IVOX RADIO Presents ● The Story & Music of The Ventures
The Ventures - Publicity Photo circa 1960s
The Ventures are an instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington in 1958 by guitarists Bob Bogle and Don Wilson. Hailed as one of the most influential bands of all time, The Ventures were among the first to use such innovations as flanging, fuzz guitar and twelve-string guitars. They were also among the pioneers of surf rock and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008.
They continue to be popular in the United States and especially in Japan, where they are the most popular American rock group in the world’s second-largest record market. So widespread is the band’s influence that they earned the nickname, “The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands.”
The Ventures - The House of the Rising Sun / record sleeve / Liberty Records
The Ventures were the sixth best album chart performers of the 1960s, the best-selling instrumental band ever and according to Encyclopedia Britannica, the leader in popularizing guitar rock.
With the so-called “classic lineup” of Wilson on rhythm guitar, Bogle on bass guitar, Mel Taylor on drums and Nokie Edwards on lead guitar, their recording of “Walk, Don’t Run” (with Skip Moore on drums) propelled them to international stardom and is one of the greatest songs ever recorded for guitar with a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Changes in musical taste led to a decline of popularity by the early 1970s, but by the end of the decade, interest in surf music returned with fans of punk and new wave. A version of the Nokie Edwards song “Surf Rider” by The Lively Ones further bolstered their resurging popularity with its appearance in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction.
The Ventures - Album Cover / Walk Don’t Run - Dolton Records
Aside from 1960’s “Walk, Don’t Run,” other notable singles included “Perfidia” in 1960, “Blue Moon” in 1961, “The 2000 Pound Bee” in 1962 which made use of fuzz guitar effects, “Telstar” in 1963 which made use of flanging, “La Bamba” in 1965 and “Hawaii Five-O” in 1968.
The current lineup consists of guitarist Bob Spalding, drummer Leon Taylor, Ian Spalding on rhythm guitar and bass and Luke Griffin also on guitar and bass. Although co-founder Don Wilson still records with the band, he no longer tours and as of 2018 with the passing of Nokie Edwards, Wilson is the last survivor of the original group.
Trade ad for The Ventures's album "Super Psychedelics" / Liberty Records - Billboard, page 11, April 29, 1967
IVOX RADIO Presents ● “The Story and Music of The Ventures” today at 5pm hosted by Louie Comella, on KWXY Music Radio 92.3FM ● 1340AM ● streaming at kwxy.com and ivoxradio.com