"Surfer Joe", drummer Ron Wilson's sun-drenched saga of a mythical Southern California surfer, was recorded in late 1962 as an A-side.that is, until Ron and his bandmates, The Surfaris, came up with a driving instrumental they named "Wipe Out".
The rest, as they say, is Rock & Roll history. "Wipe Out" was released as the A-side, with "Surfer Joe" as its flip. Distributed by Dot Records in 1963, both songs entered the Billboard Hot-100 - "Surfer Joe" peaking at #62, and "Wipe Out" climbing all the way to the #2 slot.
Amazingly, the record hit the Top-20 again during the summer of 1966.and has been a party favorite ever since.