They walked, didn’t run: The Ventures to be inducted into Hall of Fame

Published 3:46 pm Monday, March 10, 2008

After 22 years of being eligible for the honor, the Ventures are expected to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight.

The surf rock group from Tacoma, considered the most successful rock instrumental group ever, will join inductees including Madonna, Leonard Cohen and John Mellencamp. The ceremony, scheduled to air on VH1 Classic, can be seen by clicking here beginning at 5:30 pm PST (I think).

The Seattle Times ran a great profile of the group in today’s paper, recounting everything from the band’s early days playing bars to their improbable success in Japan. According to the article, the group was listed as the 7th biggest band of the 1960s by Billboard, ranking above the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys.

Below, the group performs one of their best-known hits, the unbelievably cool “Wipe Out.”