The Ventures

The Ventures
Classic lineup of the Ventures in Japan in 1965 (left to right): Don Wilson, Mel Taylor, Nokie Edwards, Bob Bogle
Background information
Also known as	The Versatones The New Ventures
Origin	Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Genres	Instrumental rock, surf rock
Years active	1958–present
Labels	Blue Horizon, Dolton, Liberty, United Artists, Capitol, GNP Crescendo
Website	www.theventures.com
Members
Don Wilson Nokie Edwards Gerry McGee Bob Spalding Leon Taylor
Past members
Bob Bogle Howie Johnson Mel Taylor John Durrill Joe Barile Dave Carr Biff Vincent Leisha Soukary Jonell Calendar

The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold^[1], the group is the best-selling instrumental band of all time. In 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[2]

Their instrumental virtuosity, experimentation with guitar effects, and unique sound laid the groundwork for innumerable groups, earning them the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands".^[3] While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains revered in Japan, where they still tour regularly to this day.^[1]

History

Formation and rise to fame

Don Wilson and Bob Bogle first met in 1958, when Bogle was looking to buy a car from a used car dealership owned by Wilson's father. Finding a common interest in guitars, the two decided to play together, while Wilson joined Bogle performing masonry work. Initially calling themselves The Versatones, the duo played small clubs, beer bars, and private parties throughout the Pacific Northwest. Wilson played rhythm guitar, Bogle lead.

After watching Nokie Edwards play at a nightclub, they recruited him as bass player. Bogle owned a Chet Atkins LP, Hi Fi in Focus, on which he heard the song "Walk-Don't Run". Soon enough, the group was in a recording studio playing the new song, with Bogle on lead, Wilson on rhythm, Edwards on bass, and Skip Moore on drums. They pressed a number of 45s, which they distributed to several record companies. Later, Skip Moore opted out of the group to work at his family's gas station. When "Walk-Don't Run" was recorded, he also opted out of the royalties from the recording, taking $25 for the session instead. He later sued to collect royalties but failed because of his prior opt-out.

Needing a permanent drummer for the group, they hired Howie Johnson and, in the midst of a fast-paced touring schedule, they recorded an album to capitalize on the success of the single. The lineup of Bogle, Wilson, Edwards and Johnson remained intact until 1962. The group found early success with a string of singles, but quickly became leaders in the album market. The Ventures were among the pioneers of concept albums, where starting with 1961's The Colorful Ventures each song on several of their albums was chosen to fit a specific theme. Some of the Ventures' most popular albums at the time were a series of records of dance music. In the early 1960s "golden age of hi-fi", with the novelty of stereo still in its experimental stages, The Ventures found their characteristic style of recording each instrument in either the extreme left or right channel, with little (if any) cross-over, enhancing the stereo effect to its fullest limits.

In 1961, Edwards, a 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 tunes, allowing Edwards to take lead guitar. This move would prove vital in modernizing the band's sound, ensuring success in an ever-changing market well into the late 1960s.

Classic lineup

The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull (January 1963)

In the fall of 1957, Johnson was injured in an auto crash, which caused irreversible spinal damage. This forced him to play with a neckbrace. Johnson played on the first four LPs and did about half of the tracks on the fifth LP ("Twist With The Ventures/Dance!"). He did not like spending so much time away from his new family (second marriage), and, because of that, he quit the band. Johnson continued to play locally in the Washington area with local groups until his death on May 5, 1987 at age 54. At the time Johnson quit The Ventures, 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 was known for a very aggressive, hard-hitting style of drumming. The group invited him to some recording sessions, which led Taylor to becoming a permanent member of The Ventures.

Resurgence and decline in the US

Hawaii Five-O (1969)

The combination of Edwards on lead guitar, Taylor on drums, Bogle on bass and Wilson on rhythm guitar 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 years. Edwards' replacement in 1984 was, once again, Gerry McGee. Mel Taylor left in 1972 (and was replaced by drummer Joe Barile) to pursue a solo career when the Ventures became a nostalgia act. His intentions were to concentrate on new material and the progressive side of music. He returned in 1979 and stayed with the Ventures until his death from cancer in 1996. His spot has since been filled by his son, Leon Taylor. (Original drummer Howie Johnson had died in 1987; Skip Moore, the drummer on "Walk-Don't Run" is also deceased).

Later years

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 worldwide 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, the world's second largest record market. One oft-quoted statistic is that the Ventures outsold The Beatles 2-to-1 in Japan.^[1] They produced dozens of albums exclusively for the Japanese and European markets, and have regularly toured Japan from the 1960s through to the present. According to a January 1966 Billboard Magazine article, The Ventures had five of 1965's top 10 singles in Japan.

