Another music maker bites the dust.
Nokie Edwards from The Ventures, whose guitar instrumentals are played even today, died at 82 years on 12 March 2018. Walk Don't Run and Hawaii Five 0 with other Ventures great hits have always been performed by local Singapore bands since the 1960's.
Two guitar bands emerged the leaders in the 60's, the Shadows and the Ventures. If the opening number on a local stage by a guitar group is not Apache (The Shadows) then it's either Walk Don't Run or Perfidia from Ventures.
Telecasters and Mosrite guitars were what Edwards used when he's playing. He even designed one called the Nokie Edwards Custom Signature Model Telecaster for Fender using gold and ebony for parts.
Edwards played lead guitar and bass with the Ventures from 1960 to 1968, then from 1972 to 1985 and as a guest from 1999 to 2012 before he passed on in 2018.
The internet is filled with condolences and sad goodbyes for the famous guitarist who died in Alabama on Monday. Singapore guitar groups wish him a fond farewell too. There's so much to read about him on Websites that we can only wish him to play more music in the Great Beyond. Twang the guit loud up there, Sir.
May you Rest In Peace, Mr Nokie Edwards.
Images: Google.
Video: YouTube. Thanks to janelvis66.
The greatest of the great guitarist. If you are a guitarist from the 60s, you will know what I mean. If you play Ventures music, you will feel the pulse of Nokie’s guitar style. Many have discovered, admired and worshiped Nokie’s style of playing. You can see many of Nokie Edward’s fan especially from Japan still playing his finger style guitar. I am fortunate to have seen Nokie Edwards in concert and personally met him when the Ventures were playing at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood in the 80s. His guitar legacy will live on for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest of the great guitarist. If you are a guitarist from the 60s, you will know what I mean. If you play Ventures music, you will feel the pulse of Nokie’s guitar style. Many have discovered, admired and worshiped Nokie’s style of playing. You can see many of Nokie Edward’s fan especially from Japan still playing his finger style guitar. I am fortunate to have seen Nokie Edwards and personally met him when the Ventures were playing at the Palomino Club in North Hollywood in the 80s. His guitar legacy will live on for a very long time.
ReplyDeleteMy Tribute to Nokie ...
ReplyDeleteNokie Edwards was my guitar hero. The greatest of the great guitarist, I was fortunate to have seen him performed at the Palomino Club with the Ventures several times. He was a simple and humble man and greeted me like he knew me even though I was just a fan. His famous finger picking guitar style was admired by many all over the world. He would be greatly missed. His guitar legacy will live on.
Here’s one of his finest guitar playing:
https://youtu.be/h6_9nuX0X2Q
Hey there brother Henri,
ReplyDeleteBeen a while since you wrote. Thanks for the inside story about Nokie's friendliness. It's the same all over in the West. Many of the pop stars are pleasant people, showing no airs about them and looking more peaceful than a grazing sheep.
Appreciate your sharing and his guitar style and describing it.
A local musician claims to have known him but spells his name as NOKIA. "Ain't That A Shame..."
RIP NOKIE.
Hello Andy
ReplyDeleteCongratulations again on a fine 60s blog.
Here’s more on Nokie
from the NY Times (March 16, 2018) by
Richard Sandomir
Mr. Edwards played his last show in January 2017, with the HitchHiker Band in Medford, Ore. Despite poor health, he refused to cancel the show and was brought onstage in a wheelchair before shifting to a stool to perform.
“He was in a lot of distress, but he got onstage and played very well,” Dan Estremado, who played guitar with Mr. Edwards that night, said in a telephone interview. “He did the best he could but kind of gave out at the end.”
He went to a hospital afterward, where, his wife said, the doctor remarked that he could have “fallen off the stool and died onstage from internal bleeding.”
In his final days, she said, she played YouTube videos of songs for Mr. Edwards in his hospital room — including Thom Bresh and him playing “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
In addition to his wife, the former Judy Bean, Mr. Edwards’s survivors include a daughter, Tina Edwards Nickerson; two stepsons, Patrick Fetters and Seth Chappell; 25 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and a sister, Louise Jensen.
A dedicated musician to the end. A man who loved his guitar. His played his music with alot of soul. If you play the Ventures music, you will know what I mean - henri gann
Another great music legend has gone. I love his retention of wipe out. RIP Nokie.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS FOR FACEBOOK LIKES:
ReplyDeleteJohn Cher
Stephen Han
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Van Der Beek Philip
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AND MR VICTOR HO FOR SHARING THIS POST ON HIS FACEBOOK PAGE
ReplyDeleteTo say that he's the best will always be a controversial statement because what is he the best of? The statement needs to be within a context. If Edwards is to be the best, which category are we discussing here?
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments. I'm glad to learn from all you guitarists out there. He is truly one of the "greatest" if not the best.
YES, top guitarist ...like to see the way he plays...RIP Nokie Edwards !!
ReplyDeleteHi Andy:
ReplyDeleteIt’s 4:30 am in LA and thought I share more thoughts on Nokie after reading your
blog.
“Driving Guitars” was also one of The Trekkers favorite Ventures tune in the 60s.
watch Youtube
https://youtu.be/szeKmz_-kqo
Here is my Spotify list of guitar groups playing Nokie’s Ventures “Driving Guitars”
to share with your readers
1. Nokie Edwards live at the Sunhouse
2. The popular late Hiroyoshi Kato of Japan
3. The Adventure of Netherlands and
Nokie Edwards
4. The Caretakers 60s group
5. The Diamonds, a Brazilian Garage
Band
6. The Surf Dawgs from Australia
7. The SeaMonkees from Australia
8. The Charades from Australia
9. RJ Jacinto of the Philippines
10. Los Straitsjackets from LA
https://open.spotify.com/user/henrig1234/playlist/36XYTS7SPkFB5NY4ACHbFt?si=NOpmdalPSS-Gf3kqM-ITSg
And my recommended “must watch” on Youtube of groups playing Driving Guitars
1. Strawberry Parfait of Japan
https://open.spotify.com/user/henrig1234/playlist/36XYTS7SPkFB5NY4ACHbFt?si=NOpmdalPSS-Gf3kqM-ITSg
2. The Ks-Ventures of Japan
https://youtu.be/gNMWGk08JPU
3. The M-Ventures
https://youtu.be/YDq3tTULRn0
4. The All-Mosrite Band
https://youtu.be/fkY4Nb7z2vY
The above shows that Nokie’s Ventures music is still very much alive. I hope it will encourage current group like the Silver Strings, Tornado etc to play Ventures and that it will inspire formation of new 4-piece guitar group in Singapore to play Ventures music.
Wow Andy ! You are so efficient especially since I just wrote this a few minutes ago. I am impressed. A man who is dedicated with a passion to his blog.
ReplyDeleteKeep on Rockin’ and we’ll be here to read your blog even though we may appear unresponsive at times.
Thank you
Thank you, Henri. Appreciate your natural hunger for Nokie Edwards raw meat. I guess your instinctive search and hunt lead you to these tasty pieces of sound bites.
ReplyDeleteGrrrowl...