Paul Revere and The Raiders

Paul Revere & the Raiders
An American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success
in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks"

Formed:

1960 (Portland, OR)

Genres:

Rock and Roll, Garage Rock, Pop-Rock, Psychedelia

Original Members:

Paul Revere (b. Paul Revere Dick, January 7, 1938, Harvard, NE): organ
Mark Lindsay (b. March 9, 1942, Eugene, OR): lead vocals
Drake Levin (b. Drake Maxwell Levinshefski, August 17, 1946, Chicago, IL): lead guitar
Phil "Fang" Volk (b. October 25, 1945, Nampa, ID): bass guitar
Mike "Smitty" Smith" (b. Michael LeRoy Smith, March 27, 1942, Beaverton, OR; d. March 5th, 2001, Kona, HI): drums

Contributions to music:

• Instrumental in helping popularize the Pacific Northwest garage rock scene of the mid-Sixties
• With their Revolutionary War outfits, styled as America's answer to the British Invasion
• The most consistently popular garage-rock band of the decade
• Notable for a hilarious and convoluted stage show unlike anything else at the time
• A major influence on mod British bands of the era and their later punk brethren
• The first rock band to be given a weekly gig as a "house band" on a major television series (Dick Clark's Where The Action Is, 1965-1967 and also Happening '68, both on ABC)

Early years:

Although a big fan of both Spike Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis, the young Paul Dick was a 19-year-old who made most of his money with the barber shop and drive-in he owned in his hometown of Caldwell, Idaho. (Yes, owned; the young Dick was also a master barber!) He'd formed an instrumental rock band called the Downbeats in order to promote the restaurant; while gigging one night, a 16-year-old saxophonist named Mark Lindsay asked to sing on stage with them, and the two founding fathers of the Raiders struck up a fast friendship. By the early Sixties the newly-rechristened band had scored a few hits in Boise.

Success:

In 1961, the group -- still instrumentalists, primarily -- finally struck gold with "Like, Long Hair," a novelty which melded classical and boogie-woogie in the style of B. Bumble and the Stingers' "Nut Rocker." Revere's draft notice soon put an end to that success, but after serving his two-year stint, he and Lindsay reconvened in Portland, Oregon, taking the band in a new direction by covering an old Richard Perry R&B hit called "Louie, Louie." They attracted so much attention in their new garage-rock guise that Columbia soon signed them; they soon became the pre-eminent American rock band of the era (1965-1967).

Later years:

Using the name, Lindsay scored what was essentially a solo hit in 1971 with the massive smash "Indian Reservation," but the Raiders' brand of goodtime garage had faded by the early Seventies, although the group continued to hone its stage act and tour the oldies circuit. Lindsay -- who'd scored a solo hit for real in 1971 with "Arizona" -- left for his own career in 1975. Revere continues to tour with an updated version of the Raiders to this day, and still dabbles in the restaurant business; original drummer Mike Smith died in 2001.

Other facts:

• Other Raiders members have included: Jim "Harpo" Valley (guitar, 1966-1967), Charlie Coe (bass, guitar, 1963, 1967-1968), Freddy Weller (guitar), Joe Correrro (drums), Keith Allison (bass)
• Paul found Mark the day after his first stage appearance, working in a bakery Revere was picking up hamburger buns from
• Leon Russell played piano in an early version of the Raiders
• Revere was a Conscientious Objector during his Army stint, due to his Mennonite upbringing
• Recorded "Louie Louie" at the same studio the Kingsmen cut their hit version, at around the same time
• Producer Terry Melcher was a member of the Rip Chords

Awards/Honors:

• Oregon Music Hall of Fame (2007)

Recorded work:

#1 hits:
Pop:

• "Indian Reservation (The Lament Of The Cherokee Reservation Indian)" (1971)

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "Hungry" (1966)
• "Kicks" (1966)
• "Good Thing" (1967)
• "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" (1967)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• Just Like Us! (1966)
• Midnight Ride (1966)
• Greatest Hits (1967)
• Revolution! (1967)
• A Christmas Present...And Past (1967)
• The Spirit Of '67 (1967)

