denniswilsonthebeachboys:

This surfboard, originally owned by Dennis Wilson, is pictured on the classic Beach Boys covers for “Surfin’ Safari” (1962) and “Surfer Girl” (1963), as well as in other photos from the Ken Veeder photo shoot at Paradise Cove in Malibu California, where both album cover photos originated.  The board came from a Hermosa Beach, California surf shop called The Outrigger. When Capitol Records needed a prop for a Beach Boys photo shoot, Dennis simply provided his own board. Sometime in the 1970s, Dennis gave the surfboard to his close friend Louis Marotta, who was friends with the Wilson boys and lived across the street from them in Hawthorne, California. He was also name-checked on their aforementioned debut album, “Surfin’ Safari”, in the song “Chug-A-Lug”. Louis kept the board in the rafters of his garage until 1985, at which time he gifted it to his close friend Bob Stafford. The board has yellowed even more from over 50 years of age. Dennis spent many pre-Beach Boys days riding the waves on this board at crowded local beaches and saw first-hand how popular the sport of surfing had become. He later suggested to his big brother Brian that he write a song about the craze. The result was “Surfin’”, which became their debut single as The Beach Boys on the Candix label and later on Capitol Records.