Walkin’ Silly, Rockin’ Willy

“Walkin’ Silly, Rockin’ Willy” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures did. In particular, this one pays tribute to the 12-bar blues-based tracks frequently used to fill out albums.

In No Hurry

“In No Hurry” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals like the Ventures. This one has a bit of country/rockabilly vibe.

Más Cencerro

“Más Cencerro” is an original composition intended to be in the style of 1960s guitar instrumentals such as the Ventures did. In particular, it is an attempt to create a riff-based track such as those often written by the band members to fill out an album which otherwise probably featured covers of popular tunes of the day.

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Kickback

“Kickback” is an original instrumental, 12-bar blues slow shuffle. The featured instrument is my baritone guitar.

Riff-a-Billy

“Riff-a-Billy” is an original instrumental intended to be in the early 1960s style of the Ventures.

What Goes On

This is my instrumental cover of “What Goes On”, first released by the Beatles track on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. The song was later released as the B-side of the US single “Nowhere Man”.

The original version of the song was written by John Lennon in the very early  days and considered as a follow-up to “Please Please Me” in early 1963. A demo of this version featuring Lennon and Paul McCartney was recorded in 1963, but the song was not used until 1965 as Ringo Starr’s vocal for Rubber Soul. Ringo contributed to the lyrics, his first-ever composing credit on a Beatles song.

I have a special affection for the Beatle’s rockabilly country numbers.

 

Pickin’ Wings

“Pickin’ Wings” is an original instrumental intended to be similar to the style of the Ventures’ country-influenced material, which typically featured the great Nokie Edwards playing lead.

Bari is Back

“Bari is Back” is an original instrumental guitar-rock/rockabilly track to commemorate the new body I got for my baritone guitar.

Almost Sunrise

“Almost Sunrise” is an instrumental composed by Norman Petty, an organist and record producer who is best known for his association with Buddy Holly. Petty owned a recording studio in Clovis, New Mexico where Buddy Holly — and many other famous musicians such as Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox, and Waylon Jennings– made their records.

Due to his success with instrumental groups, Petty was a popular producer for bands of that genre and his Clovis Studio was one of the top “go-to” studios for the guitar instrumental sound in the early ’60s.

“Almost Sunrise” was a track on the Fireballs first album, also recorded in Clovis.

My arrangement is based on the Fireballs’ version.

Eddy-fication

“Eddy-fication” is an original instrumental in early 60’s guitar rock style. For this tune I tried to create what might have been a tribute to Duane Eddy by the Ventures.

Nokie Shuffle

“Nokie Shuffle” is an original composition.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending and performing at the 10th annual Ventures Fan Fest. The theme this year was “A Tribute to Nokie Edwards”.

Nokie was an incredible guitarist whose skills took the Ventures to  another level in the early 60s. At the fan fest many played his numerous “signature” tunes. I resolved to develop a better understanding of his style, which has never come easily to me.

I usually do better going for the “spirit” of a style than trying to directly imitate things note for note. “Nokie Shuffle” is an attempt to do that.

Blue Tail Twist

“Blue Tail Twist” is a rockified setting of the Southern Folk Song, “Blue Tail Fly”. Burl Ives had a hit with the song in 1948.

In 1960, an instrumental rock group, Johnny and the Hurricanes, turned it into a rock number called “Beatnik Fly”, which reached the singles charts in both the USA and UK. At the time it was fairly popular to use well-known traditional songs as the basis for recordings. Johnny and the Hurricanes had an earlier hit called “Red River Rock”.

The Ventures picked up on this trend, including a versions of “Red River Valley” on their 1962 album “The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull” and “Blue Tail Fly” on “Twist Party Vol. 2, also in 1962.

My arrangement of “Blue Tail Fly” is in this tradition and style , bit is not a cover of anyone else’s version.

The Shuck

This is my cover of “The Shuck”, a rockabilly, country swing instrumental written by Don Markham and Gary Paxton and first released by Don Markham and the Marksmen in 1960. The Ventures included the tune on their second album “The Ventures”. Anyone who thinks the Ventures were mainly surf-rock should listen to this (and many other tracks) to hear how much they were influenced by country music and rockabilly. This would only increase over time with the addition of Nokie Edwards to the group.

My arrangement was very much inspired by the Ventures’ version.

South of the Border

“South of the Border” was written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry. The list of artists who have recorded it is very long.

The Shadows included an instrumental version on their 1962 album “Out of the Shadows”. This is the basis for my arrangement.

Doggin’ It

“Doggin’ It” is an original instrumental in the style of late 50’s/early 60’s guitar rock. This particular one is intended to be similar to numbers written by Bill Doggett – like “Honky Tonk” and “Ram-Bunk-Shush”.