Other popular recordings: "Like, Long Hair," "Steppin' Out," "Just Like Me," "The Great Airplane Strike," "I Had A Dream," "Ups And Downs," "Don't Take It So Hard," "Too Much Talk," "Let Me!" "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon," "Birds Of A Feather," "Louie, Louie," "Louie, Go Home," "Action," "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone," "Ballad Of A Useless Man," "Why? Why? Why? (Is It So Hard)," "Louise," "Mo'reen," "Gone - Movin' On," "Tighter," "Peace Of Mind," "Too Much Talk," "Cinderella Sunshine," "Just Seventeen," "Country Wine," "Powder Blue Mercedes Queen"

Covered by: The Who, Pat Benatar, John Cougar Mellencamp, The Monkees, The Flamin' Groovies, Sammy Hagar, Leif Garrett, The Nazz, Del Shannon

Appears in the movies: Paul Revere: "Operation Thanksgiving" (2005)

Chubby Checker

Chubby Checker
born Ernest Evans
Born October 3, 1941
An American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist". In September 2008 "The Twist" topped Billboard's list of the most popular singles to have appeared in the Hot 100 since its debut in 1958.

Born:

Ernest Evans, October 3, 1941, Philadelphia, PA

Genres:

Rock and Roll, R&B, Pop, Folk

Instruments:

Vocals

Contributions to music:

• His 1961 hit "The Twist" remains the biggest-selling American dance-craze record of all time
• Popularized several famous 1960s dances, including the Pony, the Fly, and the Limbo
• A gifted vocalist whose 1959 hit "The Class" found him successfully imitating several popular artists
• Carved out a marginally successful second career as a folk artist in the mid-Sixties
• "The Twist" is the only recording to hit Number One in two separate years (1960 and 1962)

Early years:

A natural jokester and musician, young Ernest Evans made quite an impression on the streets of Philly, so much so that his boss, meat shop owner Henry Colt, soon convinced a music industry vet to recommend him to local impresario to Dick Clark. The result was a 1959 Christmas novelty single called "The Class," which took advantage of the kid's natural ability to imitate any vocalist. Clark's wife, Bobbie, asked him what his name was, and after he said the kids called him Chubby, she came up with his stage name on the spot, a play on Fats Domino (who Chubby also imitated). "The Class" was a Top 40 hit.

Success:

Checker's real break came the next year, however, when Hank Ballard and the Midnighters failed to honor an appearance on American Bandstand. Clark looked around for someone to cover the group's hit "The Twist," and Checker obligingly stepped in, knocking out the vocal over a pre-recorded backing track in 35 minutes. The song shot to Number One with Clark's promotion, and the dance craze it described -- which encouraged boys and girls, for the first time, to dance separately from one another -- changed the teen climate forever, a fad of huge and (relatively long-lasting) proportions.

Later years:

A second wave of popularity at New York's famed Peppermint Lounge brought the record back to #1 two years later, but by the mid-Sixties dance music had gotten funkier, prompting a brief renaissance for Chubby as a folk singer. Although he's since resuscitated the song (and his other hit dance-craze followups) in disco and rap versions, even trying his hand at country, Checker these days mainly plays to his original admirers, touring the oldies circuit and making several outrageous appeals to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for inclusion. (Hank Ballard was inducted way back in 1990.)

Other facts:

• Went to school in Philly with Fabian Forte, who would later become famous as Fabian
• During the first year of his success, "Chubby" lost 30 pounds by twisting at public appearances
• Married to former Miss World Catharina Lodders since 1964
• Daughter Mistie Williams plays basketball for Duke University
• Headlined the halftime show at Super Bowl XXII
• Has a street named after him in North Wildwood, NJ
• 
  

Awards/Honors:

• GRAMMY Award (1961)
• South Philly Walk of Fame (1997)

Recorded work:

#1 hits:
Pop:

• "The Twist" (1960, 1962)
• "Pony Time" (1961)

R&B:

• "Pony Time" (1961)

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "Let's Twist Again" (1961)
• "The Fly" (1958)
• "Limbo Rock" (1962)
• "Popeye (The Hitchhiker)" (1962)
• "Slow Twistin'" (1962)

R&B:

• "The Twist" (1960, 1962)
• "Limbo Rock" (1962)
• "Slow Twistin'" (1962)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker (1962)
• For Twisters Only (1962)
• Twist With Chubby Checker (1962)
• Your Twist Party (1962)

Other popular recordings: "The Class," "Hoot," "The Hucklebuck," "Dance The Mess Around," "Twistin' U.S.A.," "Dancin' Party," "Birdland," "Let's Limbo Some More," "Hooka Tooka," "Loddy Lo," "Surf Party," "Twenty Miles," "Twist It Up," "Twistin' Round The World," "Hey, Bobba Needle"

