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.
Memphis
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me Memphis Tennessee
Help me find the party
Trying to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number
But I know what place to call
Because my Uncle took the message
And he wrote it on the wall
Get in touch with my Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here
From Memphis Tennessee
Her house is on the south side
High upon the ridge
Just about a half a mile
From the Mississippi bridge
Last time I saw Marie
She was waving me goodbye
With hurry home drops on her cheeks
That trickled from her eye
Marie is only six years old
Information please
Try to put me through to her
In Memphis Tennessee
The lyrics to The Ventures's song "Memphis" tell the story of someone trying to get in touch with their friend, Marie, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. The singer is asking for long distance information in order to find her and attend a party. He knows what place to call because his uncle took the message and wrote it on the wall. Marie couldn't leave her number, so the singer needs assistance in getting in touch with her. He provides details about her house, which is on the south side and near the Mississippi bridge.
The song is very nostalgic and paints a picture of a simpler time when people communicated by leaving messages on walls and had to rely on long distance operators to connect them with their loved ones. The singer's desperation to find Marie is palpable and the lyrics evoke a sense of longing for a lost connection. The final lines of the song reveal that Marie is only six years old, which makes the singer's urgency all the more poignant. Overall, "Memphis" is a classic example of a simple and effective storytelling song.
Line by Line Meaning
Long distance information
Asking for information about someone who is far away
Give me Memphis Tennessee
Specifically requesting information about Memphis, Tennessee
Help me find the party
Assistance needed to locate a specific gathering or event in Memphis
Trying to get in touch with me
Desire to make contact with the artist
She could not leave her number
The person being sought did not provide a way to be contacted
But I know what place to call
The singer has an alternative method to reach the desired connection
Because my Uncle took the message
Someone has previously delivered a message from the desired connection
And he wrote it on the wall
The message was written down in a visible location for future reference
Help me information
Asking for assistance from an information operator
Get in touch with my Marie
Requesting a connection with Marie
She's the only one who'd phone me here
Marie is the only person who would call the singer while in Memphis
Her house is on the south side
Providing directions to locate Marie's home
High upon the ridge
Marie's house is located somewhere with an elevated view
Just about a half a mile
Approximate distance from Marie's house to the Mississippi bridge
From the Mississippi bridge
A popular landmark near Marie's home
Last time I saw Marie
The artist has previously met with Marie in person
She was waving me goodbye
Marie displayed a farewell gesture towards the artist
With hurry home drops on her cheeks
Marie was expressing a desire for the singer to quickly return
That trickled from her eye
Marie had tears in her eyes as she said goodbye
Marie is only six years old
Providing further information about Marie's age
Information please
Another request for assistance from an information operator
Try to put me through to her
Further requesting the operator to connect the artist with Marie
In Memphis Tennessee
Emphasizing the specific location of the desired connection
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jmrodas9
All of their tunes were great, they had such a skill playing their electric guitars. And this has a singer too. Good tune to hear and to dance it too. They got some peculiar and nice sounds from their guitars I have not found anywhere else. The Ventures were spectacular really.
@williamchestnut7683
EVERY VENTURE ARTIST A ROCK AND ROLL LEGEND
@thurney4343
Awesome music...such talent!
@BCRSIX
Who (50 or so years old) did not learn to play guitar from "Learn to Play Guitar with The Ventures" record and book. Memphis was the big tune to learn. Great stuff - Thanks for posting!
@rosesuarez3372
My favorite eversince 🎶🎵🎼🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎧👍👍👍😜🥰😘😘😘❤❤❤
@rollandemarie74
LOVE ALL OF THERE MUSIC ,,,THEY ARE GREAT MUSICIANS
@kiptigx
"Their"
@mebuzzyboy
We really had the good music (ROCK & ROLL) These guy's are great !
@deputybrent
Ive had a guitar for 45 yrs and Nokie is still the man ! Nokie is the one !
@drogoKoJ
the ventures are and have been the best instumentalists ever to grace the stage.