The Corky Carroll Interview

Corky Carroll is a legend among legends in the surfing world. Considered a pioneer in the sport by becoming the first real professional surfer as well as being the first to make paid endorsements, Corky also had an awesome “laid back” music career! In this interview with Carroll, we explore his early childhood growing up in Surfside outside of Huntington Beach, when he first fell in love with surfing in the mid to late 50s, competing in some of the earliest surf competitions to date and much more!

You grew up in Huntington Beach, CA, correct? What was your childhood like?

I grew up in a small beach colony north of Huntington Beach, closer to Seal Beach, called Surfside. It was a little strip of old weathered wooden beach houses along a stretch of beach that had good surf. Living on the beach was pretty cool. Us kids would ride air matts and just about anything that would float. Eventually I got a surfboard and that immediately took over my life at a very young age. I think I told my dad I was going to be a pro surfer when I was about ten, and there was no such thing at that time. And it came true.

When were you first introduced to music and what initially fascinated you about it?

Our house had a piano in it and my mom had been into music when she was younger. She wanted me to have music too and signed me up for piano lessons when I was about 9, or 10. I wanted to surf more than play the piano, but I took the lessons and did my best. Problem was the teacher was strictly classical and I wanted to play stuff like Ray Charles and rock n roll. Eventually I got a guitar and liked it better.  Another kid on the street got one too and we played surf instrumentals for awhile. Then a kid named Tris Imboden got a drum set and we banged around sometimes. Tris went on to huge success with Chicago and other big name bands.

Could you tell me about the surf scene in California during the early to mid 60s and what those times were like for you? Tell me about the 1963 Doheny Beach contest. When did you initially begin competing?

I started surfing pretty much in 1957, it was fairly bohemian back then.  In 1959 the movie “Gidget” came out and all of a sudden surfing was a huge national fad. Everybody surfed, or at least pretended they did. Beach movies came out, surfing contests started going on all up and down the coast, surf companies and a whole industry was born. I was right in the middle of it.  I have to admit that was a great time to be a kid living on the beach in So Calif. A lot of fun was had. That was not really an important event, mostly paddle races if I remember correctly. The main competition was the U.S. Championship at Huntington Beach. I won the Juniors in 1963, then the Mens in ‘66/’67 and ‘69 and the Overall for 5 years from ‘66 to ‘70. In 1959 at the first West Coast Championship at Huntington Beach.  This became the U.S. Championship in 1961. From that time on I surfed in about every event that I could. First win was at the San Clemente Surf Capades in ‘62.

Corky at Surfside circa: '63.

Trophy line up circa: 1963 Doheny Beach contest.

What groups influenced as well as made an impact on you early on? Where would you go to see local shows and who were among some of the first groups you saw live?

I liked Blues a lot. But also most of the surf on top 40 radio. When Dick Dale came along and the whole surf music thing started I liked that too. I really got into early “folk” music at the same time. Hoyt Axton played in Seal Beach and there was a guy in Newport Beach named Tim Morgan that I liked to go see. Then there came the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Wow. I loved both of those bands, probably have been a hard core Stones fan ever since. First concert I went to was Peter, Paul and Mary at the Waikiki Shell in Hawaii. But also I went to most of the weekend “surf stromps” to see Dick Dale and the Ventures and the surf bands at clubs in Southern California. Later loved to go see just about anybody playing at places like the Golden Bear, the Troubador, etc.  Later on I wound up playing all those places so it was kind of a full circle kinda thing.

Circa: September 21, 1969: Corky Carroll, top, shows the form that will carry him to the men’s title in the US Surfing Championships at Huntington Beach. Larry Gephart, bottom, was eliminated in the morning competition. This photo was taken by Los Angeles Times staff photographer Steve Fontanini.

What was your community like back in those days? What would you and your friends do for fun? Did you participate in any groups prior to recording the “Laid Back” record? How did you initially meet your bandmates Kathy Dragon, Jon Close and Herbie Torrens? What were your first impressions of them? What led to the decision to put a group together around that time in ‘71?

