The Stage

Bob Bogle

Published Tuesday 23 June 2009 at 12:30 by Lee Wilkinson

A founding member of top sixties instrumental group the Ventures, Bob Bogle passed away in hospital on June 14, aged 75, as a result of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Born Robert Lenard Bogle on January 16, 1934 into a farming family in rural Oklahoma, he learnt the rudiments of guitar playing from an older brother.

A chance meeting with Don Wilson in Seattle, who had similar interests, led to the pair practicing on second-hand guitars before forming their own combo.

The Ventures’ recording of Walk Don’t Run, an obscure composition by jazz guitarist John Smith, which they first heard played by Chet Atkins, became their seminal hit in the summer of 1960.

Bogle’s sharp, resounding Fender playing, including effective use of the tremolo arm, was the inspiration as the catchy tune rose to number two in the American charts and made the top ten in Britain.

The follow-up, Perfidia, also charted on both sides of the Atlantic, which led to the band touring extensively and recording prolifically.

But it was LP releases that marked their greatest achievement, with an astonishing 34 of them entering the US album charts during the sixties. A number of Ventures albums were recorded on a thematic basis, marking their versatility with twist, surf, country, funk, reggae and psychedelic melodies.

After showing the way with his innovative lead guitar technique, Bogle switched to playing bass with equal aplomb, remaining a steady influence in the band until his failing health saw him cease touring in December 2004.

With more than 100 million sales worldwide, the Ventures can lay claim to being the most successful instrumental group of all time and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.

At the heart of it all was Bob Bogle, who laid the groundwork for others with a prototype for guitar-based rock groups. He is survived by his wife, Yumi, and six children.