RIP Don Wilson Of The Ventures

THE VENTURES ~ "TWLIGHT ZONE";


Don Wilson, guitarist for the classic 1960's Instro/Surf band The Ventures died Jan.22 at the age of 88. The Ventures were the first guitar instrumental band (as opposed to solo artists like Dick Dale, Link Wray and Duane Eddy) to have multiple hits, at least in the USA, in Britain there were the Shadows and the Tornados. As such they would be a huge influence on future generations of Surf guitarists. Their two guitarists Wilson and Nokie Edwards (who died in 2018) were different from reverb drenched singles of Link Wray, Dick Dale or Duane Eddy. Hailing from Tacoma, Washington they also differed from the loud crunchy Northwest Coast bands like The Wailers, Sonics, Kingsmen and Paul Revere & the Raiders. Instead played mid-tempo, clean, clear, very precise melodic lines closer to those of Chet Atkins and Les Paul.

THE VENTURES ~ "WALK DON'T RUN";


They would score a series of hits starting with "Walk Don't Run" in 1960 and carrying on with a series of lesser hits including versions of hits done by similar bands like the Tornados "Telstar" and the "Hawaii 5-0" theme. As the sixties told hold for real and instro bands fell out of fashion the Ventures, unlike their similar contemporaries continued to be reasonably successful albeit as an album act rather than a singles hit-makers especially with theme albums like "The Ventures In Space" (1964) and "Christmas With The Ventures" (1965) becoming cult favorites. Besides America they would find success in Japan where they would become highly influential in the sixties spawning soundalike bands.

THE VENTURES ~ "JINGLE BELLS";


They would in fact carry on into the seventies with albums of instro versions of hits from the disparate likes of Led Zeppelin, George Harrison, Issac Hayes, Cat Stevens, Booker T, Cher, Steve Winwood, Tito Puente and Paul Anka, a similar track taken by their UK fellows the Shadows although unlike them the Ventures managed to update their sound somewhat, the Zeppelin cover is actually pretty heavy. By the mid seventies the Rock & Roll Revival scene brought about a change in fortune for surviving artists from the early R&R era and the Ventures would hit carry on as touring act to the present. In the Punk era the R&R Revival scene would lead to a second generation of Rockabilly, Surf and Garage bands with the Ventures influence showing up in the likes of the Shadowy Men, the Raybeats and Los Straitjackets. The Ventures would continue as a touring band until the recent deaths of original members Nokie Edwards and Don Wilson.

THE VENTURES ~ "OUT OF LIMITS";


Coincidentally last year, in time for Halloween as a project I took a couple tracks from the classic "Ventures In Space" album; "Twilight Zone" and "Out Of Limits" and slowed them down 100% then found some appropriate visuals for a haunted spacey soundtrack.

THE VENTURES ~ "TWILIGHT ZONE";



THE VENTURES ~ "OUT OF LIMITS";

Some 1950's & 60's Rock, Pop and Doo Wop figures pass on

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors died of cancer. A hugely influential band but I must say it was years before I could listen to them. See I grew up in Scarbourgh listening to punk, new wave as well as garage and rockabilly from the 50's & 60's while everybody else was listening to Q-107 who insisted on playing the same playlist every fucking day for years and years. The Doors, Zeppelin, Stones, Who, Floyd and Rush literally every fucking day, at least twice a day. No exaggeration. I really resented that at the time. It wasn't till years later that I got over that and decided that they were actually good bands. Except for Rush, they still suck.

Anyway where was I? Oh right, Ray Manzerek. He also produced the first X album as well, on which they buzz-sawed their way through "Soul Kitchen". Which was in turn later used in an episode of "Miami Vice" just before something blew up real good. So there's that.

THE DOORS ~ "LIGHT MY FIRE";



X & RAY MANZAREK ~ "SOUL KITCHEN";


Ronnie Splinter ~ Guitarist for influential 1960's Dutch garage band The Outsiders (not be confused with the 1960's American garage band The Outsiders who had a hit with the classic "Time Won't Let Me")

THE OUTSIDERS ~ "LYING ALL THE TIME";


Marshall Lytle ~ Bassist with Bill Haley's Comets as well as his preceding band The Saddlemen. Also co-wrote "Crazy Man Crazy" and a few songs for Haley associated group The Jodimers including their big hit "Rattle Shakin' Daddy", pioneer of the Rockabilly "Slap Bass" sound ~ 79

BILL HALEY & THE COMETS ~ "ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK";


BILL HALEY & THE COMETS ~ "RAZZLE DAZZLE";


Johnny Smith ~ 1955 Guitarist who did the original version of the surf classic "Walk Don't Run", later covered by The Ventures, Shadows, Belaires, Los Straitjackets and virtually every other surf band ~ 90

THE VENTURES ~ "WALK DON'T RUN";


Jim Sundquist ~ Guitarist for 1960's garage band The Fendermen "Mule Skinner Blues" ~ 75

THE FENDERMAN ~ "MULE SKINNER BLUES";


Eddie Bond ~ 1950's Rockabilly singer originally on Sun Records then on Mercury later became a country singer ~ 79

EDDIE BOND ~ "TORE UP";


EDDIE BOND ~ "ONE WAY TICKET";


Floyd McRae ~ Singer with 1950's Doo-Wop group The Chords who do the original version of the classic hit "Sh-Boom" later covered by The Crewcuts ~ 80

THE CHORDS ~ "SH-BOOM" (recorded in 1980);


THE CREWCUTS ~ "SH-BOOM";


Virgil Johnson ~ Singer with Doo-Wop group The Velvets ~ 77

THE VELVETS ~ "MY LOVE";


Bob Engemann ~ Singer with 1950's Pop Vocal Group The Letterman w/hits like "Love is A Many Splendored Thing", "When I Fall In Love", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Softly", and covers of pop hits like "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Up Up And Away", "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "Walk On By" ~ 76

THE LETTERMEN ~ "LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING";


THE LETTERMEN ~ "WALK ON BY";

RIP's to Sky Saxon and Bob Bogle

While everybody's getting all 80's nostalgic over Jacko and Farrah lets take a minute for 1960's garage and surf heros Sky Saxon (of the Seeds) and Bob Bogle (of the Ventures) as well as 1950's blues diva Koko Taylor (of "Wang Dang Doodle" fame). So there.

The Seeds ~ Pushing too hard (worst lip-synching ever, with the possible exception of the Monkees);



The Ventures ~ Wipeout;