Dragster !




Johnny Fortune was already a successful session musician before the surf sound hit. He'd play guitar on Sam Cook's "Chain Gang" and Barbara George's "I Know". In '63, at the age of 16, Johnny recorded the Soul Surfer sessions at Bob Summers' Sound House studio in El Monte, where the Lively Ones also recorded much of their output. The session musicians were Johnny Fortune (Sudetta - guitar, bass), Jim O'Keith - sax, and Joey Sudetta, a mere 10 years old at the time, on drums. Johnny's bandmates John Fisher, who co-wrote many of the tunes, and brothers Vincent Sudetta and George Sudetta did not play on the sessions. Offered a chance to tour England with Johnny Burnette, he had to decline due to his being under eighteen. Johnny's sound is quite unusual within the surf genre. He has a warm and muffled, relatively dry sound with unusual whammy action that sets it apart from the rest, and from the big guitar sound of the Duane Eddy's of the world. Johnny's tunes are melodic and rhythmic, and have a lasting quality about them.


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  • Johnny Fortune - Dragster

    • Comments

    Anonymous said…
    THIS IS SOOO GREAT !!!!!!!
    if only he knew just how well known and listen too by others he was !!!!
    R.I.P
    JOHNNY
    4:48 AM
    Anonymous said…
    Johnny was born in 1943 so he was in fact 20 yrs old when this was recorded. It would be my guess that Joey was 14. And although he may have recorded with Sam Cooke and Barbara George it does not appear from history that he played on I know or Chain Gang. The story goes that he recorded with Sam Cooke "Chain Gang" and Barbara George "I know" this is much different than actually being on those recordings.
    3:19 PM
    Anonymous said…
    I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH JOHN SUDETTA IN NEWTON FALLS OHIO. WE HAD A GREAT FRIENDSHIP AND A MUTUAL RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER. I WAS SADDENED TO HEAR OF HIS PASSING. HIS MEMORY HAS BEEN WITH ME FOR OVER 40 YEARS. HE WAS ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS.
    GARY L STEFANIAK
    5:20 AM
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