The Smiley Smile Message Board

I am happy to share the news that McFarland Book Publishers of Jefferson, North Carolina, has just announced my book, Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963, in their Fall 2014 catalog of upcoming titles. McFarland is an independent publisher of academic and non-fiction books and its founder, Robert McFarland Franklin, enthusiastically embraced my proposal for a book examining the Beach Boys' origin story and early history.


Here is a link to the book and front cover:

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Beach-1961-1963-James-Murphy/dp/0786473657/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406737810&sr=8-2&keywords=becoming+the+beach+boys

Let me know what you think of the cover!

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, this is most excellent news !  ;D

Ordered. Cover is cool. Can't wait to pick holes in it.  ::)

So you're now a Paperback Writer, Jim?  Wouldn't mind a hard cover or even a soft cover, but an autographed paperback will do. Looking forward to it! Congrats!

By the way, I have that Pendleton shirt on the cover. I wear it proudly where ever I go.  Al Jardine told me a couple of years ago that he loaned David Marks his shirt for the Surfer Girl album cover photo shoot.

Looking forward to the book!

I've always wondered about those Pendleton shirts.  Do we know what happened to them all?  I saw an update of the Beach Boys Pendleton last month at a Pendleton outlet store and thought about buying it until I saw the price tag.

  A perfect BBs Scenario!  A summer announcement of the Fall Catalog, not to be released until the Winter( and who knows how many delays in the meantime) 

Is $39.63 the price for an autogaphed copy?

Chris

For $39.63 you also get a mint promo and stock copy of "The Surfer Moon" by Bob & Sheri . . . signed by Brian.  And for an extra buck, I'll add a Murry signature under the Wilson's home address.  ;D

Andrew

I believe yours may be copy #001 -- thanks for the support!  As for poking holes, oh, I hope not . . . but, as with all things in Beach Boys Land, never say never. :P

Mikie

"Paperback Writer"  is still one of my favorite songs by that other group . . . although as a kid growing up with my transistor radio I swore they were singing "Piggyback Rider."  McFarland publishes very few hardcover books -- has to do with costs, paper stock, and photo image quality, but mainly cost.  McFarland is  a wonderful, eclectic independent publisher, and they have been great to work with . Check out their website. 

Bonnevillemariner

Yeah, a new Beach Boys' plaid Pendleton shirt can be a bit pricey.  They appear routinely on eBay usually in very "gently used" condition and you can snag them for a good price.

Congrats! Don't be surprised if I hit you up soon for a radio interview.  :)

If the book's as good as the cover . . . . and I suspect it is . . . . it's a winner.

My sister and I had a little record player kind of like that during that same time. Played 78s, 45s, 33/13s and 16 (and a half?).

*In my best Cliff Clavin imitation*

Norm!  How ya been?

Sounds awesome...I'll be picking up a copy when it's out!

Ordered… looking forward. And congrats!

There can never be enough BBs books (or academic interest in them). Looking forward to it.




What can you tell us about your writing process and research for this project? (Cover image looks good.)

Keeping out of the line of fire, but I couldn't stay away forever!

Looking forward to reading Becoming the Beach Boys.  I am also interested in reading about your writing process.

Congratulations Jim......

Thanks everyone for your kind words and interest in Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963, my forthcoming book about the band's origin story and early history to be published by McFarland Book Publishers.

Here's a link to McFarland's website page on the book with some additional information.

http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-7365-6

I hope folks enjoy the book, that it sheds some new light on the band's early history, and stirs some spirited discussion.   

And, like every new book about the band, a very big THANK YOU to every author, journalist, archivist, and film maker who has contributed to our understanding and appreciation of the Beach Boys.

The book should be great!  It certainly remains the most mysterious period in the BBs career.  It really is amazing that not a single poster, flyer or mention in a local newspaper has ever turned up for the Dec 61 Long Beach show! (Except for the shoddy reproduction posters-that often have a picture of the BBs in 1964 on them). Or that no photo of the BBs MARK 1 (with Al before DM replaced him) has ever turned up.  As I've said many times-it is amazing how every minute of the Beatles lives is documented so well today.  We can precisely date every Beatles photo session to the day but documents on the early BBs movements are sparse.  Hopefully Jim's research uncovers more that Jon and I were unable to find (though we sure tried our best).

Hmmmm...

That flyer needs some work: they never called themselves The Beach Boys (that was a big surprise), and I do believe one of them came from Ohio... but, as Jim had nothing to do with it, I'll pass.  ;D

I recall seeing in an interview - with Alan's mom, I believe - that some were taken. Where are they now ? Some LA landfill, probably...

 After all the time Jim physically spent on research in CA (some of it must have been in different landfills ) the pics are probably in Jim's book.

Ian, thanks for the kind words and support. If folks enjoy my book half as much as I continue to enjoy your excellent, and still mind blowing, achievement, I will be very, very happy.     

The Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance and Show on December 31, 1961, at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium is really a puzzle. I also was unable to find any promotional items or news coverage of this event.  Valens had passed away less than three years earlier and was still quite a legendary figure in the Chicano community in Los Angeles. So, why no publicity for a memorial show?  I began to wonder if it even took place, but it is mentioned in an early Beach Boys' concert program, Dorinda Morgan apparently mentioned it to Byron Preiss, and Mike has mentioned it in several interviews. Maybe it was organized quickly and relied on radio publicity only.  [I respectfully contacted Preiss's widow in the hope Byron had some raw research material from the late 1970s that did not find a home in his book and might shed some new light on the early days].

I can't begin to tell you how hard I tried to find an early photograph of the original line-up with Al.  Hite Morgan reportedly had a photograph of them with Al, but it appears to have been lost to time.  I would imagine if any copies survived, one would have been in Audree's personal collection and unearthed during the 50th anniversary celebration.  Negatives were seldom kept in good condition back then and reprints were uncommon.  So, who knows, there may have been just one single print.  It seems unlikely it will ever surface. A fan photo of the original line-up performing has also never surfaced. The photograph of the band with David on the front cover of my book is from an event they played at a local high school in March 1962, just a few days after the Mardi Gras Costume Ball at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades.  It's a cool posed photograph and when you see it up close you cannot help but think, "My God, they're so young!"

Yeah, I am in the process of having McFarland revise that marketing blurb about the band naming themselves the "Beach Boys."  Ouch!  After nearly a decade of research and writing, while keeping the lights on as a companion animal veterinarian, that kind of hurt my ears.  But, it's correct in the book  ;D

Chris, thanks for posting that IN CONCERT acetate. Cool piece. Would love to someday hear a better quality version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Probably not in my lifetime. They should have played a tape of that song at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony  :lol  Oh, by the way, while I was digging into some landfill in Scranton, PA, I came across a few dozen unusual booklets.  They're a little smudged, but would you be interested in one?  ;)

Thanxx, but I have one without the smudges!   ;D

Congratulations Jim!  Looking forward to seeing what heretofore unknown / unpublished information you were able to dig up.  Sometimes you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Lee

Jim:  Super cool.  Love the cover, love the book idea.  I look forward to the recollections from that
school crossing guard I told you about--the one that junior-high Dennis was always hitting up.   

This is great news indeed, I only want to specify - is there any photo of Hite+-Dorinda Morgan in your upcoming book? If so, will you post it here sometime, Mr. Murphy? Tia.

LEE
Thanks for the kind words and support. I think the book will share much new information and photographs.  And some really cool early memorabilia.  And yes, as a veterinarian, you really can teach an old dog new tricks  ;D

DON
Thanks so much for reaching out -- I got your message and will be calling you very soon. It would be great to get together. I read and re-read every Add Some Music cover-to-cover while researching the book. Great timeless stuff. Still a joy to read today.  Thanks for all your pioneering work.

TIA (RangeRoverA1)
Thanks for your interest and for mentioning one of my favorite topics to discuss about the book -- the Morgans.

Yes, I am very happy to report that Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963 will include professional portrait photographs of Hite and Dorinda Morgan. Beautiful quality.  Some of the many, many questions that motivated me to begin researching and writing the book was, "Who were Hite and Dorinda Morgan?  Where did they come from?  What were they like?  How did they meet Murry? What was the true story?  What happened to them after the Boys signed with Capitol?  What did they look like?"  Well, now we'll know.  I cannot post the photos here until the book is published.  But, soon. Thanks again for your interest and support! 

Ha, that was funny - my name isn't Tia, that's short for "Thanks in advance". Call me Mari :3d. Anyway, thanks for your answer, that's good news, I look forward to seeing their photos. And yes, this chapter in the BBs 'story is a curio, it was lost but now found with your help. Hopefully, the book is gonna come out soon.

Really looking forward to your book, Jim. 

Concerning the Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance and Show on Dec 31, 1961, Mike also mentioned it at the Dec. 3, 1971 Beach Boys concert at the Long Beach Arena, saying that the very first time the Beach Boys had appeared in concert happened right next door at the Long Beach Auditorium almost ten years earlier at a Ritchie Valens Memorial Concert on New Years Eve 1961.  I would agree that radio spots may well have been the main means of publicity.  Don't know if KFWB and/or KRLA surveys of the era featured ads, but if so it's possible an ad for the show may have appeared on one for more of those surveys.

The more I read about it, the harder it is to wait to read it! Love the cover and (though this is clearly an egregrious crossing of historical eras...) I hope that you sell a million units...in January!!!  ;D

I'm excited about reading about the formation of the band. Read several different stories but now with so many of the old myths dispelled, it'll be nice to read the story with more correct information.

Just in from amazon:

OH, MY, GAWD. 

Time to break open the '58 Dom Perignon!

I get very excitable.

You should have seen the mess.