I thought of Sonny ‘n Cher today while thinking of what was happening in Redondo Beach, CA in the winter of 1965-66. PCH or Hwy 1 runs from El Segundo from the north to Redondo Beach south, where I learned to surf in 1960…
I surfed these South Bay waters mostly, especially Hermosa 22nd Street, or the Jetty at 2nd St. I remember one year when the waves were so huge, that the big guns, like Greg Knoll, had to walk out to the end of the Jetty. I still remember watching them with trepidation and a cringe or 2.
“Scary shit” as I recall. My comfort zone was easy glassy tubes, 6-10 feet. Ohhh! I remember it well. I feel the adrenaline rush and the peace of all of it.
I felt safe surfing there among surf dude buddies just like me. Yeah, we drank beer, and smoked a dooby or 2. We loved girls in bikinis too. It was the beginning of skin in the game…maybe?
I was hanging out with my friends at a converted dance hall next the Redondo Cinema on PCH one night. We were anticipating Sonny ‘n Cher to be on the stage.
No kidding! Yeah, Sonny ‘n Cher! Sonny had long bleached blond hair. Not sure what I thought about that then. I had blond short hair, maybe a tad conservative? Probably so…
We couldn’t wait to dance in a goofy kind of way, to the tunes of Sonny ‘n Cher. They were good together and funny too…
We danced and danced in this truly strange way. We kicked our legs up and jumped around like we were flying around each other slow motion. Some would fall down doing the spilts. I could never do that…
It was “Rock ‘n Roll,” indeed! It was our very own 60s brand of dancing with some of the greatest stars of that special era at Redondo Beach, CA…c1965-66. I still can’t can’t figure it out, though, the dancing part, that is…
I can hear them now singing “I Got You Babe!” Do you hear them? I can’t stop hearing them sing. Can you?
Children and Families in Life After Trauma (CFLAT)
