The Sentinals left a relatively small footprint in the annals of surf music -- less than a dozen singles for several labels and two albums on Del-Fi, all from 1961-63.
The band was formed in 1961 in San Luis Obispo, on California's central coast. Guitarist Tommy Nunes was the group's primary composer while drummer Johnny Barbata would go on to play with the Turtles and Jefferson Starship.
Nunes was adept at coming up with Latin-flavored tunes like Latin'ia, the Sentinals' best-known tune, and Tor-Chula, which bears a strong resemblance to the Champs' 1958 hit Tequila. Latin'ia and Tor-Chula were paired on a 1962 single for Era Records.
Tor-Chula
Both sides of the single appeared on the Sentinals' first album for Del-Fi, Big Surf! (1963). The second LP, Surfer Girl, appeared later that year. The two albums have been combined on CD at least twice -- in 1999 by Del-Fi and in 2004 by Collector's Choice. Both are out of print, with only the Del-Fi release, under the title Sunset Beach: The Best of the Sentinals, available at a reasonable price.
However, tracks by the Sentinals have appeared on numerous CD compilations of surf music and almost all of the Sentinals' recordings are available as legal downloads from the major sources.
Here's the "A" side of the Sentinals single pictured above.
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