The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle.

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.

Finding a common interest in guitars, the two decided to play together, while Wilson joined Bogle performing masonry work.

[13] Initially calling themselves the Versatones, the duo played small clubs, beer bars, and private parties throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Bogle owned a Chet Atkins LP, Hi-Fi in Focus, on which he heard the song "Walk, Don't Run".

[15] Soon, the group was in a recording studio playing the new song, with Bogle on lead, Wilson on rhythm, Edwards on bass, and Skip Moore on drums.

[16] Needing a permanent drummer for the group after George T. Babbitt Jr. dropped out because he was not old enough to play night clubs and bars, they hired Howie Johnson and, in the midst of a fast-paced touring schedule, recorded an album to capitalize on the success of the single.

(Babbitt went on to become a 4-star general in the United States Air Force (USAF) and on March 1, 1998, he played live in uniform on drums with the band.

This move would prove vital in modernizing the band's sound, ensuring success in an ever-changing market well into the late 1960s.

He did not like spending so much time away from his new family (his second marriage) by having to commute from Seattle to Los Angeles to record, and because of this, he left the band.

At the time Johnson quit the Ventures, Bogle and Wilson already knew Mel Taylor, house drummer at The Palomino in North Hollywood (the venue where they would play numerous shows during their resurgence in the 1980s).

Their most successful single during this time was "Walk Don't Run '64" (a re-arranged surf-style version of their 1960 breakout hit), which reached #8.

Mel Taylor left in 1972 (and was replaced by drummer Joe Barile)[15] to pursue a solo career when the Ventures became a nostalgia act.

The Ventures are still the most popular American rock group in Japan, the world's second largest record market.

[2] They produced dozens of albums exclusively for the Japanese and European markets, and have regularly toured Japan from the 1960s through to the present.

On March 10, 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with John Fogerty as their presenter.

Fiona Taylor gave special mention to her husband's predecessor drummers Skip Moore and Howie Johnson.

The Ventures performed their biggest hits, "Walk, Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O", augmented on the latter by Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame musical director Paul Shaffer and his band.

[23] Gerry McGee died on October 12, 2019, after having a heart attack and collapsing onstage four days earlier in Japan.

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.

Four LPs were released in this series, the first of which reached the Billboard Top 100 Album Chart—an achievement previously unheard of for an instructional LP.

In the mid-1960s, the group's label Dolton Records released several instructional albums of the Ventures' music for electric guitar and bass.

"[31] 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.

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.

[32] 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.

[34][35][36] Their instructional album, Play Guitar with the Ventures, was the first such record to chart on the Billboard Top LPs list, peaking at No.

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...