The Ventures

The Ventures

Not the first but definitely the most popular rock instrumental combo, the Ventures scored several hit singles during the 1960s -- most notably "Walk-Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O" -- but made their name in the growing album market, covering hits of the day and organizing LPs linked thematically and musically. The band put their indelible stamp on each style of '60s music they covered, and they covered many -- twist, country, pop, spy music, psychedelic, swamp, garage, TV themes. (In the '70s, the Ventures moved on to funk, disco, reggae, soft rock and Latin music.) And though the band's popularity in America virtually disappeared by the 1970s, their enormous contribution to pop culture was far from over; the Ventures soon became one of the most popular rock groups in the world, with dozens of albums recorded especially for the Japanese and European markets. They toured continually throughout the 1970s and '80s -- selling 40 million records in Japan alone and influencing Japanese pop music of the time more than they had American music during the '60s.

Type

Group

Founded

1958

Founded in

Tacoma

Country

United States

ISNI code

000000011508089X

Rating

Socials