Covered by: Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, Showaddywaddy, Klaus Nomi, The Fat Boys
Appears in the movies: "The Teenage Millionaire" (1961), "Twist Around the Clock" (1961), "It's Trad, Dad!" (1962), "Don't Knock the Twist" (1962), "Rote Lippen Soll Man Küssen" (1983), Let The Good Times Roll" (1973), "Purple People Eater" (1988), "Twist" (1992), "Calendar Girl" (1993), "Wildwood Days" (2005)

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival
(sometimes shortened to Creedence or CCR)
Was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early
1970swith a number of successful singles drawn from various albums.

Formed:

1967 (San Francisco, CA)

Genres:

Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Swamp-rock, Country, Psychedelic rock, Soul

Members:

John Fogerty (b. May 28, 1945, Berkeley, CA): vocals, guitar
Tom Fogerty (b. November 9, 1941, Berkeley, CA; d. September 6, 1990, Scottsdale, AZ): rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Stu Cook (b. April 25, 1945, Oakland, CA): bass guitar
Doug Clifford (b. April 24, 1945, Palo Alto, CA): drums

Contributions to music:

• The most commercially successful American rock band of their time, and arguably the best American rock band of all time
• Practically invented the genre known as "swamp-rock"
• Brought a psychedelic generation back to roots rock and roll
• John Fogerty is considered one of rock's all-time greatest songwriters
• Adept at merging Americana with extended, often psychedelic workouts, making them in effect one of the world's first "jam bands"

Early years:

Although they'd end up in CCR together, in the late '50s, both Fogerty brothers headed up different bands in and around El Cerrito, CA. By 1961, Tom had joined John's outfit, The Blue Velvets, as lead singer, and by 1964, they'd signed with local Fantasy Records as the Golliwogs. Although they attracted some notice, three years went by without a true hit, until Saul Zaentz bought out Fantasy, renamed the band, and gave them a new image more in line with the burgeoning San Francisco underground.

Success:

Immediately, local freeform FM station KMPX began playing their extended jam on Dale Hawkins' classic "Suzie Q." It eventually broke nationally, but it was the followup, "Proud Mary," an instant classic, that established the sound of Creedence, who now featured a more confident John on lead vocals. Six albums and endless hit singles followed over just the next two-and-a-half years, but John's insistance on controlling the band led Tom to leave in 1971. The group broke up just one year later.

Later years:

John's complete dominance of CCR as singer, songwriter and producer has led him to carry the torch for the band, resulting in sporadic solo releases. Bitter disputes with Zaentz caused Fogerty to stop performing CCR songs in concert for many years, though the Fantasy catalogue is now in different hands. The two remaining living members formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited; Fogerty has never reconciled with them or brother Tom, who died in 1990 from AIDS contracted through a blood transfusion.

Other facts:

• The CCR name came from Tom's friend Credence Nuball, Clearwater beer, and the desire to revive the band's fortunes
• Despite 13 Top Ten entries, the band has never made it past #2 on the charts
• John Fogerty wrote "Proud Mary" in a fit of joy at having been rejected for service in Vietnam
• Fogerty was sued for plagiarizing himself in 1985, when Zaentz claimed John's solo hit "The Old Man Down The Road" was a rewrite of CCR's "Run Through The Jungle" (Fogerty represented himself, and won)

Awards/Honors:

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993)
• GRAMMY Hall of Fame (1998)

John Fogerty:

• Songwriters Hall of Fame (2005)
• Hollywood Walk of Fame (7000 Hollywood Blvd.)

Recorded work:

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "Proud Mary" (1969)
• "Bad Moon Rising" (1969)
• "Green River" (1969)
• "Down On The Corner" (1969)
• "Travelin' Band" (1970)
• "Who'll Stop The Rain" (1970)
• "Up Around The Bend" (1970)
• "Run Through The Jungle" (1970)
• "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (1970)
• "Long As I Can See The Light" (1970)
• "Hey Tonight" (1971)
• "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (1971)
• "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" (1971)

#1 albums:
Pop:

• Green River (1969)
• Cosmo's Factory (1970)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• Bayou Country (1969)
• Willy and the Poorboys (1970)
• Pendulum (1971)

Other important recordings: "Porterville," "Suzie Q (Parts 1 and 2)," "Walk On The Water," "Born On The Bayou," "Bootleg," "Keep On Chooglin'," "Commotion," "Wrote A Song For Everyone," "Tombstone Shadow," "Lodi," "It Came Out Of The Sky," "Cotton Fields," "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You Or Me)," "The Midnight Special," "Ramble Tamble," "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Pagan Baby," "It's Just A Thought," "Molina," "Lookin' For A Reason"

Appears in the movies: "Creedence Clearwater Revival Live in London" (1970), "Maverick (1994)" (John Fogerty only)

The Bee Gees

The Bee Gees
Are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a foremost act of the disco music era in the late 1970s.