The Ventures today

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-O", augmented on the latter by Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame musical director Paul Shaffer and his band.

Bob Bogle died June 14, 2009 after a long battle with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; he was 75.^[4]

Guitars

The Ventures In Space (1963)

During their first years (1958–1963), the Ventures played Fender guitars (a Jazzmaster, a Stratocaster and a Precision Bass) for both their live performances and their recording sessions. These instruments are prominently visible on the covers of three early albums: The Ventures, Bobby Vee Meets the Ventures, and The Colorful Ventures. Then in early 1963, California guitar manufacturer Mosrite re-branded their uniquely styled, futuristic-looking Mark 1 electric guitar model for the Ventures by applying decals that stated "The Ventures Model" on the headstock. The band adopted these guitars (which included a bass model) and first used them on The Ventures in Space (1963), one of their most influential albums because of the unique, unworldly guitar sounds it contained. From 1963 through 1968, a statement on their album covers announced that The Ventures used Mosrite guitars "exclusively" (The Ventures and designer Semie Moseley were partners in the distribution of these instruments). After the expiration of their contract with Moseley, the Ventures returned to playing mainly Fender guitars. Only rarely have they used Mosrite guitars since that contract ended.

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. The Wilson Brothers guitar, in particular, is closely modeled physically on the original Mosrite design.

Legacy

The Ventures enjoyed their greatest popularity and success in the US and Japan in the 1960s, but they continue to perform and record. With over 110 million albums sold worldwide, the group remains the best selling instrumental rock group of all time. Thirty-eight 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 of the albums chart 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).

The Ventures were among the first rock acts able to sell albums based on a style and sound without needing hit singles on the albums. These albums are also some of the earliest examples of the concept album in rock music. Many of the Ventures' albums, starting with the Colorful Ventures in 1961, were arranged around a central theme.^[5]

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 theme music of the television show Hawaii Five-O continues to be popular.^[6] The tune was composed by Morton Stevens, who also composed numerous episode scores. The theme was recorded by The Ventures, whose version reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.^[7] Because of the tempo of the music, the theme gained popularity in the UK with followers of Northern soul and was popular on dance floors in the 1970s.^[8]

The Encyclopedia Britannica states that the Ventures "served as a prototype for guitar-based rock groups."

Special effects

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

The band's cover of The Tornados' "Telstar" (released in January 1963) featured one of the first instances of flanging on a pop record. The song "Silver Bells" on The Ventures' Christmas Album, released in November 1965, has one of the first recorded uses of a vocoder as a musical effect, voiced by Red Rhodes.^[9] Rhodes was responsible for devising many of the effects seen on Ventures' records, and was the inventor of the fuzzbox.

Influences

The Ventures have had an indelible influence on a large number of musicians, both professionals and amateurs. Their instructional album, Play Guitar with the Ventures, was the first such record to chart on the Billboard Top LPs list, peaking at #96, and taught thousands of budding guitarists how to play the guitar. George Harrison stated in a Guitar Player interview that he preferred the American guitar sound of The Ventures to British contemporaries. When asked to name the most influential rock guitar solos, Joe Walsh said he would have to include the entire song "Walk Don't Run" because it changed so many guitar players' lives. John Fogerty, during his introduction of The Ventures at their Hall of Fame induction, said, "[Walk Don't Run] kicked open a whole movement in Rock and Roll... The sound of it became 'surf music' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere." Stephen Stills told Ventures guitarist Don Wilson that he learned to play on Ventures records. Jeff Baxter and Gene Simmons were early members of the Ventures Fan Club.

Major musicians and bands who identified the Ventures as an influence include:^[10][11][12]

Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers) The Beach Boys Blondie Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) Stanley Clarke Jeff Cook (Alabama) Dave Davies (The Kinks) Ray Davies (The Kinks) Rick Derringer (The McCoys and The Edgar Winter Group) Al Di Meola Elliot Easton (The Cars) John Entwistle (The Who)[13] Roger Fisher (Heart) John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) Peter Frampton Roger Glover (Deep Purple) Art Greenhaw (The Light Crust Doughboys)

The Go-Go's Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) George Harrison (The Beatles) Billy Idol Billy Joel[1] David Johansen (New York Dolls and Buster Poindexter) Elton John Eric Johnson Terry Kath (Chicago) Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) Robby Krieger (The Doors) Cyndi Lauper Steve Lukather (Toto) Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra) Brian May (Queen)[14] Roger Mayer Keith Moon (The Who)

