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Amen, Marty!
The Shadows were and are a great Instro band. One of my favorites, and I love
the way Hank Marvin made his guitar sound!
However, The Ventures had the far greater reach and influence, precious-few US
guitar-stars will cite The Shadows as a major influence, but The Ventures have
been cited by hundreds as having enticed them by showing them on "Walk Don't
Run" how magical a guitar could sound.
Influence? Back in the days of "Centerfield" and "The Old Man Down The Road",
John Fogerty, whose 1960's band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, was one of the
TOP hit-making rock bands of the era, was interviewed by Guitar Player
Maganzine. He had this to say: "The Ventures arrangements made it easy to
figure out the chord changes in their songs. I learned how to use chord
structures in writing songs, from listening to The Ventures."
Influence? George Harrison acknowledged The Ventures as one of his influences!
Influence? Wasn't it Keith Moon, of The Who who stated "The Ventures In Space"
was his favorite LP of all time!
I don't know where the list ends, but about who's done more to earn it, it seems
to me there's little question The Ventures worked a helluva lot harder to expose
the world to their music, than The Shadows ever did.
At any time during the Brit Invasion, Hank, Bruce, Jet and the crew could have
come and toured the US. It would have been so easy! But They Never Did.
During those same years, our boys from Seattle, went to Japan, Australia,
Philippines, Mexico, England, Germany, and those are just the places I've read
about.
If Jorgen Ingmann, a Danish guitarist, who I believe had never been in the US,
could have a major hit here, with Apache, surely Hank Marvin and the Shadows
could have tried just a bit harder to reach out to this vast audience. From
the lack of even one U.S. Tour, us Yanks just weren't any kinda priority to ol'
Hank! Nope, he sure didn't reach out to us then, did he?
So now, some people are saying Hank and The Shadows are more deserving than The
Ventures, of admission to the RRHOF?
Ridiculous!
Bruce D
Marty Tippens <> wrote:
There is a good long list of name guitarists who site the Ventures as their
primary influence. Some of those in the U.K. that site the Shadows as an
influence also site the Ventures, Peter Frampton for one. Bob Berryhill of the
Surfaries told me of the early surf days, "we were all trying to be the
Ventures". I know he doesn't really speak for everyone, but there is enough
evidence to indicate that many surf bands where influenced by the Ventures.
That aside, I really think there is something to making it in the U.S. Yes, I
know it's not the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but this is the place
where rock was born. This is the proving ground. If you can get the attention of
the U.S., then you're a cut above. Did the Ventures have an advantage being born
here? Yep. But many other instrumental acts being born in the U.S. didn't make
it, try as they all did.
Was being English a disadvantage for the Shadows? Ask the Beatles.
-Marty
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