Their first wide-release single, "Walk, Don't Run" (1960), brought international fame to the group, and is often cited as one of the top songs ever recorded for guitar. In the 1960s and early 1970s, 38 of the band's albums charted in the US, ranking them as the 6th best album chart performer during the 1960s, and the band had 14 singles in the Billboard Hot 100. With over 100 million records sold, the Ventures are the best-selling instrumental band of all time.
The Ventures have had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. The band was among the first to employ and popularize fuzz and flanging guitar effects, concept albums, and twelve-string guitars in rock music. Their instrumental virtuosity, innovation, and unique sound influenced many musicians and bands, earning the group the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands". Their recording of "Walk, Don't Run" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its lasting impact, and in 2008 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Don Wilson and Bob Bogle first met in 1958, when Bogle was looking to buy a car from a used car dealership in Seattle owned by Wilson's father. Finding a common interest in guitars, the two decided to play together, while Wilson joined Bogle performing masonry work. They bought two used guitars in a pawn shop for about $10 each. 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. When they went to register the band name, they found that it was already taken. Disappointed, they cast about for an appropriate name. Wilson's mother suggested the name "The Ventures", upon which they eventually agreed in 1959.
During their first years (1958–1961), 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 two early albums: The Ventures and The Colorful Ventures. From 1962 to 1963 they used two Jazzmasters with a Precision Bass, shown on the album cover of "Bobby Vee meets The 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, otherworldly 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 Fender 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.
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 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'. 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 of 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 talk box as a musical effect, voiced by Red Rhodes.
The Ventures have had an influence on many musicians, both professional and amateur. Their instructional album, Play Guitar with the Ventures, was the first such record to chart on the Billboard Top LPs list, peaking at No. 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 that it "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. Carl Wilson called the Ventures a major influence on his early guitar playing, stating that the Beach Boys had learned to play all of their songs by ear.
Bob Bogle lived in Vancouver, Washington, for years and died there on June 14, 2009, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; he was 75.
Nokie Edwards died on March 12, 2018, due to complications after hip surgery. He was 82.
Gerry McGee died on October 12, 2019, after having a heart attack and collapsing onstage four days earlier in Japan. He was 81.
Don Wilson continued to record with the band, but retired from touring at the end of 2015. He died of natural causes on January 22, 2022, at the age of 88.
Mel Taylor died on August 11, 1996, of cancer, at the age of 62. He was diagnosed two weeks before his death.
Honeycomb
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How the Lord made the bee and the bee made the honey
And the honeybee lookin' for a home
And they called it Honeycomb
And they roamed the world and they gathered all
Of the Honeycomb into one sweet ball
And the Honeycomb from a million trips
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
And the Lord said now that I made a bee
I'm gonna look all around for a green, green tree
And He made a little tree and I guess you heard
Oh, then well he made a little bird
And they waited all around till the end of spring
Gettin' every note that the birdie'd sing
And they put 'em all into one sweet tome
For my Honeycomb
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
And the Lord says now that I made a bird
I'm gonna look all round for a little ol' word
That sounds about sweet like turtledove
And I guess I'm gonna call it love
And He roamed the world lookin' everywhere
Gettin' love from here, love from there
And He put it all in a little ol' part
Of my baby's heart
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Well, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
What a darn good life
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
The Ventures' song "Honeycomb" is a playful and upbeat tune that celebrates the wonders of nature and love. The lyrics describe how the bee makes honey by gathering nectar from flowers, how the honeycomb is formed, and how it became associated with the singer's beloved. The Lord is mentioned as the creator of the bee, the tree, and the bird, and as the one who put love in the singer's heart. The song is full of whimsical imagery, such as a "walking talking honeycomb" and a "little ol' word" that sounds like a turtledove.
At its core, "Honeycomb" is a joyful tribute to the simple pleasures of life, such as love and honey. The lyrics and melody are easy to sing along to, and the lighthearted mood is infectious. The song is a perfect example of the surf rock genre that The Ventures helped popularize in the 1960s, with its fast-paced guitar riffs and infectious beat.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, it's a darn good life and it's kinda funny
Life is pretty great and has its humorous moments
How the Lord made the bee and the bee made the honey
God created the bee and the bee created the honey
And the honeybee lookin' for a home
The honeybee was searching for a home to make honey in
And they called it Honeycomb
They gave this place where honey is made the name honeycomb
And they roamed the world and they gathered all
The bees traveled the entire world and collected lots of honey
Of the Honeycomb into one sweet ball
They combined all the honey they collected into a single sweet ball
And the Honeycomb from a million trips
The honey they collected was from countless journeys
Made my baby's lips
My significant other's lips tasted like this honey
Oh, Honeycomb, won't you be my baby?
Asking if Honeycomb can be my significant other
Well, Honeycomb, be my own
Asking Honeycomb to commit to me as their partner
Got a hank o' hair and a piece o' bone
Describing how Honeycomb was created
And made a walkin' talkin' Honeycomb
Explaining Honeycomb as a person with movement and speech
What a darn good life
Emphasizing again how great life is
When you got a wife like Honeycomb
When one's significant other is like Honeycomb, life is even better
And the Lord said now that I made a bee
God spoke about creating the bee
I'm gonna look all around for a green, green tree
God is searching for a tree to make something new
And He made a little tree and I guess you heard
God created a small tree
Oh, then well he made a little bird
God then created a little bird
And they waited all around till the end of spring
They waited until spring was over to do something
Gettin' every note that the birdie'd sing
They collected every sound the bird made
And they put 'em all into one sweet tome
They combined all the bird sounds into one collection
For my Honeycomb
This collection of bird sounds was for my significant other
And the Lord says now that I made a bird
God spoke about creating a bird
I'm gonna look all round for a little ol' word
God is searching for a particular word
That sounds about sweet like turtledove
The word needs to be as sweet as the sound of a turtledove
And I guess I'm gonna call it love
The word God chose to represent sweetness is 'love'
And He roamed the world lookin' everywhere
God searched the entire world for love
Gettin' love from here, love from there
God found love in many different places
And He put it all in a little ol' part
All the love God found was put into a small space
Of my baby's heart
This space where all the love was put is in my significant other's heart
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., MUSIC & MEDIA INT'L, INC.
Written by: BOB MERRILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Graxster
The best cover version of this song. Thanks for uploading!