More than thirty great artists have identified their influence as The Ventures.
George Harrison (The Beatles) stated in an interview with Guitar Player that The Beatles preferred the American guitar sound from The Ventures to British contemporaries.
When asked the name of the most influential rock on solo guitar, Joe Walsh (James Gang and The Eagles) said that it included all of the music for "Walk Don't Run" because it changed many guitarist lives.
Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Still & Nash (and Young)) told Don Wilson that he learned to play with recordings from The Ventures.
Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers) and Gene Simmons (Kiss) were the first members of The Ventures Fan Club.
Other influential identifications with The Ventures include: Ray and Dave Davies (The Kinks), Carl Wilson (Beach Boys), Jeff Cook (Alabama), Roger Fisher (Heart), Keith Moon (The Who), Alan White (Yes), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Jimmy Page (Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin), Robby Krieger (The Doors), Joey Ramone and Marky Ramone (The Ramones), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), Peter Frampton and many others.
Reference source: Wikipedia (English) and The Ventures Official Site