Don Lee Wilson (10 February 1933 - 22 January 2022) was an American guitarist who was a founding member of the instrumental surf-rock group the Ventures. In 2008, Wilson and other members of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Performer category.[1] Wilson was the last surviving member of the classic line-up of the Ventures following the death of Nokie Edwards in 2018, before Wilson's own death in January 2022.
Early life
Wilson was born in Tacoma, Washington and was a middle child. The family heritage is mixed, his mother, Josie, was first-generation Swedish, while his father was of Welsh and Irish descent. His mother would show him how to play chords on the tipple when he was around 12 years old.[2]
Career
In 1958, Wilson and Bob Bogle met Nokie Edwards and invited him as a member of the group. Edwards played guitar and Bogle switched to bass. In 1960, Wilson's mother, with $100, produced and sold a cover of Chet Atkins instrumental song "Walk, Don't Run".[3] Unable to play the original jazz version, they instead played it in a more calmer and smoother way. This is now recognized as surf music. The line-up at the time consisted of Wilson, Bogle, Edwards and Howie Johnson (drums), before Johnson was replaced with Mel Taylor. "Walk, Don't Run" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been described as what "started a whole new movement in rock & roll" by John Fogerty.[4]
The Ventures' song "Wild Child" was sampled by the Wiseguys on "Start the Commotion", giving Wilson his only hit writing credit on the British charts, reaching number 47 and spending 2 weeks on the chart.[5]
In 1968, they released a single titled "Hawaii Five-O" and is now known as the theme tune to the show of the same name. Some of the group's other notable songs include "Wipe Out" and "Pipeline". Wilson continued to tour with the Ventures until 2015, when he retired. The band has continued to perform without any original members. Wilson was present when the Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.[6]
The Ventures have since released over 250 studio albums, 150 singles and 80 compilation albums, and have left a large impact on instrumental music. Eddie Van Halen is among one of many musicians who have been influenced by the band; with Halen quoting their song Pipeline to have been one of the first songs he learned how to play on the guitar.[4]
Personal life and death
Wilson had two children, Tim[4] and Staci. Staci is a writer and filmmaker[1][7] who directed a documentary about the Ventures titled The Ventures: Stars on Guitars in 2020.[8][better source needed]
Wilson died of natural causes on January 22, 2022, aged 88.[4] He was the last surviving member of his band's classic line up.[9]
^Wilson, Staci Layne (February 12, 2020), The Ventures: Stars on Guitars (Documentary, Music), Don Wilson, The Surfrajettes, Nicole Damoff, Excessive Nuance, Wilson Ventures, retrieved May 26, 2023