Formed:

1958 (Brisbane, Australia)

Genres:

Pop-rock, Pop, British Invasion, Psychedelic, Disco, Funk, R&B, Dance, Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary

Members:

Barry Crompton Gibb (b. September 1, 1946, Manchester, England): vocals, guitar
Maurice Gibb (b. December 22, 1949, Isle of Man, England; d. January 12, 2003, Miami, FL): vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
Robin Gibb (b. December 22, 1949, Isle of Man, England): vocals

Contributions to music:

• The most successful and consistently innovative of the Beatles-inspired pop bands
• Singlehandedly brought the flagging disco trend back to popularity
• The most successful pop group of the Seventies
• Barry's lead and the brothers' harmonies are recognized as some of the greatest in rock
• Equally adept at blue-eyed soul, adult contemporary, pop, and funk-inspired dance music
• Barry is widely recognized as one of pop's greatest songwriters
• 
  

Early years:

The children of orchestra leader Hugh Gibb and dance band vocalist Barbara Pass actually numbered five -- Barry, the twins Maurice and Robin, a daughter Lesley, and youngest brother Andy, who would have his own successful solo career in the late 70s. It was the famous trio who began performing first, however, first in bands with names like The Rattlesnakes and Barry and the Twins. By 1963 they were performing as the Bee Gees, short for the Brothers Gibb (courtesy of Australian DJ Bill Gates).

Success:

The group scored a hit in their new home, Australia, in 1966 with a single called "Spicks and Specks," and by 1967 they were enjoying hits in England and America as well. Often considered Australia's answer to the Beatles, they gained a rep as one of the era's most delicate, soulful, and inventive pop bands. In 1975, however, flagging record sales led them to embrace R&B fully, resulting in a major career renaissance that led to their participation in a project called Saturday Night Fever.

Later years:

The soundtrack to that film starring John Travolta soon became the biggest-selling album of all time, and the Bee Gees completely dominated pop radio from 1977-1980 in a way that no band except the Beatles ever had. The resulting backlash kept them off the charts for much of the Eighties, but they enjoyed small comebacks in 1989 and 1997. Sadly, Maurice died in 2003 from what some consider medical malpractice, closing the door forever on one of music's most polarizing yet entertaining acts.

Other facts:

• Other members have included: Colin Petersen (guitar) and Vince Melouney (drums)
• Barry scalded himself badly with hot tea at the age of two, nearly ending his life
• The group's first performance was merely a lip-synching novelty act, but a broken record forced them to sing in public
• Manager Robert Stigwood broke Cream (and therefore Eric Clapton) in the States by making them a package deal with the Bee Gees
• Barry Gibb wrote "To Love Somebody" for Otis Redding, who died before he could record it

Awards/Honors:

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1997)
• GRAMMY Awards (1977, 1978, 1980)
• Songwriters Hall of Fame (1994)
• Hollywood Walk of Fame (6845 Hollywood Blvd.)

Recorded work:

#1 hits:
Pop:

• "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" (1971)
• "Jive Talkin'" (1975)
• "You Should Be Dancing" (1976)
• "Stayin' Alive" (1978)
• "Tragedy" (1979)
• "Too Much Heaven" (1979)
• "Love You Inside Out" (1979)

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "I've Gotta Get A Message To You" (1968)
• "I Started A Joke" (1969)
• "Lonely Days" (1971)
• "Nights On Broadway" (1975)
• "Love So Right" (1976)
• "One" (1989)

R&B:

• "You Should Be Dancing" (1976)
• "Stayin' Alive" (1978)
• "Too Much Heaven" (1979)
• 
  

#1 albums:
Pop:

• Spirits Having Flown (1979)
• Bee Gees Greatest (1980)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• Bee Gees' 1st (1967)
• Best Of Bee Gees (1969)
• Children Of The World (1976)
• Here At Last...Bee Gees...Live (1977)
• Staying Alive (1983)

