clyde grimes
Clyde, along with his brother Marty, was the first African-American skateboarder to turn professional. He was an original member of Z-Flex and a true Dogtowner. Grimes was the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the influential Los Angeles band, The Untouchables, who are credited with being America's first ska band. Formed in 1981 as part of the burgeoning West Coast mod scene, the original lineup included Grimes, Kevin Long, Chuck Askerneese, Terry Ellsworth, Rob Lampron, Herman Askerneese and Jerry Miller. That year they released their first single, 'Twist n' Shake' and in late in 1982, the band began a stint as the house band at the Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip. In 1983, they released their second single, 'The General' and performed the song in the comedy 'The Party Animal'. They appeared as a scooter gang in the movie 'Repo Man' and appeared in the 1984 film 'Surf II'. Among albums they would release were 'Wild Child' (1985), 'Agent Double O Soul' (1988), 'Decade of Dance' (1991) and 'Ghetto Stout' (2000).