The Vara-Tones originated in the early sixties when instrumental music was the big thing. The Fireballs, The Ventures, and Duane Eddy were some of the names on the charts and on the radio at that time, and Leo Fender and Dick Dale were beginning to experiment with the outboard reverb unit in conjunction with the Stratocaster and Showman amplifier to create what would be the forerunner to the "heavy" rock sound. After putting in about a year of garage time, the Vara-tones gigged around Southern California during the height of the surfing craze ('63 - '65) and released a single, `Repeto' on the Kay label in 1964. The group disbanded in 1966. In 1997, due to the resurgence of surf music, all the original members who could be found were tracked down for a reunion - jamming together just for fun. This ultimately resulted in their first album entitled "Jetty Subject To High Surf" which was followed by their current release "Headin' Out".
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