SFO Gets New “Surf’s Up” Rock ‘N Roll Exhibit
Instrumental surf music swept across the United States like a great sonic wave during the early 1960s. Energetic and melodic with little or no vocal accompaniment, instrumental surf music originated in Southern California along with a booming interest in surfing and the subsequent pop-cultural craze. The first wave of surf music began during the summer of 1961 and by 1963, surf music was a full-fledged phenomenon that received national attention.
A revival of instrumental surf music occurred during the early 1980s and spread worldwide in the 1990s. The music is now more diverse than ever, and there are active surf and instrumental scenes throughout the United States and in Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and across Europe.
SFO Museum’s Surfs Up! Instrumental Rock ‘n’ Roll explores instrumental surf music in relation to the larger genre of instrumental rock with guitars, albums, and ephemera from the 1950s to the present. This exhibition is on view in Terminal 2, post-security until July 18, 2021.
View SFO’s newest exhibition in Terminal 2, post-security
Terminal 2
Departures – Level 2
Oct 30, 2020 – Jul 18, 2021
Can’t visit the exhibit? Listen to the Spotify playlist: Surf’s Up! Instrumental Rock ‘n’ RollRead more about the exhibit Surf’s Up! Instrumental Rock ‘n’ Roll
