NBC News Digital - Don Wilson, surf music pioneer...

Article published by NBC News Digital:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/obituaries/surf-music-pioneer-don-wilson-dead-88-rcna13242

NBC News 

CULTURE MATTERS 

Dennis Romero 

Dennis Romero is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Don Wilson, surf music pioneer, dies at 88

With hits like "Hawaii Five-O, " Wilson and his bestselling instrumental band, The Ventures, helped to create the sun and sand sound, even if it was mostly unintentional.

Bob Spalding, left, and Don Wilson of The Ventures perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York, March 10, 2008.(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Jan. 24, 2022, 3:46 AM -02 / Updated Jan. 24, 2022, 12:31 PM -02 

By Dennis Romero and Courtney Brogle 

Rhythm guitarist Don Wilson, co-founder of surf music staple the Ventures, has died at age 88, his family said Saturday. 

He passed peacefully of natural causes in the early morning with his four adult children at his side in his native Tacoma, Washington, his family said in a statement. 

"Our dad was an amazing rhythm guitar player who touched people all over world with his band, the Ventures,” son Tim Wilson said in the statement. 

Wilson was the last of the band's surviving original members. 

The Ventures have sold more than 100 million records and are the best-selling instrumental rock group in history, according to the band's and Wilson's websites. Among the band's most notable and familiar records is its version of the theme to television's original “Hawaii Five-O” show and its trademark, left-breaking wave. 

Despite being based along a stretch of Puget Sound that's nearly 100 miles from icy ocean waves and nearly 2,700 miles from surfing's birthplace in Hawaii, Wilson and construction coworker Bob Bogle, both budding rockers, founded the band in the Pacific Northwest in 1958. 

That was the year before the movie “Gidget” helped surfing culture explode across the nation and three years before the Beach Boys started harmonizing about beach life from its Hawthorne, California, base. The Ventures even predated Dick Dale’s early 1960s evolution from country musician to “king of surf guitar.” 

Dale has described his screaming licks as so rhythmic that it’s “like I’m playing drums.” Perhaps it’s no coincidence, then, that Wilson had anchored the Ventures with rhythm guitar. 

When he inducted the Ventures in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty said, "The sound of it became surf music, and the audacity of it empowered guitar players everywhere." 

Wilson seems to agree with that statement. He's argued in the past that the Ventures were adopted by the '60s surfing craze, not vice-versa. 

In a 2020 email interview with People to publicize the release of his documentary, "The Ventures: Stars on Guitars," produced with the help of family, the band's co-founder said, "We never set out to be a surf band." 

"Honestly, I love playing surf music — it's very fun and it makes you feel good," Wilson said. "But we never really considered ourselves a surf band. It was just all these things coming together — the surf culture, the electric guitar, Americana — when we were coming up in the early 1960s." 

Still, the act wasn't above capitalizing on the craze. Wilson and Bogle later performed and recorded a version of the Surfaris' classic, "Wipe Out." 

Wilson, a fan of country and Western, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and Tommy Dorsey, began plucking chords on the ukulele -like Spanish tiple as a boy. After high school he served 19 months in the U.S. Army. When he returned, he gravitated to guitar, like many in his generation. 

It's been said the Ventures first formed about 30 miles north of Wilson's hometown, although Tacoma and Seattle news media have each claimed the band as its own. 

The band-endorsed book, "The Ventures Essential Albums Discography," said Wilson's mother, Josie Wilson, helped the duo record their first music. 

Wilson and Bogle used the name the Versatones for their initial gigs but, according to the book, they discovered that name was taken. They settled on the Ventures to represent the duo venturing into a new career. 

The duo was joined by yet another guitarist, the late Nokie Edwards, who is credited more than anyone else with the band's surf guitar sound. With the Oklahoman's influence, the Ventures' version of jazz guitarist Johnny Smith's "Walk Don't Run" reached the singles pop chart in 1960 and eventually rose to No. 2. 

