Tag Archives: The Ventures

♫ Walk, Don’t Run ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

Walk, Don’t Run was written and originally recorded by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1954.  Two years later it was adapted and re-recorded by Chet Atkins.  But it was in 1960 that the song received world-wide acclaim when The Ventures released their recording of it.  Ultimately, Rolling Stone magazine would name it #82 of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.

This song was The Ventures’ first national release, became a huge hit and vaulted the group to stardom. The song was recorded before the band officially had a drummer. The Ventures’ website lists the drummer on Walk, Don’t Run as Skip Moore. Moore was not interested in touring and never was a full-time member of the band. As payment for his session work, Moore was given the choice of $25 or 25% of any royalties from sales of the single. He took the $25.  Methinks he probably regretted that choice more than a few times!

Bob Bogle played the lead guitar part on this first Ventures recording of the song. The band later rerecorded the song in 1964 and became the first band to score two top ten hits with two versions of the same tune.

Walk, Don’t Run has been covered by too many artists to even list.  In the UK, it was covered by the John Barry Seven, whose version peaked at #11 … as compared to The Ventures’ version that had peaked at #8 in the UK.  And in the U.S. and elsewhere, it was covered by Count Basie, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Glen Campbell, and even Led Zeppelin!!!  For today, I shall stick with The Ventures.

This hit #2 in the U.S. and #8 in the UK.

Lyrics?  There are no lyrics … it’s an instrumental!

♫ Trini Lopez — A Brief Tribute ♫

Posted on by under music

I am a bit remiss with this post, but … better late than never.  On Tuesday, singer Trini Lopez died at age 83 of complications from the coronavirus.  Those of you my age (or even older 🦕 ) will likely remember him for his versions of If I Had a Hammer (1963), La Bamba (1963), Guantanamera (1980), and Lemon Tree (1980).  

An interesting bit of trivia:  Lopez formed his first band in Wichita Falls, Texas, at the age of 15. Around 1955/56 Trini Lopez and his band worked at The Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby, the nightclub owner who assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald.

In late 1962, after Lopez’ contract with King Records expired, he followed up on an offer by producer Snuff Garrett to join the post-Holly Crickets as vocalist. After a few weeks of auditions in Los Angeles, that idea did not go through. He landed a steady engagement at the nightclub PJ’s, where his audience grew quickly. He was heard there by Frank Sinatra, who had started his own label, Reprise Records, and who subsequently signed Lopez.

His debut live album, Trini Lopez at PJ’s, was released in 1963. The album included a version of If I Had a Hammer, which reached number one in 36 countries (#3 in the United States), and was a radio favorite for many years. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

Lopez scored 13 chart singles through 1968, including Lemon Tree.  Beyond his success on record, he became one of the country’s top nightclub performers of that era, regularly headlining in Las Vegas.  In 1969, NBC aired a Trini Lopez variety special featuring surf guitar group The Ventures, and Nancy Ames as guests. The soundtrack, released as The Trini Lopez Show, has him singing his hits with The Ventures as his backing band.  Lopez was still recording and appearing live in the years leading up to his death. He took part in a benefit concert to raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and appeared as a guest performer in a number of shows held in Maastricht in the Netherlands with the Dutch violinist and composer André Rieu. 

Lopez’ popularity led the Gibson Guitar Corporation to ask him in 1964 to design a guitar for them. He ended up designing two: the Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semihollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971, and are now highly sought-after among collectors.

  • In 1993, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to Lopez.
  • He was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
  • On May 15, 2008, his 71st birthday, Lopez was inducted into the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.

As I mentioned a few nights ago, I am a lover of Latin music and Trini was one of my favourites, and I couldn’t decide which of my favourites to play for you tonight.  So … I decided to give you four to choose from!

R.I.P. Trini Lopez, and thank you for leaving us some beautiful music!

♫ Walk Don’t Run ♫

Posted on by under music

Tonight, as I was trolling around my usual haunts for material for Jolly Monday, I came across a list on Phil’s Phun of the top songs of the 1960s.  Immediately, I seized on at least 15 great ones that I hadn’t thought of in ages, such as Jimmy Jones’ Handy Man, Brenda Lee’s I’m Sorry, Greenfields by The Brothers Four, and much more that brought back memories galore.  But, when I came to #25 on the list … damn, but I’ve always loved this song!  It’s an instrumental, no words, but it needs none.

After hearing a Chet Atkins recording of Walk Don’t Run, the Tacoma-based instrumental rock band The Ventures released their version of the tune as a single in spring 1960 on Dolton Records. This version made the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #2 and was kept out of the #1 spot by It’s Now or Never by Elvis Presley.

This single, their first national release, vaulted the Ventures’ career. The song was recorded before the band officially had a drummer. The Ventures’ website lists the drummer on Walk, Don’t Run as Skip Moore. Skip was given the choice of $25 or 25% of the money the record would make for playing on the session. He took the $25.  Fool!

Lyrics???  It’s an instrumental …

♫ Walk – Don’t Run ♫

Posted on by under music

Sometimes I prefer an instrumental over a song with lyrics.

Walk, Don’t Run is an instrumental composition written and originally recorded by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1954.  The version you are about to hear was recorded and released by The Ventures in 1960 and is considered one of the top 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.

There were two live versions that I would have liked to have used here, but the sound quality of this version is so far superior to either of the live versions that I had to go with this one.