RJ brings the Ventures to Phl one last time

MANILA, Philippines - Last year, the Ventures performed a one-night sold-out concert at the Dusit Hotel Ballroom in Makati. Ramon “RJ” Jacinto actually brought the group to Manila on a whim because it was his favorite band and major music influence and never expected the tickets to sell briskly.

The concert was like a Utopian dream. Politicians and business adversaries unified together for one night of nostalgic Ventures music. US Amb. Harry Thomas and other members of the International diplomatic corps together with stars of the local TV, movie and music industry including the prolific Chan family swayed to the Ventures repertoire of hits that spanned at least five decades.

Initially known as the Versatones, the Ventures legend started in Tacoma Washington in 1958 with Bob Bogle, Don Wilson, Nokie Edwards and Skip Moore as original core members. The band’s first recording was Walk Don’t Run written by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1955. Bob bought an album of Chet Atkins performing the song and the group decided to record it. Bob’s instincts were right on the money — Walk Don’t Run became the Ventures’ first No. 1 single not only in the US but in England as well. The Ventures charted several hits in the ’60s and ’70s. One of its biggest was Hawaii Five-O, which was the theme for the long-running TV series of the same title, starring the late Jack Lord. To date, the Ventures has sold over 100 million albums worldwide and has served as an inspiration to a multitude of rock heroes including George Harrison, Elton John, Billy Joel, Mark Knofler (Dire Straits), Peter Frampton, Ray & Dave Davis of the Kinks, the Beach Boys, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Keith Moon (the Who), John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Brian May (Queen) and hundreds more, including our very own RJ Jacinto.

US Amb. Harry Thomas with Dusit GM Prateek Kumar

According to RJ, to accommodate the Ventures fans who weren’t able to watch the band’s concert at the Dusit Ballroom last year, the one-night concert will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 8:30 p.m. Fans are reminded this might be the last time the band will ever perform in the Philippines. Like RJ, the Ventures has received countless accolades, awards and citations including the induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Most members today are senior citizens, but are still energetic and still tour extensively around the world with at least 80 to 100 dates per year.