A bit stiff, a little corny… but what a piece of rock history, televised. The Ventures‘ rock ‘n’ roll version of “Walk, Don’t Run,” which had debuted on Seattle’s KJR radio, was on fire in 1960. “Walk, Don’t Run” was hardly epic or complicated in design, but in the hands of masonry workers-turned-guitarists Bob Bogle and Don Wilson, the tune was a paradigm for the relationship between rhythm and lead guitars in a rock quartet. Unbelievably influential.
Note that at this gig, ace country guitarist Nokie Edwards is “playing” bass while Bogle “plays” his original lead; a year later, the two decided to switch roles. While Bogle continued to regularly, albeit briefly perform and record in the lead guitar slot over the next five decades, the bulk of his work would be with four strings.
The Ventures continue to record and tour — with Wilson, now 79, at the helm. Co-founder Bogle was a member of the band until his death in 2009; Howie Johnson, the Ventures’ drummer for their first handful of albums, passed away in 1987. Edwards, who left the group in 1968, has toured and recorded with them, on-and-off, in recent decades.