Bogle played bass and guitar. Mel Taylor on drums and Gerry McGee on yet another guitar rounded out the group, which found a niche in instrumental tracks. 

When the group performed "Walk Don't Run" on Dick Clark's eponymous television show in 1960, he introduced the tune, with its go-go drums and familiar surf melody as "probably the biggest instrumental record of the day." 

The band survived changes in its lineup and even deaths by moving on with new members, including drummer Leon Taylor, who joined in 1996 to fill the shoes of his late father, Mel. Wilson kept performing with the touring act until his 2015 retirement. 

With his passing the Ventures may have ridden their last wave. 

"He will have his place in history forever and was much loved and appreciated," son Tim said. "He will be missed."

Rolling Stone Magazine - Don Wilson , The Ventures' Co-Founder and Rhythm...

Article published on the Rolling Stone Magazine website: 

Rolling Stone Magazine 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/don-wilson-the-ventures-rhythm-guitarist-dead-obit-1289277/

JANUARY 22, 2022 5:18PM ET 

Don Wilson, the Ventures’ Co-Founder and Rhythm Guitarist, Dead at 88 

Influential instrumental rock band behind the hit “Walk, Don’t Run” were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 

By DANIEL KREPS

Don Wilson (second from left) with the Ventures in 1960

Michael Ochs Archives

Don Wilson, co-founder and rhythm guitarist for the influential instrumental rock band the Ventures, died Saturday at the age of 88. 

Wilson’s family first confirmed to Seattle journalist Saint Bryan that the guitarist “passed peacefully” of natural causes in Tacoma, Washington. 

“Our dad was an amazing rhythm guitar player who touched people all over world with his band, The Ventures,” Don’s son Tim Wilson said in a statement. “He will have his place in history forever and was much loved and appreciated. He will be missed.”

Wilson and guitarist/bassist Bob Bogle formed the Ventures in 1958 when they were both Seattle-area construction workers moonlighting as musicians; just two years later, the Ventures’ electric guitar-led rendition of Johnny Smith’s “Walk, Don’t Run” rose to Number Two on the Hot 100; it was later included among Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. 

“[“Walk, Don’t Run”] started a whole new movement in rock & roll,” John Fogerty said when inducting the Ventures into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “The sound of it became ‘surf music’ and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere.” 

The single proved to be so enduring that when the Ventures released a re-recorded version of “Walk, Don’t Run” in 1964 — amid the surf rock explosion — it once again placed in the Top 10. In the first half of the Sixties, the band would go on to have hits with “Telstar,” “Perfidia” and a take on the theme from “Hawaii Five-O.” 

Prior to their induction in 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame called the Ventures “the quintessential instrumental rock and roll band.” “Few bands are as prolific as the Ventures—they released thirty-seven albums in twelve years, many of them thematic,” the Rock Hall stated. “They rocked America in the sixties and went on to lasting international fame and influence.” 

Among those influenced: Eddie Van Halen, who once told Rolling Stone that the Ventures’ “Pipeline” was one of the first songs he learned when he began playing guitar. The Beach Boys also learned the guitar by listening to the Ventures’ records, Carl Wilson once said. 

Over the span of 40 albums (and potentially hundreds), the Ventures primarily recorded instrumental rock covers of other artists’ hits, but when the band did write their own music, it was often Wilson and Bogle who penned it; Wilson is also credited with penning “Love Goddess of Venus,” from 1964’s The Ventures in Space. 

While the Ventures continue to perform with a completely different lineup, Wilson was the lone surviving member of the band’s “classic,” Rock Hall-inducted formation: Drummer Mel Taylor died in 1996, followed by Bogle in 2009, lead guitarist Nokie Edwards in 2018 and guitarist Gerry McGee in 2019.

Don Wilson, Who Gave the Ventures Their Distinctive Rhythm, Dies at 88

The New York Times

A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 28, 2022, Section B, Page 11 of the New York edition with the headline: Don Wilson, 88, Ventures Guitarist Who Gave Group Its Rhythm, Dies.

Website version link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/27/arts/music/don-wilson-dead.html?smid=url-share

The author Neil Genzlinger is a writer for the Obituaries desk. Previously he was a television, film and theater critic. @genznyt • Facebook

Don Wilson, Who Gave the Ventures Their Distinctive Rhythm, Dies at 88

 

He was a founder, with Bob Bogle, of what has been called the best-selling and most influential instrumental band in rock ’n’ roll history.

Don Wilson, left, and Bob Bogle, the co-founders of the Ventures, in a publicity photo from the early 1960s. The group was just the two of them at first, Mr. Bogle playing lead and Mr. Wilson playing rhythm. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

By Neil Genzlinger 

Jan. 27, 2022

Don Wilson, co-founder of the instrumental rock group the Ventures, whose twanging, hard-driving sound, propelled by his dynamic rhythm guitar, led to hits like “Walk — Don’t Run” and helped shape the surf music of the early 1960s as well as influencing generations of guitarists, died on Saturday in Tacoma, Wash. He was 88. 

His daughter Staci Layne Wilson confirmed the death, at a hospital. 

Mr. Wilson and Bob Bogle formed the group that became the Ventures in the late 1950s and had been having modest success performing in the Seattle area when, with Nokie Edwards on bass and Skip Moore playing drums, they recorded “Walk — Don’t Run” in March 1960. It was their version of a song by the jazz guitarist Johnny Smith that had previously been recorded by Chet Atkins. 

The group had already released one 45 r.p.m. record, having formed their own label, Blue Horizon, with the help of Mr. Wilson’s mother, to do it. But that first record didn’t generate interest, and neither did “Walk — Don’t Run,” until they played it for Pat O’Day, who had the afternoon show on the Seattle radio station KJR. He smelled a hit.

 

The station always played an instrumental leading into its newscast at the top of the hour, but without introducing it, Mr. O’Day said in an interview for “Sonic Boom! The History of Northwest Rock, From ‘Louie, Louie’ to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’” a 2009 book by Peter Blecha. “So we put it on every hour as that filler there,” he said, “and of course you know what happened after that.” 

What happened was, callers flooded the station wanting to know what that catchy record was. One of the callers was from Dolton Records, which had earlier turned away the fledgling Ventures. Dolton signed them, and soon the record reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed on that chart for months and became one of the most recognizable songs of the era.

Mr. Wilson spoke when the Ventures were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. With him were, from left, John Durrill, Fiona Taylor (the band’s manager), Bob Spalding, Nokie Edwards and Leon Taylor. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)

The group went on to have a number of other successful singles, most notably its version of the theme from the television series “Hawaii Five-0,” which made the Top 10 in 1969. The lineup shuffled a bit — Mr. Bogle, who died in 2009, switched to bass; Mr. Edwards, who died in 2018, was the better player and became lead guitarist; and Mel Taylor, who died in 1996, settled in as drummer. Mr. Wilson pounded out his rhythm accompaniments for 55 years, turning over the job to Ian Spalding, son of another current member, Bob Spalding, during a show in Tokyo in 2015. 

In 2019 the Grammy Museum mounted an exhibition in honor of the group, calling the Ventures “the most influential, best-selling instrumental band in rock and roll history.” The group, the exhibition said, has recorded more than 250 albums, including a series of instructional records aimed at novice guitar players. 

Leon Taylor, Mel’s son, is the Ventures’ current drummer and had a close-up view of Mr. Wilson’s impact. “Don has been a part of my life since I was a little kid,” he said by email. 

“Don was a unique talent that influenced thousands of guitar players all over the world.” 

Mr. Blecha, too, cited the group’s influence on would-be guitar players, as well as its chutzpah in putting out its first records on its own label when no one else would, something rare for the time.

The Ventures in 1999, from left: Gerry McGee, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Bogle and Mr. Wilson. (Richard E. Aaron/Redferns via Getty Images)

“But beyond all that,” he said by email of Mr. Wilson in particular, “you just gotta admire a musician who carved out such a lucrative and impactful career playing mainly rhythm guitar. Guys who have accomplished that comprise a rather short list.” 

