The Ventures

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The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, two Tacoma, Washington masonry workers. They have also contributed to the surf music genre, though they are not strictly a surf band. In 2008, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ^[1]

1 History
2 Guitars
3 Legacy
4 Discography
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Initially calling themselves "The Versatones", Bogle and Wilson played small clubs and beer bars in the Northwest. In 1959 they recorded and released two vocal tunes, "The Real McCoy" and "Cookies and Coke", but neither record charted. They met and recruited Nokie Edwards as bass player, and recorded "Walk Don't Run" with Bogle on lead, Wilson on rhythm, Edwards on bass, and Skip Moore on drums. They approached several record companies, none of whom showed any interest in signing them. With support from Don Wilson's mother, Josie, they started their own record company, "Blue Horizon Records". They self-produced the 45 rpm single of "Walk Don't Run" and promoted it themselves.

A Seattle DJ, Pat O'Day, used the song as a news "kicker" (lead-in); Bob Reisdorf, owner of Dolton Records, heard it on the radio, and contacted and signed The Ventures. "Walk Don't Run" climbed to #2 for a week on the Billboard Top 100 in September 1960.

The Ventures Play "Telstar" and "The Lonely Bull" (1/1963)

The lineup of Bogle, Wilson, Edwards and Johnson remained intact until 1962, or roughly the release of their 8th album. Around this time, Edwards (a very talented guitarist in his own right) suggested that Bogle's lead guitar abilities were being stretched, and that they were in essence wasting Edwards' talents by keeping him on bass. Bogle agreed, and rapidly learned the bass parts to all their songs, allowing Edwards to take lead guitar, which helped modernize the sound of the band and keep them current-sounding into the late 1960s.

Also, in 1962, Johnson was injured in an auto crash which caused irreversible spinal damage. On doctor's orders, he quit the band. Bogle and Wilson already knew Mel Taylor, house drummer at The Palomino in North Hollywood (the venue where they would play numerous shows during their resurgence in the 1980s). Taylor had performed as drummer on the Bobby "Boris" Pickett hit "Monster Mash", The Hollywood Argyles' "Alley Oop" and "The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass. Taylor was known for a very aggressive, hard-hitting style of drumming. They invited him to some recording sessions, which led to him becoming a permanent member of The Ventures.

Hawaii Five-O (1969)

The combination of Edwards on lead guitar, Taylor on drums, Bogle on bass and Wilson on rhythm guitar created what many fans feel was The Ventures at their very best. This lineup remained unchanged until Edwards left the band in 1968, to be replaced by Gerry McGee. Edwards came back in 1973 and remained with them until 1984, although he has toured and gigged with them dozens of times in the subsequent 23 plus years. Edwards' replacement in 1984 was, once again, Gerry McGee. Drummer Mel Taylor remained the heartbeat of The Ventures until cancer took his life in 1996. His spot has since been filled by his son, Leon Taylor. (Original drummer Howie Johnson had died in 1988).

Their commercial fortunes in the US declined sharply in the early 1970s due to changing musical trends. In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, a resurgence of interest in surf music led to some in the punk/new wave audience rediscovering the band. The Go-Go's wrote "Surfin' And Spyin'" and dedicated it to The Ventures. The Ventures recorded their own version and continue to occasionally perform the song. Their career was given another rejuvenating shot in the arm by Quentin Tarantino's use of The Lively Ones' version of Nokie Edwards' "Surf Rider" and several other classic surf songs in the soundtrack of the hit movie Pulp Fiction. The Ventures became one of the most popular groups world-wide thanks in large part to their instrumental approach - there were no language barriers to overcome. The Ventures are still the most popular American rock group in Japan. One oft-quoted statistic is that the Ventures outsold The Beatles 2-to-1 in Japan. They produced dozens of albums exclusively for the Japanese and European markets, and have regularly toured Japan from the 1960s through to 2008. According to a January 1966 Billboard Magazine article, The Ventures had five of 1965's top 10 singles in Japan. A recent Japanese pop music poll listed "Ginza Lights" as the most popular song of all time; it was composed and recorded for their 1966 LP Go With The Ventures.^{[citation needed]}

