"Hell's Angels"

The infamous biker gang rolls into Cucamonga. Not that they had very far to go. The original chapter was formed in Fontana, the next town over. Listen to Motorhead talk about how he and Frank Zappa entertained the Hell's Angels at Studio Z.

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"Wipeout!"

Recorded in Cucamonga in 1962, and quite possibly the most famous surf instrumental of all time.

Listen to Paul Buff, Surf Music historian John Blair, and the late great Jim Pash, saxophonist and later guitarist for The Surfaris, talk about Wipeout.

Did we also mention that the band might have used Frank Zappa's amp to record the song? Of course, we don't have much evidence to prove this.

Click here for a story on Wipeout

02.19.07

Euclid James Sherwood, a high school friend of Frank Zappa who would later become a roadie and band member of The Mothers of Invention. Motorhead spent a considerable amount of time in Cucamonga with Frank Zappa making music in Studio Z.

Here's how he got his nickname "Motorhead."

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02.15.07

Here's a little nostalgia for the old folks. REALLY old folks. This is a rare photo of the original building of Pal Studios that would later become Studio Z.

I've asked Paul Buff and many others why they didn't take any more photographs of the studio. The reason? They didn't give it much thought back then. They were too busy making music.

That's okay with me....