Let the Beach Party Summertime Fun Begin! Part I Thirty years of rock & roll had passed by in the Land of 10,000 Beaches, and Minnesota still didn't have a beach party band to call it's own! Bob was determined to change all that, and so it was that the original Beachcombers band debuted on December 7, 1986, at the Blainbrook Bowl with original members Doug "The Snake" Locken on lead guitar, Sally "Surfboard Sal" Westermeyer on drums, Dick "Bird Dog" Erickson on vocals and bass, and Bob "The Big Kahuna" Burtis on keyboards, vocals, sax, and guitar. Their show always featured high quality sound, lights and music along with the latest in beach party fashions and inflatable pool toys, of course, but Bob & the Beachcombers went that extra mile and brought along plenty of Hawaiian leis, beach balls, straw hats, sunglasses, palm trees and occasionally even a little sand, as they faithfully recreated the beach party summertime fun good times and great oldies of the sixties! In no time at all, they were making waves, throughout the Twin Cities and the upper Midwest with a full calendar of bookings and shows at area ballrooms, nightclubs, private parties, corporate events and city celebrations. 1987 Bob & the Beachcombers Next summer, the Beachcombers were a featured attraction at the Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, with their original rock & roll musical extravaganza entitled, "Beach Party Summer"! It was "Grease!" for the sixties with a classic tale of unrequited teenage love. The stars of the show, Johnny and Susie, fall in love at a beach blanket bingo bash, but when Johnny's ex-girlfriend Judy, shows up in the back seat of his little duece coupe at the drive-in movie during a romantic moment, hilarity ensues! Act II opens at Hollywood High School, where we meet Big Alvin and Barbara Ann. Alvin is the biggest jock at school and he's sweet on Barbara Ann, but she's only got eyes for Johnny. Amidst fast-paced scenes of teenage angst, emotional turmoil and gratuitous violence, there is singing and dancing to musical highlights from more than 43 classic hits in one fifty minute show! Johnny and Susie eventually reunite, get married, and start a family (but not necessarily in that order...). "Beach Party Summer!" featured Valleyfair's first ever on-stage audience, who not only enjoyed the best seats in the house, but also participated in the show and danced on-stage to the music of Bob & the Beachcombers! It was ground-breaking innovative family entertainment that everyone enjoyed, both on-stage and off! 1988 - 1989 Bob & the Beachcombers The following year, Doug Locken was replaced by Lee "The Sultan of Surf" Sherseth on lead guitar, and Sally Westermeyer left the group, with former "Caretaker" Lauren McArthur taking her place behind the drums. Along with Bob and Dick, they performed at the Minnesota and Wisconsin State Fairs, street dances and city celebrations throughout the Midwest, corporate events and private parties, and park and recreation concerts in Twin Cities area bandshells and stages. The Minnesota Surf sound was coming into its own, and the Bob & the Beachcombers "Traveling Beach Party Fun Show" began showing up on numerous locally produced cable TV broadcasts and channels throughout the metropolitan area. 1990 - 1991 Bob & the Beachcombers As the Beachcombers gained more exposure and rose in reputation and stature, other bands took notice and would occasionally offer a Beachcomber player a position with their group. Our friends at the "Rockin' Hollywoods" propositioned so many of our players that we became known as the "Rockin' Hollywoods Farm Club" - we would locate a talented performer, break him in, train him, and turn him into a polished professional entertainer - and then the Hollywoods would make him an offer he couldn't refuse. And so it was that Lauren McArthur left to take a position with the Rockin' Hollywoods (later to be followed by Tom Strohmeyer and Steve Wyss) and was replaced by the amazing Edgar "Malibu" Murphy on drums and vocals. Lee Sherseth left to play the blues and to fulfill his personal goal of autographing the bosoms of as many young ladies in southern Minnesota as possible with his blue Flair marker, giving up his job to Bill "Bogus" Quirk, who joined original members Bob and Dick in the strongest Beachcomber lineup yet. New songs, new shows, and new clients made Bob & the Beachcombers one of the busiest and most successful bands in the Midwest during this time. 1990 was also the year that Bob put together the "Bob the Beachcomber & Friends" family and children's show that soon also featured his four year old son, as "Surfer Shawn". The new program was a hit and Shawn was the star of the show as they traveled the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota performing at Kindercares, ECFE events, county fairs, schools, and concerts in the park. By the time he was five, though, Shawn had had enough and he retired to focus on his education as he entered kindergarten at Oak Ridge Elementary School. 1990 Bob the Beachcomber & Friends Rock & Roll High School Saturday Night Cruise 1992 - 1994 Bob & the Beachcombers Nearly every band in town had some sort of "Back to the 50's" option and for the last decade oldies bands such as the Whitesidewalls and the Rockin' Hollywoods were booked up far in advance and could be counted on to draw good crowds for any event. The Beachcombers did more than simply grease back their hair and don a black leather jacket. As they did with the beach party sixties, they offered two fully customed, decorated, and choreographed theme party shows, each with a unique look and style, and liaisoned with area professional special event design companies, such as the Design Group and Metro Connections, to offer clients a complete package of themed entertainment. Unfortunately, by 1994 most of the baby boomer 50's fans had left the dance floor and had instead set-up a direct deposit account that automatically sent their social security checks to cashier accounts at the nearest Indian casino. A "Back to the 50's" format no longer guaranteed a profitable or succesful event. The Beach Party That Never Ends! Part II HOME | MUSEUM OF R&R HISTORY | THE 50's | THE 60's | THE 70's | THE 80's | THE 90's | 2000+ | 2006