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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Best-Of SG101 »

Permalink Eddie "Mr. Rebel" Bertrand in the news

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DannySnyder
Another question:

What notable contemporaries of yours went on to success in other genres of rock music as the popularity of surf music waned? Any interesting stories about them?

I remember Eddie telling me about someone who went on to be known as Sonny & Cher.... Did I remember that right Eddie?

Hey Ivan,

The Bandmaster was used during The Bel Air days. Having had a second 12" speaker put in my Bandmaster, I had already established a relationship with Leo Fender. I had the first ever Piggy Back Bandmaster with two 12s. Boy was I in amp heaven. Mr. Fender was one of the kindest human beings I have ever known. Sort of treated me like a son.

Leo gave me a couple prototype Showmans to try. I remember one concert I did using an empty Twin Amp (no speakers) and a two 15" Showman cabnet. There was not much difference if any from a twin head to a showman head at the time.

In The Eddie and the Showmen project I used Showman amps with two 15" JBL D130s. It seems to me I may have had a single 15" in my cabnet for a minute.
I never used a "Dual" Showman Amps.

So, all that to say the Eddie and the Showmen name came from the Showman Amp.
Seemed natural to me at the time.

Best Regards Ivan,
Eddie

PS...Not sure if I would call it "humoring you all"
I am, and will remain, very honored that all of you care this much.
Also, thank you Ivan, for the very kind words recently.

Almost Tim.........I met Sonny and Cher when they were called Ceasar and Cleo. I played with them a lot.

Hi Danny,

Larry Carlton was in Eddie and the Showmen for a while. He then went on to join the Jazz Crusaders. One of the best in the world. It was an honor, looking back, to have shared the stage with him.

Eddie

oops .... Tim it was "exact" not "almost". I was just messin' with you Pal.
Thanks again for lunch today....e

I remember hearing something about Glen Campbell ("Rhinestone Cowboy" fame, egads) playing surf music back in the day...Eddie? Is that perhaps the case? Seems funny to me...

By the way, it was great to meet you at the Pier show when I was hanging with the Longboard guys from Spain.
Cheers,
Ted from The Detonators

didn't Sonny have quite a bit to do with the success of "Mr Moto" like he had it mastered, and promoted it somehow?

Chris

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Q: Eddie have you stayed in touch with Richard Delvy after The Bel Airs?

Q: What's he up to these days?

Q: Any plans in the future for a Bel Air's reunion?

Q: Do you still own many of the amps, reverb tanks & guitars from " The Bel Airs" "Eddie & The Showmen" era?

Thank you Eddie it's such an honor

~Kyle

-Kyle

Beyond The Surf YouTube channel
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The Verbtones @ Instagram
The Verbtones @ Facebook
The Verbtones @ bandcamp

MrRebel
Hi Danny,

Larry Carlton was in Eddie and the Showmen for a while. He then went on to join the Jazz Crusaders. One of the best in the world. It was an honor, looking back, to have shared the stage with him.

Eddie

That is really cool to hear! I have everything Larry ever did (least I thought I did lol).
It is really cool of you to humble yourself and join in here Mr. Bertrand! True privilege to hear from a True Pioneer of the music. Hearing you talk about Leo and Larry and your amp experiences etc blows my mind.
Its such a great thing to see a lot of pro musicians posting here on the style, but you might 'take the cake'.
Be blessed>Stay well>

Alan (Chop)

Eddie,

I'd like to echo other's sentiments. It is wonderful to have you on board!

Your fan in Canada,
Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

MrRebel
oops .... Tim it was "exact" not "almost". I was just messin' with you Pal.
Thanks again for lunch today....e

My pleasure. You are welcome. Thanks for the guitar lesson before lunch. Very Happy
I'm still working on that G ninth diminished fifth.....

DannySnyder
Another question:

What notable contemporaries of yours went on to success in other genres of rock music as the popularity of surf music waned?