R&B:

• Spirits Having Flown (1979)

Other important recordings: "Spicks And Specks," "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)," "Massachusetts," "To Love Somebody," "Words," "Jumbo," "Barker of the UFO," "Don't Forget To Remember," "First Of May," "Tomorrow Tomorrow," "I.O.I.O.," "If Only I Had My Mind On Something Else," "Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself," "Alive," "My World," "Run To Me," "Mr. Natural," "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)," "Boogie Child," "Edge Of The Universe," "Rest Your Love On Me," "He's A Liar," "Living Eyes," "Someone Belonging to Someone," "The Woman in You," "You Win Again," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Alone," "Still Waters Run Deep"

Wrote or co-wrote: Barry Gibb: "If I Can't Have You," Yvonne Elliman; "Islands In The Stream," Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton; "Heartbreaker," Dionne Warwick; "A Woman In Love," "Guilty," Barbra Streisand, "Emotion," Samantha Sang; "I Just Want To Be Your Everything," "Shadow Dancing," Andy Gibb; "Grease," Frankie Valli

Covered by: Elvis Presley, Faith No More, Al Green, Ozzy Osbourne, Nina Simone, Michael Bolton, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Janis Joplin, The Animals, Kim Carnes, Bonnie Tyler, Donny Osmond, Rod Stewart, Richie Havens, Vonda Shepard, Sarah Brightman
Appears in the movies:"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1978)

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The Association

The Association
Is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival. As of 2011, they are still performing.

Formed:

1965 (Los Angeles, CA)

Genres:

Pop, Pop-rock, Soft rock, Adult contemporary, Folk-rock, Psychedelia, Bubblegum

Famous Members:

Jules Alexander (b. Gary Alexander, September 25, 1943, Chattanooga, TN): vocals, guitar
Terry Kirkman (b. December 12, 1941, Salina, KS): vocals, brass, woodwinds
Russ Giguere (b. October 18, 1943, Portsmouth, NH): vocals, guitar
Jim Yester (b. November 24, 1939, Birmingham, AL): vocals, guitar, keyboards
Brian Cole (b. September 8, 1942, Tacoma, WA; d. August 2, 1972, Los Angeles, CA): vocals, bass
Larry Ramos (b. Hilario Ramos, Jr., April 12, 1942, Waimea, Kauai, HI): vocals, bass, guitar
Ted Bluechel, Jr. (b. December 2, 1942, San Pedro, CA): vocals, drums

Contributions to music:

• At the forefront of the folk movement's assimilation into California pop
• A multi-instrumentalist band that also performed six-part harmonies live on stage
• Experimented with psychedelic and protest music earlier than most pop groups
• Created a lush adult contemporary sound that still contained a hipster's edge
• Thought to have been one of the first bands to endorse marijuana on their hit "Along Comes Mary"
• One of pop's all-time most romantic groups

Early years:

The Association began life as the thirteen-member (!) vocal group The Men, formed by Kirkman and Alexander as a response to what they saw as the timidity of large folk groups like The New Christy Minstrels. Keeping all those people on the same page proved to be difficult, and though they'd already become the house band at Los Angeles' influential Troubadour club, a heated argument led to six members walking out of the room. Originally planning to call themselves the Aristocrats, Kirkman's wife went to look the name up in a dictionary and instead came back with The Association, which seemed a better name.

Success:

A few ambitious singles flopped, but the b-side of a single called "Your Own Love" caught the ear of several deejays, and the song "Along Comes Mary" became a smash in 1966. Several followups scored, some written by the band, some not: "Cherish," one of their most popular original ballads, was garnering massive crowd support at the Minstrels' shows, but Kirkman refused to let anyone but his band cut it. At the same time, the group experimented with the burgeoning psychedelic and protest movements, but these singles sold considerably worse than the ballads and breezy sunshiny pop hits like "Windy."

Later years:

As the Sixties progressed, the Association fell more and more out of favor with youth due to their AM radio sound and the fact that they didn't play their own instruments on those hit records (they were classically trained musicians, but their labels insisted on L.A.s famous Wrecking Crew of session men anyway). The death of founding member Brian Cole in 1973 was the final nail in the group's coffin, yet after a 1979 television special found them still in possession of the old magic, they began an Eighties touring comeback that continues -- in various forms, with various members -- today.

