Sandy Nelson's song "Teen Beat" rose to #4 on the charts in 1959. Subsequently he signed with the Imperial label and pounded out two more Top 40 hits, "Let There Be Drums", which went to #3 in Britain, and "Drums Are My Beat". All three were instrumentals (a feat seldom, if ever, repeated). Sander L Nelson was born on 1 December 1938 in Santa Monica, California. He attended high school with Jan Berry, Dean Torrence (who together became Jan and Dean), and Kim Fowley.