The Sunsets

The Sunsets

The Sunsets is a name used by more than one act. One version is a 1950s doo-wop group from Southern California. Another is Adrian & the Sunsets, a short-lived mid-1960s surf music group from the Southern California scene, led by Adrian Lloyd. A third version is a Flemish accordion duo from Belgium.

Adrian & the Sunsets

Adrian & the Sunsets is a short-lived surf music group from Southern California active in the mid-1960s. The band is led by Adrian Lloyd, who is born in Cornwall, England and later moves with his family to Long Beach, California at the age of 15. Lloyd begins as a drummer, influenced by bandleaders such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, and by 1960 he is playing in a local rock group called the Outlaws. In 1962 he joins the Rumblers, who score an instrumental hit with “Boss.”

After leaving the Rumblers in 1963, Lloyd auditions for a new group assembled by Bob Sheets. The lineup includes guitarists Ron Eglit and Clyde Brown, bassist Dick Lambert, and saxophonist Bruce Riddar. The band is originally intended to be called the Sunsets, but Lloyd is named leader because he is the only member over 18, and the group becomes Adrian & the Sunsets. They also work with vocalist Bobby Forest, although he is not an official member.

The group plays dances and teen clubs and records the album Breakthrough for Sheets’ Sunset label in 1963. The album is pressed on multi-coloured vinyl. Singles taken from it are “Breakthrough” b/w “Cherry Pie” and “Justine” b/w “She Treats Me Better Than You,” but none of these releases chart. The band splits up after about 11 months when the members become dissatisfied with their business arrangement with Sheets. Although the album does not sell well at the time, it later becomes a collector’s item among fans of classic surf music. Lloyd later releases several solo singles, including the garage rock track “Lorna,” joins the Playbacks, and works the California supper-club circuit into the early 1970s. Ron Eglit later plays bass with Dick Dale’s group and produces surf revival acts. Sundazed Records reissues the Breakthrough album in 2013 with rare unreleased solo recordings by Lloyd as bonus material.

The Sunsets, the Belgian accordion duo

The Sunsets is also the name of a Flemish accordion duo from Belgium. The duo is formed by Annelies Winten and Matthias Lens when they debut at the Schlagerfestival in 2009. Their first performance begins a long run of appearances, and their debut album The Sunsets sells more than 40,000 copies. In early 2011, Matthias Lens leaves to pursue a solo career and is replaced by Dutch musician Johan Veugelers. The duo then consists of Annelies Winten and Johan Veugelers.