Ted Nugent Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) Walter Parazaider (Chicago)[15] Joe Perry (Aerosmith) The Pretenders The Ramones Gene Simmons (Kiss) Paul Simonon (The Clash) Chris Spedding Stephen Stills Jimmy Vaughan[16] Stevie Ray Vaughan Joe Walsh (James Gang and the Eagles) Max Weinberg (E Street Band) Alan White (Yes) Ricky Wilson (The B-52s) Johnny Thunders

Les Fradkin, a guitarist who specializes, as The Ventures do, in guitar based instrumental rock, has recorded with Nokie Edwards and performed with The Ventures live on stage. Art Greenhaw, Grammy Award-Winning artist-producer and leader of The Light Crust Doughboys, often identifies The Ventures as a major influence, and he has recorded and co-produced with The Ventures and performed with The Ventures live on stage. Allen "Puddler" Harris, a pianist originally from Louisiana, also recorded with The Ventures.

Compositions

The group or members of the band composed the following songs: "Surf Rider (Spudnik)", "Driving Guitars (Ventures Twist)", "The Lonely Sea (Matador)", "Yellow Jacket", "Journey to the Stars", "Pedal Pusher", "Mariner No. 4", "Solar Race", "Love Goddess of Venus", "He Never Came Back", "The Ninth Wave", "The Twomp", "Heart on My Sleeve", "Guitar Freakout", "The Creeper", "Walkin' with Pluto", "Night Walk", "Peach Fuzz", "The Swinging Creeper", "Ten Over", "Changing Tides", "Bird Rockers", "Tomorrow's Love", "Lonely Girl", "The Heavies", "Cruncher", "Stop Action", "Action Plus", "Party in Laguna", "Scratchin'", "Trailblazer", "Flower of the Sun", "The McCoy", "Barefoot Venture", "Saigon", "High Tide", "Little Bit of Action", "Orange Fire", "Black Tarantella", "Lites Out", "Hawaiian Surfing", "Exploration in Terror", "Lonely Heart", "Josie", "The Switch", and "No Trespassing".

Discography

Main article: The Ventures discography

See also

• List of best-selling music artists
• Hawaii Five-O
• Instrumental rock
• Rautalanka
• Surf rock
• List of surf rock musicians
• List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
• Big in Japan (phrase)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Brasor, Philip. "The Ventures: still rocking after 50 years". The Japan Times, August 7, 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
2. ^ "The Ventures". Rockhall.com. http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-ventures. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 
3. ^ iDesign Studios. "Hall of Fame Petition 06/15/2000". Sandcastle V.I.. http://www.sandcastlevi.com/ventures/venthofj.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 
4. ^ "R.I.P. The Ventures' Bob Bogle". http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/ej/2009/06/15/r_i_p_the_ventures_bob_bogle. 
5. ^ "The Fabulous Ventures - Band History". Sandcastle V.I.. http://www.sandcastlevi.com/ventures/venthst.htm. 
6. ^ Hawaii Five-O theme song (audio).
7. ^ Encyclopedia of Television, page 1068 (CRC Press 2004).
8. ^ "Northern Soul Is Dead !". www.soulfulkindamusic.net. http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/articlensdead.htm. Retrieved June 15, 2011. 
9. ^ Steve Stav. "The Ventures A Go-Go In The New Millenium". Pandomag.com. http://pandomag.com/featurestext/ventures.htm. 
10. ^ "The Ventures - Influence on other artists". http://www.theventures.com/index.php?pg=influences. 
11. ^ Arnold E. van Beverhoudt, Jr.. "Petition to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Attachment 2 - Comments by Rock & Roll Stars About the Influence of The Ventures". http://www.sandcastlevi.com/ventures/hof-2006c.htm. 
12. ^ Arnold E. van Beverhoudt, Jr.. "Petition to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Attachment 1 - The Formal Petition". http://www.sandcastlevi.com/ventures/hof-2006b.htm. 
13. ^ "John Entwistle Gear: 1960-1966". http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/bass/bass6066.html. 
14. ^ Jas Obrecht. "GP Flashback: Brian May, January 1983". Guitar Player. http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/gp-flashback-/April-2010/111745. 
15. ^ "A Chicago Story". http://chicagotheband.info/achicagostory.cfm. 
16. ^ Mark McDermott. "Jimmie Vaughan comes to town". Easy Reader News. http://www.easyreadernews.com/28713/jimmie-vaughan/. 

Bibliography

• Driving Guitars, by M.Campbell & D.Burke (UK), 2009, pp430, Idmon press.

External links

• The Ventures official site
• Nokie Edwards official site
• The Ventures at Allmusic
• An Extensive Fan Site
• To hear the song "Telstar"
• The Ventures On-line Jukebox
• Audio from newspaper interview of Don Wilson on the Ventures' Rock Hall induction and Japanese Venturemania
• AP Obituary for Bob Bogle in the Tacoma News-Tribune