Other facts:

• Other members have included: Bob Page [b. May 13, 1943): vocals, guitar
• The group's 1968 hit "Windy" was composed by an outside writer about her freewheeling grandfather, and the lyrics changed
• The vocal tracks on the Association's early hits were recorded at completely different studios than the music, an almost unheard-of practice at the time
• The vocals on "Windy" were actually handled mainly by assorted people hanging around the studio, as the two leads had burned their voices out on multiple takes
• Jim Yester has played with versions of the Modern Folk Quartet, The Four Preps, and The Lovin' Spoonful

Awards/Honors:

• Vocal Group Hall of Fame (2003)

Recorded work:

#1 hits:
Pop:

• "Cherish" (1966)
• "Windy" (1967)

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "Along Comes Mary" (1966)
• "Never My Love" (1967)
• "Everything That Touches You" (1968)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• And Then... Along Comes The Association (1966)
• Insight Out (1967)
• Greatest Hits (1969)

Other notable recordings: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," "One Too Many Mornings," "Enter The Young," "Forty Times," "Your Own Love," "Don't Blame It On Me," "I'll Be Your Man," "Remember," "You Hear Me Call Your Name," "Memories Of You," "Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies," "Looking Glass," "No Fair At All," "When Love Comes To Me," "Happiness Is," "Requiem For The Masses," "Barefoot Gentleman," "Time For Livin'," "Six Man Band," "Goodbye, Columbus," "Look At Me, Look At You," "Goodbye Forever," "Just The Right Sound," "What Were The Words," "Along The Way," "Names, Tags, Numbers And Labels" Covered by: David Cassidy, Bloodhound Gang, The Ventures, Booker T. & The MG's, Blue Suede, The 5th Dimension, Nina Simone, Acker Bilk, Andy Williams, Vonda Shepherd

The Ventures

The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold it is the best-selling instrumental band of all time. In 2008, the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Their instrumental virtuosity, experimentation with guitar effects, and unique sound laid the groundwork for innumerable groups, earning them the moniker "The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands". While their popularity in the United States waned in the 1970s, the group remains revered in Japan, where they still tour regularly to this day.

Formed :

1959 (Tacoma, WA)

Genres:

Instrumental rock, Surf, Rock and roll

Principal Members:

Bob Bogle (b. Robert Lenard Bogle, January 16, 1934, Wagoner, OK): bass guitar, lead guitar
Don Wilson (b. February 10, 1933, Tacoma, WA): rhythm guitar
Nokie Edwards (b. Nole Floyd Edwards, May 9, 1935, Nahoma, OK): lead guitar, bass guitar
Mel Taylor (b. September 24, 1933, New York, NY (Brooklyn); d. August 11, 1996, Tarzana, CA): drums

Contributions to music:

• The world's most popular instrumental rock group of all time
• One of the crucial elements in the development of and popularizing of surf music
• Have covered thousands of songs from all areas of the modern musical landscape
• Important in popularizing the guitars/bass/drums combo as the standard for rock music
• Helped popularize the lead guitar as a crucial component of rock and roll
• A major influence on surf, hard rock, punk, and metal guitarists

Early years:

Seattle guitarists Bob Dogle and Don Wilson originally got together, ironically enough, to cut a vocal record, an ultra-rare 45 called "Cookies and Coke" that went nowhere in 1959. The next year, however, they recorded a version of Chet Atkins' album track "Walk Don't Run," done in the new surf-rock style, and pressed it on their own Blue Horizon label, started with money from Wilson's mother. It originally went nowhere, too, but they convinced DJ Pat O'Day, of local station KJR, to use "Walk" as a lead-in to news broadcasts. Before long, local Dolton Records -- which had turned down their vocal 45 -- picked it up.

Success:

The record was an instant national smash, and the Ventures began cranking out album after album of similar instrumentals, all built around popular fads and tunes of the day -- surfing, twisting, country, whatever. At their peak they recorded five or sis albums a year, and they all sold well: 1963 saw the group with five albums in the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. In 1962, Howie Johnson left the group due to injuries suffered from a car accident and was replaced by session man Mel Taylor, who'd played on Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash" and other big hits of the day. This solidified their '60s lineup.