Dick Dodd went on and had great success in the Standells.

T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S

Your absolutely right Klas....Sorry for the oversite. Dick and I remain good friends to this day. It was very odd, but Dick showed up (quite by accedent) at my come back concert June 10th at the HB surf museum. Signed an autograph or two then had to go. eddie

SPELLING ERROR............."ACCIDENT"

Hi Eddie,

I was wondering if you could give a general idea of what the heck it was like to be in the Belairs and then Eddie & The Showmen? What was it like being a kid in California in the 60's, playing shows and making records? How often did you play out in the Belairs and E&TS? Where you in High School making records and playing shows? Any fond memories from shows in either band?

Thanks!

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

You are very welcome, Eddie! I would venture to say that almost all of us here, if not in fact all, owe you a big debt of grattitude! Hearing Squad Car in '91 on the "Legends of Guitar - Surf" CD (on Rhino) was one of the defining moments in my gradual process of falling hopelessly in love with surf music.

I have two more (well, actually a LOT more, but I'll stick to these two) questions: do you remember your reverb unit settings in the sixties (are you still using the same settings); and were you ever told you were too loud (either individually or as a band) and asked to turn down? Very Happy Did that happen in the sixties?

Thank you, Eddie!
Ivan

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
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Lets start the day with some Eddie!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdLj_W1wDYI

image

Hey Ivan,

Yes I remember my reverb settings! But if I tell you, then I would have to kill you! (laughing....could not resist)
The dwell at 3 ... mix at 7 ish ... tone 6 ish. Same now as then. It may change slightly depending on where I am playing. However the dwell setting does not change.

Only one person one time ever said I was too loud.
It was set up and sound check time. I was playing a very large hall. It was empty of course. I had a rig that night that Leo gave to use as he was doing work on my 62 showman amp. It was an empty "twin" cabnet with just the amp going into a two 15' cabnet with JBL 130s. As I was checking it out I had the volumn at only about 2 plus. All of a sudden this lady came running from the box office all the way to the stage at the back of the hall. She was waving her arms to the sky screaming at me saying "your not going to play that loud are you?" I said no, probally about 3 times louder. (I normally had my amp volumn at about 7 to 8 plus) But I said don't worry, when the 4,000 or 5,000 people get here, it will just fine. I felt as though she walked away with major doubt lol. True story I will never forget.

Thanks Ivan for the questions, and your interest.

Eddie

Hi Brian,
Starting with The Bel Airs....It all seemed to happen really fast. One day Paul and I are having great fun just making a sound develope and writing songs. Then all of a sudden we make a record, get a record deal. The record went up the charts we were doing TV shows and concerts all over. We played a lot. For me I just loved the feeling I got playing live music and the magical world I found myself in (sort of like a daydeam) while playing. I never really felt like a "rock star" that much. I guess I didn't think of things in those terms then. But sure was a fun ride.

Eddie and the Showmen was formed within about two weeks from the Bel Air breakup. All the same magic was there as in the bel airs, yet I was a bit more aware of my statis as a rock star and had a better sense of self worth in that band. I don't recall having a huge ego, but I was confident about what I was doing and how I wanted to sound.

I was in high school making records and palying concerts and TV shows during the bel airs and eddie and the showmen That was a challeng at times. But for the most part the kids at school treated pretty much like anyone else on campus. I liked that. Now the teachers? They could be a problem. (laughing)

There are stories....but they might be better for a live interview. Otherwise it would take paragraph after paragraph.

All in all it was just plain awesome being a kid in the 60s and playing in those two bands.

Thanks Brian,

Eddie

Eddie, this is good stuff! I'm going to go ahead and throw my 'one question' in here: Why the switch from the Strat to the Jaguar. I'm sure this would be of interest to a lot of folks on this forum. Thanks!

Ryan
The Secret Samurai Website
The Secret Samurai on Facebook

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