On March 10, 2008, The Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with John Fogerty as their presenter. In attendance were original members Don Wilson and Nokie Edwards, late 1960s member John Durrill, current guitarist Bob Spalding, and current drummer Leon Taylor who, along with Mel Taylor's widow, Fiona, accepted on behalf of The Ventures late drummer. Bob Bogle and Gerry McGee were unable to attend the ceremony. Fiona Taylor gave special mention to her husband's predecessor drummers Skip Moore and Howie Johnson. The Ventures performed their biggest hits, "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-0", augmented on the latter by Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame musical director Paul Shaffer and his band. ^[2]

[edit] Guitars

The Ventures In Space (1963)

During the 1960s, California guitar manufacturer, Mosrite developed and marketed a uniquely styled futuristic-looking electric guitar, "The Ventures Model Mosrite". The band utilized these guitars on Ventures in Space (1963), one of their most influential albums because of the unique guitar sounds.

In the mid 1990s, Fender issued a limited edition Ventures signature series of guitars consisting of a Jazzmaster, a Stratocaster, and a Jazz Bass, all with specifications determined by the band.

Aria Guitars and Wilson Brothers Guitars have subsequently issued Ventures signature model instruments.

[edit] Legacy

The Ventures enjoyed their greatest popularity and success in the US in the 1960s, but they have continued to perform and record up to the present (2008). With over 110 million albums sold worldwide, the group remains the best selling instrumental rock group of all time. 38 Ventures albums (including a seasonal Christmas album) charted in the US, and six of fourteen chart singles made it into the Top 40, with three making it into the Top 10. Of their 38 chart albums, 34 of them occurred in the 1960s, and The Ventures rank as the 6th best pop album performer for that decade, according to "Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums".

Among their achievements in America, in 1963 The Ventures had five LPs in the Billboard Top 100 at the same time. Additionally, they released a series of instructional LPs entitled Play Guitar with The Ventures and Play Electric Bass with The Ventures. Four LPs were released in this series, the first of which reached the Billboard Top 100 Album Chart - an achievement previously unheard of for an instructional LP. In a novelty achievement, The Ventures were the first act to place two different versions of the same song in the Top 10, those being "Walk Don't Run" (#2) and "Walk Don't Run '64" (#8).

While they predated the advent of the terms surf guitar and surf rock, and they do not consider themselves a surf rock group; they were a major building block of surf music, if not the first to play the style. Guitar Player, in an article titled "20 Essential Rock Albums", cited elements of their 1960 "Walk Don't Run" album which presaged the then-coming surf trend.

The Ventures pioneered the use of special effects on such songs as "2000 Pound Bee", recorded in late 1962, in which guitarist Nokie Edwards employed a fuzz distortion pedal, pre-dating the "King of Fuzz Guitar", Davie Allan (The Arrows), by at least three years. Edwards was also among the first to use the twelve string guitar in rock. The 1964 Ventures In Space album was a primer in the use of special effects, and made pioneering use of 'reverse-tracking', a technique used very effectively by The Beatles in the later 1960s. Ventures In Space, because of its ethereal spacey effects, was deemed an influence on the later 1960s San Francisco psychedelic generation, as well as being cited as a favorite by the late Keith Moon (The Who).

The band's cover of The Tornados' "Telstar" (released in 1/1963) featured one of the first instances of flanging on a pop record.

The band was among the first rock acts able to sell albums based on a style and sound without needing hit singles on the albums. The Ventures are also credited by The All Music Guide To Rock with the early formulation of the concept album.

Encyclopedia Britannica on-line states that The Ventures 'served as a prototype for guitar-based rock groups'.

Over thirty major artists have identified The Ventures as an influence. George Harrison stated in a Guitar Player interview that The Beatles preferred the American guitar sound of The Ventures to British contemporaries. When asked to name the most influential rock guitar solos, Joe Walsh (James Gang and the Eagles) said he'd have to include the entire song "Walk Don't Run" because it changed so many guitar players' lives. Stephen Stills told Ventures guitarist Don Wilson that he learned to play on Ventures records. Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers) and Gene Simmons (Kiss) were early members of the Ventures Fan Club. Others identifying The Ventures as an influence include Carl Wilson (Beach Boys), Jeff Cook (Alabama), Roger Fisher (Heart), Keith Moon (The Who), Alan White (Yes), and Roger Glover (Deep Purple).

[edit] Discography

Main article: The Ventures discography

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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