https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213667635497458&set=a.1159316015361.2025702.1001596414&type=3&ifg=1

RIP - his, and their, music bring back a lot of memories

Larry

Larry,

Nokie died without completing his Buddy Holly album. I was so anxious to hear that one.

His prerelease of It Doesn't Matter Anymore is on YouTube and seems very prophetic today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHg5qijLFK8

This is really said news. Nokie was a guitarist's guitarist!

RIP Nokie.

Wife Trudy is six years younger than I, but is extremely hip to music of the sixties. However, she looked blank when I told her one of The Ventures had died. “You may not know the name,” I said, “but you know the music.” I fired up YouTube and played a dozen or of their hits. It was one of those “so, that’s who did that!” moments.

We grieve.

Richard

"People are the ones who make you," he once said. "If they bought a [recording] and want to hear it, you should play it. You should sign autographs and talk to people. You ought to be grateful to those people who made you famous."



Nokie Edwards


http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-nokie-edwards-ventures-obituary-20180312-story.html



RIP Nokie.


Regards,


Bob

I'm sure that his Japanese fans are deep in mourning. He was treated as divine over there. He once told me that the Japanese are the most loyal people in the world. He and wife Judy spent a lot of time just basking in the Japanese friend's love.

Very sad news, but he will live on with the legacy of their sensational music.

Hi Don
When I heard the news I immediately though of you my friend.

Such a tragic loss that I am sure we all feel.

Great guy and a great guitarist thanks for the music Nokie
you will live in the hall of fame forever and rightly so.

R.I.P Nokie

Alan

Alan,

So nice to hear from you.

I knew Nokie since '69 and his guitar work always reminded me of you. You, dear Brit friend, are a great guitarist and I enjoyed working with you. Thank you so much.

I hope that we will be hearing more of that Custom Shop Strat before my exit - stage left.

If ever you want to do something for me, please get together with Roger Jackson ( ROG ) in his York studio and do a few tunes for me. I am imagining some wonderful music from such a collaborative effort.

Your Oklahoma amigo,

Sad news. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend Don.

There were a lot of instrumental "guitar" groups back in the day, but in my mind the Ventures were a cut above. Great arrangements, and they always rocked. This is a very good book for anyone interested in their history: https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Dont-Run-Ventures-Del-Halterman/dp/0557040515

I play instrumental rock n' roll live and do several of their arrangements. I'll be thinking of Nokie when I'm playing "Walk Don't Run" at my upcoming gig next week.

I'm sure Nokie and Mel (Taylor) will be ripping it up tonight!

Thanks, Frank,

A lot of his guitarist friends have been working on a tribute tune for him but just couldn't put it together in time.

My main concern now is for his wife, Judy. They had a wonderful marriage.

I hope Judy will have the opportunity to visit this site, read this post and responses.

The Ventures were my heroes, more so than even the Beatles. They played every note with clarity and precision. Their music inspired a generation of musicians.

I got to see them in concert twice. The first time was in 1972. They played an open air concert at the air force base I was stationed at in Taiwan. The second time was sometime in the eighties in High Point, North Carolina.

I will try to have Judy follow this wonderful thread.

Thanks for the great suggestion, Jim.

I am so sorry to learn this news don. I known he meant a lot to you. Thoughts..

The music in heaven will be sweeter now. RIP Nokie.

The Ventures were a bit of an odd group, which is what made them great. They were surf rock, but they weren't. They did standards, their recording of "Perfidia" was outstanding. "Walk Don't Run" was originally a Johnny Smith jazz cut, they took the swing out and made it rock. They didn't swing but their music was swinging. Their recordings were very tight - a cut above the standards of the day. They were unique, and all the copycat groups paled in comparison.

The music world is better because they came along.

Notes

If there are parallel worlds, the British group, The Shadows came out of a time warp about the same time, supposedly without knowledge of each other.

It's feasible to imagine that both groups were stricken by the new technology introduced in the day, including reverb, compression, parametric EQ, etc. It has always interested me how these two great groups evolved simultaneously yet independently.

I believe that Nokie was the last surviving member of the Ventures.

Hi Don,

I was in error in my previous post, Bob Bogle passed in 2009, so he will be jamming with Nokie & Mel.

Don Wilson, the only other original member, I believe is still alive.

From Wikipedia:

"After watching Nokie Edwards play at a nightclub, they recruited him as bass player. Bogle owned a Chet Atkins LP, Hi-Fi in Focus, on which he heard the song "Walk, Don't Run". Soon, the group was in a recording studio playing the new song, with Bogle on lead, Wilson on rhythm, Edwards on bass, and Skip Moore on drums."

Donny, maybe you should ask Dr. Gannon to pin this thread at the top of the list so Nokie's wife can easily find it.

Excellent idea, Mario.

I think I will wait until things settle a bit. She has a house full of mourners and probably unable to appreciate it yet. Perhaps after the memorial service. I expect hundreds of their Japanese friends still flying in.

This is how I want to remember the man, guitarist, friend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHg5qijLFK8

Sorry for the loss of your friend Don, I haven't heard of the ventures or Nokie Edwards until now ,but I had a look at the video you posted.

I'm a big Buddy Holly fan And honestly that was a Brilliant version of it doesn't matter anymore, A real talented guy.

I'm going to google what I can on this guy/GROUP.

Any pointers welcome.

Need to hear and see more if I can, Really enjoyed that.

Beatmaster,

Unfortunately, Nokie's Buddy Holly album didn't make it and, now, it never will.

Finding Ventures or Nokie's music shouldn't be very difficult. They released over 40 albums over their long career, both as a group, and his long solo career. There are a lot of him playing with Thom Bresh ( Merle Travis' son ) on YouTube. Search "I'll See You In My Dreams" which was Merle's theme for many years. Nokie and Thom do a wonderful rendition. Then just follow the links in the the sidebar.

The Ventures were the Surf sound of the 50s through 80s.

Welcome to the formulatitive sounds of my youth.

Enjoy!

Nokie and Thom: https://youtu.be/h6_9nuX0X2Q

Just follow the links to a dozen more.

Now I have heard some of their stuff, I definitely have heard of them.
Hawaii five 0 and pipeline etc.

We had the shadows as a similar group here.

Enjoying the search and the new discovery of these guys.

Its a small world.