Donald Lee Wilson was born on Feb. 10, 1933, in Tacoma to Woodrow and Josie Wilson. His father was a car salesman, and his mother became a record producer and was key to the band’s early success.

“When I was younger I wanted to learn how to play the trombone,” Don Wilson said in an interview for “The Ventures: Stars on Guitars,” a 2019 documentary film directed by his daughter Staci. “I thought the trombone had such a mellow sound. It was Tommy Dorsey that I really liked.” 

He played trombone in an Army band, where a bandmate taught him chords on the guitar, adding to the few he had already been shown by his mother. After mustering out, he was working at his father’s used-car lot in Seattle when Mr. Bogle came in, looking to buy a car. They started talking and hit it off. 

Mr. Bogle got Mr. Wilson a job working with him as a bricklayer. They soon realized that, with all the rain in the Pacific Northwest, they had a lot of down time, since many of their jobs were outside. And both of them had rudimentary guitar skills. 

“We bought two guitars in a pawnshop in Tacoma, Washington, and we probably paid 10 or 15 dollars apiece for them,” Mr. Wilson said in the film. 

The group was just the two of them at first, Mr. Bogle playing lead and Mr. Wilson rhythm. That, of necessity, led them to develop a unique sound, underpinned by Mr. Wilson’s driving approach. 

“In the early days Don had to play very rhythmic and strong because they didn’t have a drummer,” Bob Spalding, who first played with the group in 1981 and joined for good after Mr. Bogle’s death, said by email. “Later, when they became a quartet with a drummer, his style never changed, and that unique rhythm guitar drive became a prominent characteristic of the band’s music.” 

In addition to their success in the United States (where their other hits included “Walk — Don’t Run, ’64,” a remake of their own hit that also made Billboard’s Top 10), the Ventures became wildly popular in Japan — so much so, Mr. Wilson said, that numerous bands there took to imitating them. That led to an uncomfortable surprise when the band made its second trip there, its first as headliners, in 1965. 

“We had an opening group,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune in 1984, “and they played all of our songs before we went on.” 

At his death, Mr. Wilson lived in Covington, Wash. In addition to his daughter Staci, his survivors include three other children, Jill Fairbanks, Tim Wilson and Cyd Wilson; and two grandchildren. 

In 2008 John Fogerty inducted the Ventures into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In his induction remarks, he marveled that the group had recorded more than 250 albums. 

“Good Lord, think about that,” Mr. Fogerty said. “Nowadays, some of us would be happy to sell 250 albums.”

 

Don Wilson - NAMM - Oral History Program - In Memoriam

Full video interview published on the NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) website:

https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/don-wilson-0;

Don Wilson was a founding member of the instrumental rock band, The Ventures! He formed the band with his friend Bob Bogle. Shortly after their first hit, “Walk Don’t Run,” Nokie Edwards, who was also interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program, joined the band. The band then went on to record dozens of albums, the theme for the TV show Hawaii Five-0, and perform live in concerts around the world every year for sixty years! All throughout that time, The Ventures inspired countless musicians to learn their songs, form a garage band, and follow their passion for music. While there is a very long list of those young musicians who became professionals (Joe Perry and Elton John to name just two) many others followed their passion by working in a music store or for an instrument manufacturer. Don and The Ventures had a lasting impact on music and the music products industry by inspiring us! 

