(1) The Orlons, R&B (… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists named 'The Orlons':
(1) The Orlons, R&B (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S)
(2) The Orlons, Surf Rock (Haifa, Israel)
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(1) The Orlons consisted of lead singer Rosetta Hightower, Shirley Brickley, Marlena Davis, and Stephen Caldwell.
Before they became the Orlons, they were an all-girl quintet called Audrey and the Teenettes. They formed in the late 1950s in junior high school and consisted of Hightower, Davis, and three Brickley sisters: Shirley, Jean, and Audrey. However, after the Brickleys' mother did not permit 13-year-old Audrey to sing in certain clubs with the group, she and Jean quit, making the group a trio.
In high school, the group's three remaining members discovered fellow student Stephen Caldwell, who was lead singer of a local group called the Romeos. Impressed by him, they invited him to join the group in 1960 and named themselves the Orlons as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the friendly rivalry they had with a popular group at their high school, the Cashmeres.[1] (Orlon was a synthetic fibre widely used around that time.)
A high school friend, Dovells lead singer Len Barry, encouraged them to audition for Cameo Records at the turn of the decade. The group took his advice in the fall of 1961, but were rejected at first, although the record label eventually signed the group after two more auditions. Cameo executive Dave Appell appointed Hightower as the lead singer, and began writing songs for them.
Before rising to fame with their first national hit, "The Wah-Watusi," the group provided back-up vocals for Dee Dee Sharp's hits "Mashed Potato Time" and "Gravy (for My Mashed Potatoes)." They recorded their own cover versions of those songs for their debut album, The Wah-Watusi.
Davis and Caldwell quit the group in 1964, and were replaced by Sandy Person for about a year. A short-lived stint by Yvonne Young was followed by original Teenette, Audrey Brickley, Shirley's sister. By then, the group's popularity had waned in the United States due to misdirection of their record company, Cameo Records. They continued to perform into the late 1960s with success in the UK. They disbanded in 1968 after Hightower decided to stay in England after a tour. Hightower had (and still has) a successful career as a soloist and as an in-demand session singer, backing Joe Cocker, John Holt and other popular artists. She married record producer Ian Green.
In later years, Davis married and found work as an executive secretary, while Caldwell became president of the bus drivers' trade union in Philadelphia and served on the Philadelphia Board of Education for 25 years. In 1988, Caldwell and Davis re-formed the group with two new members and performed live on the oldies circuit until Davis's death in 1993.
On October 13, 1977, Shirley Brickley was shot to death by an intruder in her home in Philadelphia. Davis lost a battle with lung cancer on February 27, 1993 (age 48). Audrey Brickley died of acute respiratory distress syndrome on July 3, 2005 (aged 58). Steve and Jean Brickley still perform as The Orlons with two cousins.
(2) The Orions (from Haifa, Israel) play high energy instrumental surf rock'n'roll, dance or die!
Band members:
• David Miretski - Guitar
• Itai Alzaradel - Guitar
• 'Mediterranean Buddha' Ezra - Bass
• Guy Offenbach - Drums
Listen to The Orions: http://theorions.bandcamp.com/
The Orions on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orionsband
Surfin'
The Orlons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then ev'rybody'd be surfin' like Californ-I-A.
You'd see 'em wearin' their baggies. Huarachi sandals, too.
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo. Surfin' U.S.A.
You'll catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar. Ventura County Line.
Santa Cruz and Trestles. Australia's Narabine.
All over Manhattan, and down Doheny way.
We'll all be plannin' out a route we're gonna take real soon.
We're waxin' down our surfboards. We can't wait for June.
We'll all be gone for the summer. We're on safari to stay.
Tell the teacher we're surfin'. Surfin' U.S.A.
At Haggarty's and Swami's. Pacific Palisades.
San Onofre and Sunset. Redondo Beach, L.A.
All over La Jolla, and Waimea Bay.
Ev'rybody's gone surfin'. Surfin' U.S.A.
Everybody's gone surfin'
in the United States, or so the lyrics say. The song, Surfin' U.S.A., was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and popularized by The Orlons. The casual and upbeat song lyrics depict an idyllic world where everybody is surfing and having fun. The opening lines allude to how the surfing craze has taken over America, with everybody surfing if they had access to the ocean. The following lines give a geographical list of locations where surfing is popular, such as Del Mar, Santa Cruz, and Trestles.
The lyrics suggest that surfers are carefree and happy, with mentions of summer break and going on a surfing safari for the entire summer. The song paints a picture of California beach culture, with specific references to Pacific Palisades, Redondo Beach, and Waimea Bay. Interestingly, Waimea Bay, located in Hawaii, is mentioned despite the song's title indicating that the surfing is confined to the United States.
While the lyrics of Surfin' U.S.A. sound fun and lighthearted, they also captured the country's surfing craze and the youth rebellion movement of the 1960s. The surf guitar riffs and energetic beat of the song also paved the way for the surf-rock genre that became popular in the 1960s.
Line by Line Meaning
If ev'rybody had an ocean across the U.S.A.,
If there were oceans all throughout the United States,
Then ev'rybody'd be surfin' like Californ-I-A.
Then everyone would surf like in California.
You'd see 'em wearin' their baggies. Huarachi sandals, too.
You would see them wearing baggy shorts and Huarachi sandals.
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo. Surfin' U.S.A.
They would have curly blonde hair while surfing in the USA.
You'll catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar. Ventura County Line.
You will see them surfing at Del Mar and Ventura County.
Santa Cruz and Trestles. Australia's Narabine.
They will also surf in Santa Cruz, Trestles, and even Narabine in Australia.
All over Manhattan, and down Doheny way.
They will surf all over Manhattan and down Doheny.
Ev'rybody's gone surfin'. Surfin' U.S.A.
Everybody is now surfing in the USA.
We'll all be plannin' out a route we're gonna take real soon.
We are planning the routes we will take for surfing very soon.
We're waxin' down our surfboards. We can't wait for June.
We are preparing our surfboards and looking forward to June.
We'll all be gone for the summer. We're on safari to stay.
We plan to be gone throughout the summer and stay on safari.
Tell the teacher we're surfin'. Surfin' U.S.A.
Let the teacher know that we are all surfing in the USA.
At Haggarty's and Swami's. Pacific Palisades.
They will surf at Haggarty's and Swami's in Pacific Palisades.
San Onofre and Sunset. Redondo Beach, L.A.
They will also surf at San Onofre, Sunset, and Redondo Beach in L.A.
All over La Jolla, and Waimea Bay.
They will surf all over La Jolla and Waimea Bay.
Ev'rybody's gone surfin'. Surfin' U.S.A.
Everybody is now surfing in the USA.
Writer(s): MIKE LOVE, BRIAN DOUGLAS WILSON
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.