It was a beach town. In our school there were surfers, jocks, hodads and nerds… hahaha. And chicks. I surfed and then surfed some more. When I got interested in playing the guitar I did that a lot too. Surfing was number one in my life until the early 1970’s when I got serious about music. Not really. I played as a duo with a great blues harmonica player named Al Blake for awhile. We would play at intermission at surf movies. But I wasn’t in any bands previous to Laid Back.The ”Laid Back” album was a group of musicians that I knew through surfing and put together for the sole purpose of doing that album. It was funded by a couple of dudes from Australia who thought it would be cool to release music by a bunch of surfers.  Dennis Dragon recorded the whole thing. We actually went around to the different peoples houses and recorded them on site, all done on a two track.

Did you guys play any gigs in your area before hitting the studio to make that record and if so, what was the first show you guys played together and when was that initially? How did the deal with Rural Records come about?

As I said, we did the whole album outside the studio. We even recorded one song that Al and I did outside in somebodies back yard in Santa Barbara one afternoon. A lot of it was done in my living room. We got the whole crew together for one show at a club called the Four Muses in San Clemente at about the time the album came out, but we were never really set up for that.  It was mostly just to make the record. But after that I started to play with bands. The whole concept of the Laid Back album was meant to be a kind of collectors thing for the surfing community, I don’t think we ever envisioned it going big time. In fact it amazed me that it has lasted and has been released in other countries and still sells today. I have done many more albums since then that I would much rather people play and buy, but Laid Back is still hangin around. I would tell you to buy my newest one, BLUE MANGO on Darla Records.

How long did it take to record that album from start to finish? Are there specific memories from that period that still stand out in your mind to this day? What eventually happened after the album came out?

I can’t remember exactly how long it took. But it was all done in one session sessions. And everybody was ready when it came their turn. We went to San Diego to record Herbie Torrens, Dave Rullo and Jon Close.  One night.  We did a lot in my living room during one night. We did some in Santa Barbara one day. And we recorded some up in Malibu at Dennis’  house. When it was finished Dennis and I started Rural Records as our own lable. We later released surf movie soundtracks on that lable. Laid Back was the only record I personally did for Rural Records though, after that I got record deals from larger record companies. For me it kind of gave me a kick in the butt to get serious about music. I put together a small band and started playing clubs and small concerts. A well known DJ in San Diego named Gabriel Wisdom became my manager and helped guide me thru early growing pains of learning the business. Then I took off for a few years to the mountains to ski and to play in bars. When I got back I started my first real serious effort at a band, the Funk Dog Surf Band, and the whole thing took off from there. This morphed into The Coolwater Casuals that Chris Darrow and I put together. Chris and I were music partners for many years until he passed away a few years ago.

Corky circa: October 24th 1975.

I understand you continued to record music and make records throughout the decades. When you reflect back on those early days of surfing and playing music in your youth, what are you most fond of?

Yes, have played mostly as a solo, or with Chris all through the years until I moved to Mexico in 2002. After that have been doing solo only in local hotels and clubs down here. Got a record deal a few years ago with Darla Records.  They released a ‘Best Of Album’ and then followed up with a brand new one called BLUE MANGO. We have a great lineup of players on it that includes Chris Darrow, Richard Stekol, Brad Fiedel, Matt Magera, Matt Marshall and Doug Miller. Very happy with this album. I think the best part of all of that period for me was the continuous learning experience. Surfing was going through huge changes and it seemed every day we were breaking new ground.  And for me music was just opening up to me and I was finding my way and learning how to do it.

Funk Dog Surf Band at Mira Costa College, Oceanside circa: September 7th 1975.

Corky Carroll cruisin’ in is Econoline circa: September 7th 1975.

Is there anything you would like to share with the readers?

Well yeah, through all of this I have been interested in art too. Just never got serious about it. In the 80’s I did some air brush paintings that sold well in galleries in the Orange County area. Then when I moved to Mexico I got back into it doing mostly acrylics. Recently my body has not let me surf as much as it used to and I have really gotten deep into painting. They are now selling fairly well and I am really digging doing it. So, there it kinda is. The main thrust of what I am doing at the moment is paintings. Still out playing music at clubs here in Mexico too, but it’s the art that is where my stoke is mainly these days. My wife Raquel the Wonderful is great support and keeps me encoureaged. Check me out on Facebook.