Gotcha, Walt!
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Unfortunately, after I shut down last night, the debate continued in the comments to my photo album on Facebook. Bruce has posted his response to Judy here already. I just posted the following, also in response to Judy. I don't plan to say any more on the subject, on Facebook or here. I'm just glad that the fans are enjoying the photos and finding little bits of trivia in the details.
Arnold
My Facebook post of this morning:
"WOW!!! I put these photos up to celebrate my music idols, The Ventures, and unfortunately it's turned into a debate about who played what! Again, I personally don't care who played which instrument in the recordings of The Ventures. The only thing that really matters is that together, as a band, they made and continue to make beautiful music that the fans can enjoy.
Again, Judy, I know that Nokie is a fantastic guitar player and he is renowned as a master in many genres, from rock & roll to country, and just about everything in between. The fact remains that when The Ventures first started, Bob Bogle played lead guitar. He played lead guitar on "Walk Don't Run" and some of the other songs on their first album. Sometime after that, Nokie took over the lead guitar role. I have NEVER denied that!
Through all of the years of The Ventures, there have been instances when Bob and Nokie have switched for a few songs during live performances. Bob often played lead on his "Walk Don't Run" medley while Nokie would play bass. Then Nokie would take over the lead guitar for the rest of the concert. This was done at the Epcot concerts in 2008 and 2009, which I witnessed in person. In those cases, Bob Spalding (Bob Bogle's replacement after he retired) played lead guitar for a few songs and then Nokie took over lead for the rest of the concerts. What's wrong with that? It doesn't demean Nokie or put him down in any way that he played the bass guitar for a few songs. I just don't see what the big deal is!
Heck, even at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that was televised live on VH-1 Classic, Nokie played bass guitar and Bob Spalding played lead guitar on "Walk Don't Run" and then they switched roles with Nokie playing lead and Bob Spalding playing bass on "Hawaii Five-0." The audience enjoyed and gave a rousing standing ovation to both numbers. I don't think anyone thought anything negative because Nokie was playing bass on one song. The members of the band contributing together to the whole sound is the only thing that's important!"