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.
You Are the Sunshine of My Life
The Ventures Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's why I'll always be around
You are the apple of my eye
Forever you'll stay in my heart
I feel like this is the beginning
Though I've loved you for a million years
And if I thought our love was ending
You are the sunshine of my life
That's why I'll always stay around
You are the apple of my eye
Forever you'll stay in my heart
You must have known that I was lonely
Because you came to my rescue
And I know that this must be heaven
How could so much love be inside of you?
You are the sunshine of my life, yeah
That's why I'll always stay around
You are the apple of my eye
Forever you'll stay in my heart
Love has joined us
Love has joined us
Let's think sweet love
The lyrics of The Ventures' "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" express deep love and admiration for someone who brings warm and light to the singer's world. The opening line sets the tone for this song as being entirely about the significance of the person to whom it is directed. The singer reassures their beloved that they will always be present for them, hence emphasizing that the bond they share is of great importance; the singer regards the beloved as the sunshine of their life.
The songwriter uses imagery to express the importance of the person they're singing about; they refer to them as the apple of their eye, and this simply means that the person is the most cherished or treasured part of the singer's life. The lyrics illustrate a long-lasting and enduring emotional connection that has existed for a million years. However, the poet also acknowledges that their relationship, no matter how strong, could still be at risk of being lost, and this thought alone fills them with sadness.
Another interesting part of the song comes when the singer suggests that their beloved came to their rescue when they were lonely. This particular line can be interpreted in countless ways, but a possible meaning is how this person rescued the singer from solitude and brought love into their life, elevating their existence to an entirely new level. The song's final line, "Let's think sweet love," suggests that love has brought them together, and the thought of it can only produce favorable outcomes.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the sunshine of my life
You bring light and warmth to my life and make it brighter and better
That's why I'll always be around
I will never leave you and will always be there for you
You are the apple of my eye
You are my one true love and the most important thing to me
Forever you'll stay in my heart
You will always be a part of me and I will love you forever
I feel like this is the beginning
Our love is fresh and new and it feels like we are just getting started
Though I've loved you for a million years
I have loved you for a long time, even before we met in this lifetime
And if I thought our love was ending
If I ever thought that we were falling out of love
I'd find myself drowning in my own tears
I would be devastated and heartbroken to lose you
You must have known that I was lonely
You understood my loneliness and came into my life to fill that void
Because you came to my rescue
You saved me from my loneliness and made me feel loved
And I know that this must be heaven
Our love is so pure and perfect that it feels like we are in heaven
How could so much love be inside of you?
I am amazed and grateful for the amount of love you have for me
Love has joined us
Our love has brought us together and united us
Let's think sweet love
Let's focus on our love and cherish each other
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVIE WONDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind