After a spell with the United States Army Reserve, he began playing in various country outfits including Buck Owens band and in the house band of TV station KTNT, based in the same building as Owens’ radio station, KAYE.

In 1960 Edwards released a single, ‘Night Run’, with a band called the Marksmen. Nokie was drafted into a Washington group that had originally been called the Versatones, founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle after they heard him playing in a nightclub. By then they were The Ventures and Edwards was designated as the bass player, but would take over from Bogle on lead guitar.

The Ventures had several Top 30 hits in the US: ‘Walk Don’t Run’, ‘Perfidia’, ‘Ram-Bunk- Shush’, ‘Walk Don’t Run ’64’ and ‘Hawaii Five-O’ and four UK hits singles with ‘Walk Don’t Run’ and ‘Perfidia’ both making the Top Ten in 1960. ‘Walk Don’t Run’ sold over a million copies and went gold. The group released a staggering amount of albums, studio, live, box sets, compilations, guitar instruction and video…over two hundred in all.

Nokie Edwards left the group in 1968 but re-joined in 1972 and stayed with them until 1984, when once again he left this time to pursue a music career in Nashville and playing guitar on what would be Lefty Frizzell’s final recordings. By the late 1980s Nokie was back with the Ventures and would occasionally reunite with them to tour, including an annual tour of Japan, which the group undertook until 2012.

Nokie began a solo career in 1969, releasing several albums. He played sessions and performed with several bands in Nashville, receiving two nominations for ‘Grammy Award for Best Southern Country of Bluegrass Gospel Album, for 20th Century Gospel and Southern meets Soul. In 2008 Nokie Edwards, with the other members of the Ventures, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the award being presented by Credence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty. The Ventures performed ‘Walk Don’t Run’ and ‘Hawaii Five-O’. At one point, Nokie landed a role in the TV western series, Deadwood, playing a friend of Wild Bill Hickok, for which he relocated to California.

Nokie was filmed recording ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’ and in 2012, ‘Everyday’ on his copy of Buddy’s J-45 at Sound Control Recording Studios, Nashville. Nokie died in 2018 and it was his wish that his guitar presented by The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation be passed on to another musician who admired Buddy Holly and the Crickets. It was Nokie’s wife, Judy, who made many of the hand-tooled leather covers

for the presentation guitars, that suggested Brian Wilson would be a perfect candidate, not least because early Beach Boys music was partly influenced by the surf music sound that Nokie, and the Ventures, helped to pioneer.

Mike Read