Interview Date: September 12, 2018 (Covington, Washington)

Date of Birth: February 10, 1933 

Deceased Date: January 22, 2022 

Job Title: Musician, Guitarist 

Tags: Fender Musical Instruments Corp The Ventures Rock and Roll Surf Music Mosrite Guitars Songwriter Full Interview Deceased

Don Wilson – a personal reflection by Fiona Taylor

Article posted on January 24th on The Ventures' official website by Fiona Taylor, the group's manager and widow of Mel Taylor: 

https://www.theventures.com/don-wilson-a-personal-reflection-by-fiona-taylor/ 

From the moment I received word of Don’s passing yesterday, January 22, 2022, I have been reflecting on so much of the parts of Don’s life to which I have been privy. I immediately thought to myself – first, “Do you realize it has been almost 50 years since you met The Ventures?”, then “How is that possible?” When, in a chance encounter in Osaka, Japan on August 1, 1972, I saw The Ventures’ members for the first time, crossing the lobby of the Osaka Grand Hotel, I obviously had no idea that, all these years later, my life would have been bound up with the group from that point forward. I met Mel and, of course, was then introduced to Don, Bob and Nokie. I saw my first Ventures’ concert a few days later, at Osaka Festival Hall. I was amazed: I, coming from the UK not the US, was not really familiar with The Ventures or their music, except peripherally – sure, I knew who The Shadows were but had not been exposed to The Ventures – yet! Remember that, back then, there was no social media and, since I was also in show business, I didn’t have a lot of time to spend watching TV shows or going out to see concerts because I was working. In Japan at that time, there were no English-language programs and I remember watching Dracula in Japanese (and making up my own dialog since I couldn’t understand anything). 

In any case, within a very short period of time, I came to know all the guys in the group and was made to feel very welcome. Don was friendly and a lot of fun, as were they all – Don always loved telling jokes and doing impressions and he was pretty good at it! I became part of the entourage over the next couple of months and was very sad to say goodbye to them all when I had to go on the next leg of my tour. Less than two years later, I moved to Los Angeles, and have lived here ever since. Although Mel was away from The Ventures for several years in the latter half of the 1970s, he was still in touch with Don and, at the end of the decade, Mel rejoined the group and their friendship was further cemented. They collaborated on touring, recording and every facet of The Ventures’ career. There were highs and lows, celebrations and tragedies, as there are for everyone. I remember Don having parties at his house and, for anyone familiar with their album covers and publicity photos, many will have had glimpses of Don’s house, inside and out. There were photo shoots around the pool table and in the back yard. Rehearsals for recordings and prior to tours almost always took place at Don’s house which was Ventures’ Central for many years. Don was an animal lover, in particular cats – at one point, he had two – one female white cat (who disappeared one day, probably prey to a coyote) and an ultra-furry black cat known as Little Boy. Little Boy always knew when Don was leaving for a tour and would make his displeasure known at being abandoned! There were unsolicited animals around too – one day, the cat door into the house was used by raccoons – Don found them feasting on the kitchen floor! Getting rid of them was no easy task! 

Talking of the kitchen, Don loved to entertain and definitely enjoyed food! He had his favorites – I found a recipe at home the other day for Don Wilson’s Chili – I think I’ll make it one day soon although I remember it being spectacularly hot (but I think that depends on how many chilies you put in it).! In Japan, he had his favorite restaurants and, when the band stayed in Shinjuku at the Hilton Hotel, he would often go to a little nearby place to get Chahan (a staple fried rice dish) – in fact, I think that Japanese TV featured Don going there to eat on one show! Thinking back – way back – I remember that, shortly after I met the band, we were all invited to a wonderful steak house near Roppongi in Tokyo where we all had Kobe steaks (well, wouldn’t you?) He loved that too. Don used to poke fun at himself when it came to food – one of his perennial jokes (which many will remember having heard at live shows) was that he would say “I’ve gotten a little older, put on a few pounds along the way … most people eat until they get full – I eat until I get tired!” 

During one tour of the East Coast, The Ventures’ motor home caught fire while they were driving on the turnpike in upstate New York. The quick-thinking crew pulled over as soon as they could and uncoupled the trailer with all the equipment. Mel, Bob, Nokie and Don managed to scramble out but Don broke his heel in the process. The motor home itself burned to the ground and, along with it, all the guys’ clothes and personal items including – unfortunately – most of the money they had collected at the various gigs (cash was always preferred as payment but cannot be replaced once it has burned up). If you watch the Ventures’ video “30th Anniversary Super Sessions”, you will see Don is seated on a stool – because of his broken heel. 

When Mel and I got married, Don was Mel’s best man and Jan, Don’s wife, was my maid of honor. I’ll never forget that day! A celebration to be sure. 

Around 1990, after a several-year hiatus, The Ventures were once again welcomed back to Japan on a regular basis and resumed touring for months at a time every year. The group was honored to be invited to participate in Kohaku Uta Gassen, the traditional annual NHK TV New Year’s Eve show which is somewhat of a contest between teams of Japanese artists – the White team being male artists and the Red team being females. Very few non-Japanese artists are asked to participate but, in 1991 (I think – or was it 1990?), The Ventures, Andy Williams and Sarah Brightman were invited. We all (that is, all the band members and wives) went over to Japan for a rare winter visit. That was definitely one of the celebrations too! 

Of course, one of the low points and tragedies was Mel’s passing in 1996 – I know that both Don and Bob were devastated at the loss and they were very good to me. Being asked to act as manager for the group and to take over some of the work that Mel had done for a number of years was a bit daunting at first but it has been an honor too. I spoke very often with Don as you can imagine as he was always very much hands-on with recording and touring. There was always hard work for the group – the performing is what makes the traveling, the rehearsing and all the background work worthwhile. I will always remember that, for Don, getting back on a normal schedule after months in Japan was extremely difficult – he really used to suffer with jet lag! 

Don loved to talk with fans and always enjoyed meeting them whenever and wherever. In Japan, there have always been fans lined up outside the concert halls after the shows wanting to get autographs and just shake hands – Don never said “no” at least not to my knowledge! 

In the last couple of decades, since the dawn of the 21st century, The Ventures were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and nobody was more excited about it than Don! The experience at the induction ceremony was, in many ways, worth the wait! Prior to that in 2004, The Ventures were honored by the Government of Japan with an award for their contribution to the culture of Japan, at a ceremony held in Seattle by the Japanese Consul-General: this is just one of many awards made by the country and people of Japan to The Ventures, dating back to 1970 when they received recognition for the songs they had written for the Japanese market which have since become standards that show up in karaoke books everywhere. Don took a lot of pride in such awards, as well he should have – and as all the group members did. 

I saw Don grieve at the passing of his partner, Bob, in 2009 – it was a particularly hard transition, I think, because they had accomplished so much together during their musical life and had seen and experienced joy and pain, good times and bad. Then, in the past few years, when we lost first Nokie, then Gerry, it also hit him hard – on more than one occasion, he said to me “You know, I’m the only one left – why?” There was no answer. 

So, here we are, now living with the knowledge that Don, too, has left us. He lived a long life, saw more during his life than most people could possibly dream of and now, I hope and pray, he is at peace and reunited with his friends and family. That is about all any of us can ask for. I will remember you, Don, with your cheeky smile when you told those jokes! When Mel passed away in 1996, Don’s mother, Josie, wrote a beautiful tribute to Mel that ended with the words “The drums are silent”. So now, I say for Don, “The guitar is silent”.

Thank you Don Wilson...

Thank you Don Wilson

For the joy you gave us with the unmistakable picking in the songs.

For the happy meeting with Bob Bogle and creating the eternal The Ventures.

Now, these are memories that will never be erased.

Thank you very much

and

Rest in Peace.

January 22, 2022

RV

The Ventures: Mel Taylor, Bob Bogle, Don Wilson and Jerry (Gerry) McGee

The Ventures: Howie Johnson, Don Wilson, Bob Bogle and Nokie Edwards

ooo0O0ooo

Donald Lee Wilson (aka Don Wilson) rhythm guitarist and co-founder of The Ventures, passed away at age 88 (January 22, 2022). 

He passed peacefully of natural causes in the early morning with his four adult children at his side in his native Tacoma, Wahington, U.S.A.

ooo0O0ooo

Below message from The Ventures official Facebook:

The Ventures

Posted January 22, 21:20

Don Wilson, guitarist for Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame group, The Ventures, passed away this morning. 

