On March 16, 1966, Paul and James Van Doren, along with Gordon Lee and Serge D’Elia, opened the Van Doren Rubber Company in Anaheim, CA, to manufacture and sell deck shoes. Fifty years later, their semi-eponymous shoes are synonymous with skateboarding and youth culture, and the iconic slip-on has been cultural shorthand for a certain sense of cool since at least 1982—plus the brand got the coveted Based God endorsement back in 2007.
Of course, the average Vans wearer in those early days wasn’t necessarily rocking “The Ballad of the Green Berets.” So to celebrate fifty years of canvas and rubber, we asked Justin Gage of Aquarium Drunkard to put together a playlist of surf music from the era. You can cruise that list—which includes cuts from eventual Neil Young collaborator Jack Nitzsche, Link Wray, The Sonics, The Beach Boys, and many more—below. Drain your pool, turn it up, and shred.
