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Petition to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Attachment 1 - The Formal Petition
THE VENTURES into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
TO: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
1290 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10104
U.S.A.
I am writing to cast my vote in favor of the induction of The Ventures
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Ventures are universally
recognized as being the No. 1 Instrumental Rock and Roll Band of the
1960s and, indeed, of all time. No one else even comes close to their
record of achievements.
In 1960, Bob Bogle and Don Wilson, the original Ventures, were joined
by Nokie Edwards and Skip Moore to record "Walk, Don't Run," which
hit Billboard's Single Chart on July 18, 1960 and peaked at No. 2,
being beat to the No. 1 position only by Elvis Presley's "It's Now or
Never." Since that spectacular beginning, The Ventures -- later joined
by Howie Johnson, Mel Taylor, Joe Barile, John Durrill, and Gerry McGee
-- have gone on to help define an often-overlooked branch of rock and
roll music -- instrumental rock. The following are just some of their
many accomplishments in this area (please see the footnotes):
o Ranked #4 among all-time instrumental artists on Billboard's Single
Charts. [1]
o Ranked #6 among all 1960s artists on Billboard's Album Charts. [2]
o Ranked #26 among all-time artists on Billboard's Album Charts. [2]
o Ranked #20 in most albums on Billboard's Album Charts with 37. [2]
o Ranked #379 among all-time artists on Billboard Single's Charts. [1]
o "Walk, Don't Run" is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Top 500
Hits of all time. [3]
o 1960 to 1969, placed 14 singles on Billboard's Single Charts. [1]
o Gold singles: Walk Don't Run (1960), Walk Don't Run '64 (1964),
Hawaii Five-O (1969). [1]
o 1960 to 1972, placed 37 albums on Billboard's Album Charts,
including 5 during 1963. [2]
o Gold albums: Telstar and the Lonely Bull (1963), Golden Greats
(1967), Hawaii Five-O (1969). [2]
o 235 albums released worldwide and counting.
o 1960 to 1973, sold nearly 1 million albums per year in the U.S.
o Sales in Japan in excess of 31 million units and counting.
o Collective worldwide sales in excess of 100 million units and
counting.
o Successfully adapted their unique guitar style to countless changes
in musical trends.
o Released an acclaimed set of instructional records with the "Play
Guitar with The Ventures" series.
o Cited affectionately as "the group that launched a thousand bands."
o Credited with popularizing rock and roll and the electric guitar in
Japan.
o 1971, first non-Japanese ever elected to the Japanese Conservatory
of Music (top 10 list of composers).
o 1990, inducted into the Washington State Music Hall of Fame.
o 1996, inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.
o 1996, invited to participate in the Smithsonian Institution's
celebration of the development of the electric guitar.
o 1996, honored by Fender Guitars with a limited-edition line of
signature guitars.
o 2004, were among 156 individuals and organizations honored by the
government of Japan for having contributed to the development of the
Japanese culture (including music) and to the maintenance of the
friendly relationship between the United States and Japan.
o 2006, were honored by the Grammy Hall of Fame, which added "Walk
Don't Run" by The Ventures to their list of the most influential
songs in the history of music.
Perhaps even more significantly, the following is a partial list of
leading entertainers who, according to interviews and other media
sources, either learned to play by listening to or were influenced by
The Ventures (please see the footnotes):
o B-52s [6] o Cyndi Lauper [6]
o Jeff Baxter [4] o Steve Lukather [6]
(Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers) (Toto)
o Lindsey Buckingham [6] o Jeff Lynn [6]
(Fleetwood Mac) (Travelling Wilburys/ELO)
o Jeff Cook [6] o Jimmy Paige [6]
(Alabama) (Led Zeppelin)
o Rick Derringer [4] o Buster Poindexter [4]
(The McCoys/Edgar Winter Band)
o The Pretenders [4]
o Dire Straits [6]
o Joey and Marky Ramone [4]
o Elliot Easton [4] (The Ramones)
(The Cars)
o Gene Simmons [6]
o Dave Edmunds [6] (Kiss)
o Mick Fleetwood [6] o Paul Simonon [6]
(Fleetwood Mac) (The Clash)
o John Fogerty [6] o Stephen Stills [6]
(Credence Clearwater Revival)
o Kathy Valentine [6]
o Peter Frampton [4] (The GoGos)
o George Harrison [6] o Rick Vito [6]
(The Beatles) (Jackson Brown
/Fleetwood Mac)
o Billie Idol [6] o Joe Walsh [6]
o Eric Johnson [5] o Max Weinberg [4]
(E Street Band)
o Robert Kreiger [4]
(The Doors)
It can be said that the true hallmark of The Ventures is their
durability and longevity, as they continue to this day to perform, to
record, and to inspire fans, like they have done for nearly four
decades. During their successful career, they have played an integral
role in helping to forge the history of rock and roll music, primarily
through their influence on the careers and styles of other musicians.
After the countless recording sessions that have produced hundreds of
classic tracks, the thousands of memorable performances on tours of
numerous countries, the generations of musicians motivated to learn the
guitar and drums, the good and the lean times, and the passing of
friends, The Ventures have indeed seen it all.
I feel that induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be a
fitting tribute and a crowning achievement for this legendary band,
because recognition of their tremendous contribution is long overdue.
Therefore, I wholeheartedly support The Ventures' induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Induct The Ventures!
[Your Name]
[Your Mailing Address]
[Your Email Address]
[NOTE: Attachment 6 contains a tabulation of 5,823 fans of The Ventures
who either submitted their names via email to be included in this
petition or submitted signed copies of the petition by regular mail.]
__________
Sources:
[1] Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Top Pop Singles 1955-1993" (Record
Research Inc., 1994)
[2] Joel Whitburn's "Billboard Top Pop Albums 1995-1996" (Record
Research Inc., 1996)
[3] Rock and Roll Hall of Fame web page at www.rockhall.com
[4] Ventures 30th Anniversary Super Session video
[5] Eric Johnson web page at www.inetport.com/~jdekan/eric/bio1.html
[6] Various press reports, magazine articles, and interviews
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