“Walk, Don’t Run” (The Ventures)

It’s still instrumental week here at the Classic Song of the Day blog, and today’s classic instrumental song of the day is that surf guitar classic, “Walk, Don’t Run.” Released by the Ventures in June of 1960, this one peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #13 on Billboard’s R&B chart.

“Walk, Don’t Run” was written by jazz musician Johnny Smith way back in 1954. Smith’s version was an easy going jazz shuffle that featured Smith’s jazzy guitar. It doesn’t sound at all like the version we all know.

Country guitarist Chet Atkins covered “Walk, Don’t Run” in 1957. He kept Smith’s laid back shuffle but countrified the tune a bit, with simple upright bass and brushes on snare drum keeping the beat behind him.

It was Chet Atkin’s version of the song that got the attention of the Tacoma, Washington-based band, the Ventures. Musicians on that record included band members Bob Bogle on lead guitar, Don Wilson on rhythm guitar, and Nokie Edwards on bass, as well as studio drummer Skip Moore. (The group didn’t have a permanent drummer at the time, so they called in a session guy.)

The Ventures re-recorded “Walk, Don’t Run” in 1964 (titled “Walk, Don’t Run ’64”) with less prominent drums, a twangier, Duane Eddy-inspired lead guitar, and a descending “Pipeline” break between verses. This version went to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the Cash Box Top 100.

“Walk, Don’t Run” became a staple of most ’60s and early ’70s garage bands, partly because it was one of the first tunes most budding guitarists learned. (It was a relatively easy song to play.) I was in a garage band when I was in junior high around 1971 or so, and our setlist pretty much consisted of whatever tunes our guitarists learned in their guitar lessons that week. Not surprisingly, “Walk, Don’t Run” was one of the first songs learned and we played it at every practice and at the few real gigs we got. I still play that ’60s surf music drum part, with two eighth notes on the two and a single quarter note rimshot on the four. All the drum parts sounded like that back then.

And here’s a treat for you. Today’s daily bonus video of the day is the Ventures performing “Walk, Don’t Run” on the August 27, 1960, episode of Dick Clark’s Saturday Night Beechnut Show. What a bunch of clean cut lads!