Legendary NW bands still wailin' 50 years later
Scroll down for a trivia quiz about The Ventures and The Fabulous Wailers.
Two bands put the Pacific Northwest on the map as rock-'n'-roll was born.
And as KOMO's Brian Calvert found out, they're playing as tight as ever a half-century later.
The Ventures, a garage band out of Tacoma, hit it big with TV audiences by providing the theme music for "Hawaii Five-O." Their instrumental hit, "Walk, Don't Run," still sells today.
The Fabulous Wailers, another garage band out of Tacoma, exploded on the music scene with their hit "Tall Cool One," which made the top 30 and prompted an appearance on American Bandstand.
That was 50 years ago.
"Yeah, we started right after they invented the wheel," jokes Wailers lead singer Kent Morrow.
To celebrate their golden anniversaries, The Ventures and The Fabulous Wailers are launching a new tour and releasing a new CD this weekend. The new album is called "Two Car Garage," and the stop on the tour is Seattle's Moore Theater on Friday night.
There are definitely some marked differences between going on tour back in 1959, and hitting the road in 2009.
"Well, we're a lot older," remarks Wailers guitarist Buck Ormsby.
"We have to get eight hours sleep at night," Morrow adds.
Oh yeah, pacing yourself is key when you're in your 60s. Do these guys still have groupies?
"Absolutely," says Ormsby. "There's one sitting over there," he adds as he points to a man who came along for the band's interview.
Everyone laughs.
"We still have dedicated fans," Morrow says with a smile. "Except our groupies have widened out a bit over the years."
Jokes aside, both the Wailers and Ventures have a talent for recruiting new fans wherever they play. Teddy Haggerty with Blue Horizon Record is filming a documentary on the bands, and really enjoys watching young fans get a taste of this music.
"They couldn't sit in their seats," Haggerty tells KOMO. "They were going wild, the music is so powerful."
The all-night parties and the girls have been replaced with rest, concentration, and perhaps a little more rest. Yet, the music remains the same.
"We aren't changing anything, other than we're just a little older," Ormsby says.
And now the interview is over, because it's time to hit the road.
"We're going to have a lot of fun," Ormsby tells us. "This is the roots of rock-n-roll right here."
TAKE THE TRIVIA QUIZ
We've created some trivia to help celebrate 50 years of The Ventures and The Fabulous Wailers. We start easy, and then really put your musical knowledge to the test:
1. What year do both bands credit as their "big debut year?"
2. Name the first big hit for the group "The Ventures."
3. How about the first big hit for "The Fabulous Wailers?"
4. How high did the hit referenced in question 3 get on the Billboard charts?
5. Name the television show in which The Ventures supplied the theme.
6. The Wailers recorded a version of "Louie Louie." What band had the big hit version of the song?
7. Where was that band from (the band the is the answer to question 6)?
8. Name one of the two founding members of The Ventures.
9. The Ventures have recorded just over 3,000 songs. According to their website, how many days would it take to play all of them back-to-back, without taking a break?
10. What was the name of the independent record label created by The Fabulous Wailers?
Follow this link for trivia quiz answers »
Two bands put the Pacific Northwest on the map as rock-'n'-roll was born.
And as KOMO's Brian Calvert found out, they're playing as tight as ever a half-century later.
The Ventures, a garage band out of Tacoma, hit it big with TV audiences by providing the theme music for "Hawaii Five-O." Their instrumental hit, "Walk, Don't Run," still sells today.
The Fabulous Wailers, another garage band out of Tacoma, exploded on the music scene with their hit "Tall Cool One," which made the top 30 and prompted an appearance on American Bandstand.
That was 50 years ago.
"Yeah, we started right after they invented the wheel," jokes Wailers lead singer Kent Morrow.
To celebrate their golden anniversaries, The Ventures and The Fabulous Wailers are launching a new tour and releasing a new CD this weekend. The new album is called "Two Car Garage," and the stop on the tour is Seattle's Moore Theater on Friday night.
There are definitely some marked differences between going on tour back in 1959, and hitting the road in 2009.
"Well, we're a lot older," remarks Wailers guitarist Buck Ormsby.
"We have to get eight hours sleep at night," Morrow adds.
Oh yeah, pacing yourself is key when you're in your 60s. Do these guys still have groupies?
"Absolutely," says Ormsby. "There's one sitting over there," he adds as he points to a man who came along for the band's interview.
Everyone laughs.
"We still have dedicated fans," Morrow says with a smile. "Except our groupies have widened out a bit over the years."
Jokes aside, both the Wailers and Ventures have a talent for recruiting new fans wherever they play. Teddy Haggerty with Blue Horizon Record is filming a documentary on the bands, and really enjoys watching young fans get a taste of this music.
"They couldn't sit in their seats," Haggerty tells KOMO. "They were going wild, the music is so powerful."
The all-night parties and the girls have been replaced with rest, concentration, and perhaps a little more rest. Yet, the music remains the same.
"We aren't changing anything, other than we're just a little older," Ormsby says.
And now the interview is over, because it's time to hit the road.
"We're going to have a lot of fun," Ormsby tells us. "This is the roots of rock-n-roll right here."
TAKE THE TRIVIA QUIZ
We've created some trivia to help celebrate 50 years of The Ventures and The Fabulous Wailers. We start easy, and then really put your musical knowledge to the test:
1. What year do both bands credit as their "big debut year?"
2. Name the first big hit for the group "The Ventures."
3. How about the first big hit for "The Fabulous Wailers?"
4. How high did the hit referenced in question 3 get on the Billboard charts?
5. Name the television show in which The Ventures supplied the theme.
6. The Wailers recorded a version of "Louie Louie." What band had the big hit version of the song?
7. Where was that band from (the band the is the answer to question 6)?
8. Name one of the two founding members of The Ventures.
9. The Ventures have recorded just over 3,000 songs. According to their website, how many days would it take to play all of them back-to-back, without taking a break?
10. What was the name of the independent record label created by The Fabulous Wailers?
Follow this link for trivia quiz answers »