Later years:

In 1969, the group scored another huge single with their version of the "Hawaii Five-O" theme, which also got its initial notice when a radio station began using it as background music in commercials for the popular CBS detective show. But by the early Seventies, their style of music had begun to wane in popularity (albeit only in their homeland). Although recognized as masters by guitar aficionados, most of their touring today centers around Europe and Japan, where they remain a wildly popular draw, with Bob and Don still leading the group after almost fifty years.

Other facts:

• Other members have included: Skip Moore, drums (1960); Howie Johnson, drums (1960-1962); Gerry McGee, guitar (1968-1972, 1985-present); John Durrill, keyboards (1969-1973); Leon Taylor, drums (1996-present)
• "Walk Don't Run" is the only song to hit the US Top 40 in two different versions by the same band
• "The 2000 Lb. Bee" was the first recording to use a "fuzz box" on guitar, and was played at John Belushi's funeral
• The group has sold over 40 million records in Japan, and sold twice as many records as the Beatles there in the Sixties
• Made four "instructional" albums, each with a different member's instrument deleted

Awards/Honors:

• GRAMMY Hall of Fame (2006)
• Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame (1999)
• Guitar Player Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)

Recorded work:

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "Walk -- Don't Run" (1960)
• "Walk-Don't Run '64 (1964)
• "Hawaii Five-0" (1969)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull (1963)
• The Ventures' Christmas Album (1965)

Other notable recordings: "No Trespassing," "Perfidia," "Ram-Bunk-Shush," "Lullaby Of The Leaves," "Yellow Jacket," "Driving Guitars (Ventures Twist)," "Roadrunner," "Twisted," "Spudnik," "Night Drive," "2000 Pound Bee, Pts. 1 & 2," "The Savage," "Moon Child," "Journey To The Stars," "Fugitive," "Pedal Pusher," "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue," "Diamond Head," "Action Plus," "Dick Tracy," "Flights Of Fantasy," "Underground Fire"

Covered by: The Shadows, Everclear

Behind the "British Invasion" of 60s Rock

In the 1950s, Britain was well placed to receive American rock and roll music and culture. It shared a common language, had been exposed to American culture through the stationing of troops in the country, and shared many social developments, including the emergence of distinct youth sub-cultures, which in Britain included the Teddy Boys.

Trad Jazz became popular, and many of its musicians were influenced by related American styles, including boogie woogie and the blues.The skiffle craze, led by Lonnie Donegan, utilised amateurish versions of American folk songs and encouraged many of the subsequent generation of rock and roll, folk, R&B and beat musicians to start performing.

At the same time British audiences were beginning to encounter American rock and roll, initially through films including Blackboard Jungle (1955) and Rock Around the Clock (1955). Both movies contained the Bill Haley & His Comets hit "Rock Around the Clock", which first entered the British charts in early 1955 - four months before it reached the US pop charts - topped the British charts later that year and again in 1956, and helped identify rock and roll with teenage delinquency.] American rock and roll acts such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Buddy Holly thereafter became major forces in the British charts.

The initial response of the British music industry was to attempt to produce copies of American records, recorded with session musicians and often fronted by teen idols. More grassroots British rock and rollers soon began to appear, including Wee Willie Harris and Tommy Steele. During this period American Rock and Roll remained dominant, however, in 1958 Britain produced its first "authentic" rock and roll song and star, when Cliff Richard reached number 2 in the charts with "Move It". At the same time, TV shows such as Six-Five Special and Oh Boy! promoted the careers of British rock and rollers like Marty Wilde and Adam Faith. Cliff Richard and his backing band The Shadows, were the most successful home grown rock and roll based acts of the era. Other leading acts included Billy Fury, Joe Brown, and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, whose 1960 hit song "Shakin' All Over" became a rock and roll standard.

As interest in rock and roll was beginning to subside in America in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it was taken up by groups in major British urban centres like Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.

About the same time, a British blues scene developed, initially led by purist blues followers such as Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies who were directly inspired by American musicians such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Many groups moved towards the beat music of rock and roll and rhythm and blues from skiffle, like the Quarrymen who became The Beatles, producing a form of rock and roll revivalism that carried them and many other groups to national success from about 1963 and to international success from 1964, known in America as the British Invasion.

Groups that followed The Beatles included the beat-influenced Freddie and the Dreamers, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five, and the more blues-influenced The Animals, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Yardbirds.As the blues became an increasingly significant influence, leading to the creation of the blues-rock of groups like The Moody Blues, Small Faces, The Move, Traffic and Cream, and developing into rock music, the influence of early rock and roll began to subside.