pop Festival - Any Old Timers?

Jeff Overley, a reporter with the OC Register, says he's working on a story about the 40th anniversary of the Newport Pop Festival. He send me a note asking if any OCThen readers ever visited a previous NPF event.

Hi Steve ... I'm a reporter with the Register, and I'm working on a story about the 40th anniversary of the Newport Pop Festival. I came across a commenter on your website who mentioned attending, so was curious if you might know of anyone else who was at the show....Any help would be awesome, please feel free to drop me a line any time ... Best ...

Give him a ring if you'd like to see your name in print...

Jeff Overley
The Orange County Register
joverley@ocregister.com
714-445-6683
714-932-1221 (Cell)

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Nightclub in Huntington Beach

An anonymous OCThen reader asks if anyone remembers the name of a nightclub in Huntington Beach, about a mile north of the Golden Bear...

I recall a club in Huntington, not far from the GB, but a mile or so north, where Cal Tjader would play his vibraphone frequently. I was there on Halloween about 1976 or 1977. Bonnie Raitt was playing that night and she was amazing. Does anyone remember the name of the club?

Post a comment here, if you know anything.

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The Sounds Royale Show

The Sounds Royale Show was a band that played at various venues in Orange County in 1973. Rick Kern, their dummer, percussionist, and vocalist provided us with a photograph and some background info about the band...

We played in the Orange County area in 1973. The places that we appeared were The Newporter Inn in Newport Beach, The Disneyland Hotel, The Golden Pheasant in Anaheim, Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Reuben's Paddle Boat in Newport Beach and Charlie Brown's in Huntington Beach. We were the first show group to grand open the Charlie Brown's. This was also the last place that The Sounds Royale (as this combination) played together.

The group consisted of:

Newport Beach resident Tedd McKeever-keyboards, trumpet, arranger, leader

El Paso, Tx. resident Sam Stephenson-guitarist, vocalist

El Paso, Tx. resident Gayle Hageman-bass guitar, vocalist, he was later replaced with Huntington Beach resident Wayne Mills-bass guitar, sax, vocalist

Orange County resident Debbie Wilson-vocalist/flute

El Paso, Tx. resident Rick Kern (that's me on the bottom right) drummer, percussionist, vocalist.

This was a very unique group that performed everything from the Four Freshman to the rock opera Tommy. The group disbanded due to individual goals and future endeavors. The group was booked by The Agents in Hollywood (Dorise Vance). Howard King was also involved with some of our bookings.

I am looking for anyone that may have pictures of some of the performances of The Sounds Royale Show, particularly of the Charlie Brown's Restaurant in Huntington Beach. I am putting together a CD of our last four shows there and would like to have a picture of the Charley Brown's sign or pictures of us performing there for the last time. Please contact me (Rick Kern) via e-mail at: winmkt2@swbell.net.

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The Wagonmasters of Knott's Berry Farm

Does anyone remember going to Knott's Berry Farm and listening to The Wagonmasters?

They were a band that played at the Ghost Town there, doing a variety of Americana.

Billy Beeman was one of the founding members of The Wagonmaster, and played with them from 1954 to 1968. He has a website filled with his memories of playing music at the Ghost Town.

Check out all the old photos of Ghost Town from the 1940s and 1960s just on this page alone.

He also CDs for sale based on actual recordings done by The Wagonmasters.

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Golden Bear Nightclub in Huntington Beach

Growing up in Orange County, my family often packed up the family van on weekends and headed down to Huntington Beach to spend an inexpensive day of family fun at the beautiful beach. My parents used to comment on the Golden Bear Nightclub (opened in 1929) on 306 Ocean Avenue whenever we'd pass it, because it was so famous, and the host to so many of the performers they listened to as teens in nearby Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs. I always dreamed of getting to go there myself once I became an adult... But I never got the chance.

I was appalled when this county landmark closed in 1986 to make way for the downtown redevelopment of Huntington Beach. The Golden Bear was as synonymous to Huntington's rich beach culture as is surfing itself. The beaches of Huntington are still beautiful, but I rarely go now(choosing more quaint and laid back San Clemente or Laguna instead) because I don't like what I see there anymore. It's far too commercial and yuppified now.

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