Don was an inspiration and mentor. 

He was a unique talent that inspired countless musicians like us. 

We lost a good friend, fellow musician, world class performer, and beloved bandmate.

Don Wilson has left the stage. 

We will miss him always.

The Ventures

(Ian Spalding, Leon Taylor, Bob Spalding, Lucas Griffin)

ooo0O0ooo

John Fogerty pays tribute to Don Wilson of The Ventures who passed away on January 22, 2022.

Walk, Don't Run - John Fogerty tribute to Don Wilson of The Ventures

John Fogerty LIVE! at Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, California (January 22, 2022)

ooo0O0ooo

The Ventures Official website:

Posted January 24, 2022

Don Wilson 1933-2022  - a life in music

It is with profound sadness and a great sense of loss that I have to tell the world that, on January 22, 2022, Don Wilson passed away at the age of 88. 

He was the last surviving member of The Ventures’ original group, one of its co-founders along with his partner, Bob Bogle, who left us in 2009. 

His contribution to the instrumental rock music world is well-known and, as evidenced by the tributes already pouring in, he was loved by many all over the world – by family, fans and fellow musicians alike. 

From the early days when Don and Bob got together to play music, through their transition (with the help of Don’s mother Josie) to best-selling artists, to their popularity world-wide – and especially in Japan, a country to which they brought electric guitar music and whose citizens embraced them wholeheartedly, to their chart-topping melodic instrumental hits encompassing many genres, they have remained an enduring presence in music. 

Don would, I am sure, like to be remembered for the pleasure he brought to so many people with the music that he pioneered and brought to them, along with his cohorts – his fellow musicians who formed The Ventures. 

He has gone from this life but, if there is anything happy to be found in his passing, it is the hope that they are all once again together in the next world, playing up a storm – not heavenly harps perhaps, but celestial guitars. 

Don, you will be missed. Rest with your friends – Bob, Mel, Nokie, Gerry, your mom Josie and all who have been part of The Ventures’ circle for these 60-plus years.

ooo0O0ooo

The Ventures: Mel Taylor, Don Wilson, Nokie Edwards and Bob Bogle

"Love Goddess Of Venus" - The Ventures (Don Wilson) 1964

ooo0O0ooo

Some messages on Social Media:

Rock In Peace Don Wilson, co-founder and rhythm guitarist for The Ventures. Hall of famer, he’s gone to that big surf band in the sky. #DonWilson #TheVentures #RockHonorRoll #rockinpeace pic.twitter.com/318bpTUOk3

— RockMusicAssociation (@RockMusicAssoc) January 22, 2022

Don Wilson of the Ventures passed away - me and Ray were big fans - may he Rest In Peace

— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) January 23, 2022

WE will forever Love and Miss You Don!

Don Wilson, the Ventures’ Co-Founder and Rhythm Guitarist, Dead at 88 https://t.co/ryfVvCLJ7N via @RollingStone

— Official Dick Dale Page/Lana Dale (@TarzanandJane7) January 23, 2022

RIP to #DonWilson, founding member of #TheVentures, my dad's cousin, and the only person I've ever known who salted his pizza. May you rock eternity eternally.

With my grandma in the 80s: pic.twitter.com/wHsH7vgd6z

— Brian Gene Olson (@BGOwriter) January 23, 2022

I'm sorry to hear that Don Wilson of the Ventures has passed away at age 88. As a kid, my Dad's Ventures album was a family favorite. As I became interested in 1960s music and surf culture, I became a fan myself. https://t.co/oLTAoTfmCL

— Jessica Pickens (JP) (@HollywoodComet) January 23, 2022

R.I.P. DON WILSON: Terrible news has arrived that Don Wilson of The Ventures passed away yesterday. He was 88-years old and one of the founders of the group in Tacoma WA back in 1958. The importance of the band cannot be understated. #DonWilson #TheVentures @TheVenturesLive pic.twitter.com/SE3u0wArFA

— Lou Brutus (@LouBrutus) January 23, 2022

One of the ways I learned how to play guitar was from this album. Spinning in honor of #DonWilson of #TheVentures. @VenturesMovie pic.twitter.com/EJWeLrr85p

— Sean Gaillard (@smgaillard) January 24, 2022

I’m gonna miss this guy. #DonWilson #TheVentures pic.twitter.com/je7gm5r5EJ

— Laramie Dean (@LaramieDean) January 24, 2022

Remembering 2008 Inductee #DonWilson, founding member of #TheVentures, the most successful instrumental combo in rock history. Wilson’s strong and steady rhythm playing contributed to the group's “big guitar sound” on hits like “Walk-Don’t Run” and “Hawaii Five-0.” pic.twitter.com/AuBuWIhBA9

— Rock Hall (@rockhall) January 24, 2022

Tacoma's Don Wilson co-founded surf-rock band The Ventures, a music group that dreamed up iconic instrumentals like the "Hawaii-Five-O” theme. Over the weekend, Wilson passed away at age of 88. Look back on Wilson and The Ventures from our 2008 feature: https://t.co/q2ZvQOTHXz pic.twitter.com/Hfc7KZ9zZ0

— Seattle Channel (@SeattleChannel) January 24, 2022

RIP Don 🙏https://t.co/5fqCFJj6LF

— Joe Satriani (@chickenfootjoe) January 25, 2022

Don Wilson, Rhythm Guitarist and Founding Member of The Ventures, Dies at 88

Article published on People.com 

https://people.com/music/don-wilson-ventures-rhythm-guitarist-founding-member-dies-88/

Don Wilson, Rhythm Guitarist and Founding Member of The Ventures, Dies at 88 

"He will be missed," Don Wilson's family tells PEOPLE in a statement after The Ventures' co-founding member died peacefully of natural causes Saturday, surrounded by his four children 

By Glenn Garner 

January 22, 2022 06:06 PM

Don Wilson, a founding member of the pioneering surf rock group The Ventures, has died. He was 88.

The rhythm guitarist's family tells PEOPLE he died peacefully of natural causes Saturday morning in Tacoma, Wash. Wilson had his four children by his side at the time. 

"Our dad was an amazing rhythm guitar player who touched people all over world with his band, The Ventures," his son Tim said in a statement. "He will have his place in history forever and was much loved and appreciated. He will be missed." 

Born Feb. 10, 1933, in Tacoma, Wilson founded The Ventures with his friend Bob Bogle in 1958. The quartet shot to international fame after dropping their first wide-release single "Walk, Don't Run" in 1960, which was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its lasting significance. 

"We never set out to be a surf band," Wilson told PEOPLE in 2020. "Honestly, I love playing surf music — it's very fun and it makes you feel good. But we never really considered ourselves a surf band. It was just all these things coming together — the surf culture, the electric guitar, Americana — when we were coming up in the early 1960s. Kind of a happy accident, I guess you could say. We play all kinds of music, though, including our 'Venturizing' of everything from classical to disco." 

The Ventures had 14 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over 100 million records. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Groups like The Beatles, Beach Boys, Go-Go's, and even Kiss have cited The Ventures as inspiration, with Gene Simmons having been in the band's fan club and George Harrison saying he liked the sound of their guitar. 

The instrumental group is also known for their tracks "Hawaii 5-0," "Wipeout," and "Perfidia," as well as for writing songs feature in movies like Pulp Fiction, Zoolander, Kangaroo Jack, and Dogtown and Z-Boys. 

Until his retirement in 2015, Wilson remained an active member of the group and never missed a tour with The Ventures. He continued to record with the band's current lineup and produced the 2020 documentary The Ventures: Stars on Guitars with his family. 

"This is the first actual documentary about The Ventures, if you can believe," he told PEOPLE at the time. "It means so much to me that my kids made this."

Wilson is survived by his four children, Jill, Tim, Cyd, and Staci and his ex-wife Nancy Bacon.