Walk, Don't Run

Category: Obituary

Nokie Edwards, one of the most influential guitarists in rock and roll history, has died.

Edwards, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "surf guitar" group the Ventures, died today (3/12) after a long illness. 

So why is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer being memorialized here?  The answer to that question is simple: Buck Owens.

Nole Floyd Edwards was born in Oklahoma in 1935.  He began playing guitar at the age of five.  By the time he enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1956 he was making over $300 a week playing concerts in the Pacific northwest.

He was living in Tacoma when a country singer showed up in the area.  That singer was Buck Owens.  As Owens related in the taped interviews used for his autobiography Buck 'Em, "After those early singles flopped I'd left Bakersfield and gone up there (Tacoma) to work at a radio station, and to play in a band with a fellow by the name of Dusty Rhodes."  While Owens was there, he met Nokie Edwards, who would play guitar for Owens' live shows while the young Don Rich was featured exclusively on fiddle.

From there, Edwards met and worked with other country performers.  His web site's biography lists other greats such as Lefty Frizzell, Justin Tubb, Ferlin Husky, and Benny Martin as stars who utilized Edwards' talents.  Edwards was in Frizzell's final touring band in 1975.

But it was the formation of the Ventures with three other musicians from Washington that made Edwards legendary.  The band's first hit was a cover of the song "Walk, Don't Run," which was on a mid-50s Chet Atkins album.  

Their biggest success came with the CBS television series Hawaii Five-O, which used the Ventures' song as its theme music.  The single went to #1 on the pop charts and is still one of the most recognizable instrumentals and/or TV themes in history.

Edwards left the Ventures shortly after that success and launched his own solo career in music and acting (he was in the TV series Deadwood).  The Ventures reunited over the years, including for their 2008 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Over the past few years Edwards' health had been seriously declining, with a number of fundraisers taking place to help with his medical expenses.  He passed away early this morning.

Farewell to a giant in early rock and roll who also played with a number of country giants as well.

Nokie Edwards was 82.