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.
Tossin and Turnin
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I couldn't sleep a wink last night just a-thinking of you
Baby things weren't right I kept on tossin' and turnin'
Turnin' and tossin' tossin' and turnin' all night
I threw the blankets on the floor, turned my pillow upside down
Then I thought of you some more
And I kept on tossin' and turnin' turnin' and tossin'
Tossin' and turnin' all night
Pulled down the shade went to the kitchen for a bite
Pulled up the shade, turned off the light
I jumped back into bed it was the middle of the night
The clock downstairs was striking four, couldn't get you off my mind
Heard the milkman at the door but I was tossin' and turnin'
The Ventures's "Tossin' and Turnin'" is a song about the sleepless night that the singer had due to thinking about their lover. The singer couldn't sleep a wink because all they could think of was the person they love. Everything felt wrong without them, and the singer was just tossing and turning in bed all night. The singer tries different things to get themselves to fall asleep, but nothing seems to work. They keep thinking about their lover and end up jumping out of bed and going to get a bite to eat. The singer eventually goes back to bed after hearing the milkman at the door, but they are still tossing and turning.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is deeply in love and that their lover is the main thing on their mind. The repetition of the phrase "tossin' and turnin'" is a representation of the singer's restless state, unable to find peace without their lover. The song brings up the idea of how love can sometimes keep us awake at night, unable to relax or get any rest.
One interesting fact about this song is that it was originally written and recorded by Bobby Lewis in 1961. The Ventures's instrumental version was released in 1962 as part of their album "Mashed Potatoes and Gravy." Another interesting fact is that "Tossin' and Turnin'" was the number one song on the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, making it the top single of 1961. It's also interesting to note that despite its success, Bobby Lewis only received $1,600 in royalties for the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, baby, can't you see what you're doing to me?
I'm feeling overwhelmed by the impact that you're having on my life, my emotions and my thoughts.
I couldn't sleep a wink last night just a-thinking of you
I was unable to sleep at all last night because my thoughts kept revolving around you.
Baby things weren't right I kept on tossin' and turnin'
Due to some discomforting thoughts and feelings caused by you, I was unable to just lie down and sleep.
Turnin' and tossin' tossin' and turnin' all night
All throughout the night, I kept changing my sleeping position and my posture, but to no avail.
I threw the blankets on the floor, turned my pillow upside down
I even resorted to extreme measures, such as throwing the blankets off and flipping my pillow over, but still couldn't sleep.
Then I thought of you some more, And I kept on tossin' and turnin'
Even when I tried to distract myself with other thoughts or activities, my mind kept drifting back to you and the same cycle of restlessness continued.
Jumped out of bed, turned on the light, Pulled down the shade went to the kitchen for a bite
In a desperate attempt to find some respite or comfort, I got out of bed, turned on the lights, closed the curtains and went to the kitchen to eat something.
Pulled up the shade, turned off the light, I jumped back into bed it was the middle of the night
After realizing that these attempts were also futile, I came back to my bedroom, turned off the lights, opened the curtains and climbed back into bed.
The clock downstairs was striking four, couldn't get you off my mind
Despite the fact that it was already very late at night, and I was sleep-deprived and exhausted, my thoughts were still occupied by you.
Heard the milkman at the door but I was tossin' and turnin'
Even though I could hear the milkman delivering the milk at my door, I was still unable to sleep and kept tossing and turning restlessly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dwayne P. Wiggins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind