Although The Surf Knights were successful in their own right, with two 45s releases in their hometown of Houston, it wasn’t until after signing with Decca Records—and changing their name to The Dream Machine—that they experienced a degree of national success. Their song ‘Houdini’ has garnered somewhat of a cult reputation, and opened the doors for guitarist Tommy George to later sign with International Artists.
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| The Surf Knights |
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An Interview With Tommy George
60sgaragebands.com (60s): How did you first get interested in music?
Tommy George (TG): My parents bought me a western auto guitar called a Truetone. My friend next door started teaching me. I was 12 years old.
60s: Was The Surf Knights your first band?
TG: The Surf Knights was my first band. We were together for five years. We formed in 1964 by a man named Richard Wyatt.
The Surf Knights were: Tommy George (rhythm and lead guitar); Gaston Robau (lead guitar); Richard Wyatt (lead singer); Dean Cook (bass guitar); and Steve Hibbler (drums).
60s: Where did the band typically play?
TG: We played at the Sam Houston Coliseum Summer Spectacular (on May 8th 1966) and on The Joe Ford Show on Channel 39.
60s: Did The Surf Knights participate in any battle of the bands?
TG: We played The Carousel Skating Rink in Houston. We battled bands like Fever Tree, Neal Ford and The Fanatics, The Coastliners, and The Coachman with Billy Gibbons. We were always in the top two winners.
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| The Surf Knights |
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60s: Did The Surf Knights have a manager?
TG: Our first manager was named Mr. Baker and owned Baker’s car lot. He started managing us after hiring our band to play on weekends in front of the car lot. Then a club owner named Mr. Cook (Dean Cook’s dad) took over. Our break came with a recording that received pick of the week on the Surf label. Mr. Cook owned a club called the Tiki Ten Club in Kema. The song was ‘You Lied.’
60s: What were the circumstances leading to the band's opportunity to record the 'Broken Hearts' / 'You Lied' 45?
TG: We were asked to record the song by the Surf label, which Mr. Cook owned. We recorded at the old Gold Star recording studio, which soon became Andrus Studio. We recorded late in the morning.
60s: There is another 45 credited to The Surf Knights on the Tiki label: 'In The Summer' / 'Midnight Surf'. Was this recorded by your band, or is that perhaps by a different group?
TG: Same band, different label. Mr. Cook closed Surf and opened Tiki Records to go along with his tiki club.
60s: Did The Surf Knights write many original songs?
TG: I and dean Cook wrote ‘Midnight Surf’ but Dean was the primary songwriter.
60s: Whose idea was it to change the group’s name to The Dream Machine?
TG: A man named F. Hardin wrote the song ‘Houdini,’ and locked in a deal with Decca Records. It was produced by Gernhard Enterprises in association with John Brumage. These were the same guys that produced ‘Snoopy vs. The Red Baron’ and ‘Snoopy’s Christmas’ as well as The Music Explosion. Decca changed our name. The year was 1967. ‘Houdini’ reached number 24 in the first two weeks on KNUZ after being released. I think it reached number 18 on KILT.
60s: How did you become affiliated with Decca Records?
TG: We were found by Phil (Gernhard, of Gernhard Enterprises) in a concert with The Byrds. He told us he had a song that would be perfect for the group.
60s: Is the Dream Machine's 'Broken Hearts,' the flipside to 'Houdini,' a re-recording of the Surf Knights' version.
TG: Phil decided (to use the same song) for the flipside and took it from our past record.
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| 'Houdini' by Dream Machine |
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| 'Broken Hearts' by Dream Machine |
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60s: Was The Dream Machine the exact same line-up as The Surf Knights, or was there a personnel change at the time of the name change?
TG: Dickie Malone replaced Gaston Robau and we went on tour with The Who. The Who was signed on Decca about the same time. Dickie came from a group called The NightBeats.
60s: Are there any other Surf Knights/Dream Machine recordings? Are there any vintage live recordings, or other unreleased tracks?
TG: No live recordings; only the three 45s. (Update, February 2012: Recent discoveries include an unreleased Surf Knights song titled 'Stains Off Love'; alternate takes of the songs that comprised the two Surf Knight singles; and a radio broadcast that includes the Surf Knights recordings of 'In The Midnight Hour [unreleased] and 'In The Summer').
60s: Did either band make any other local TV appearances?
TG: In addition to The Joe Ford Show on Channel 39, we also did many shows on The Larry Kane Show.
60s: What year and why did Dream Machine break up?
TG: I think it was 1969. Everyone was growing up and pressure from parents and college became too much. I left and went with the Rocky Gill Band who signed with Huey Meaux. He was managing Freddy Fender at the time and I hated the music. I left with Dickie and signed with Big Sweet and International Artists.
60s: How do you best summarize your experiences with The Surf Knights/Dream Machine?
TG: They were exciting times. I can't tell you the feeling of the ‘60s.
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| The Dream Machine with Mamie Van Doren at the old Grand Ballroom of the Rice Hotel |
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