Johnny Smith: Walk, Don't Run!

[Pickinbuddy]

Amazing journey THIS song went on--from Smith, then Chet, to the Ventures-to the world!

[SpanishBlackpool]

@Pickinbuddy ...and to the Shadows in the 70s - also a great version.

[rymeandreason]

SO INTERESTING , THANKS - I HAVE WONDERED ALL MY LIFE ABOUT THE ORIGINAL VERSION ,!!

 IM 63 !!

[edcerc]

one of the best jazz guitarists ever

[MattHurtSchlockFilms]

oh also sleepwalk by santo n johnny was inspired by softly as a morning sunrise, same as this song.. u can hear somma the same chord progression n em all

[MattHurtSchlockFilms]

i just learned & am still learning, about this whole.. 1928-softly as a morn sunrise, then johnny made this, then chet a., then the ventures, then ofcourse.. a billion guitars were sold..very interesting history... also the song sleep-walk by santo n johnny was inspired by softly as a morn sun-rise.. n ofcourse many guitarists (claptop, paige, harrison, n 1000,s more) were inspired by the ventures.. walk don't run being their 1st hit.. interesting stuff.. Im gonna put all these songs together.

[rockme51]

cool

[lazur1]

The paltry six years between Smith's version and the Ventures' seemed like centuries at the time. Nowadays, I wake up and it's six years later.

[MrPickinbuddy]

@lazur1 Yeah-- I know what you mean! Ever notice how the TV advertisements for "the greatest oldies collection ever assembled" are all from the EIGHTIES!!!????

[klrietmann]

Cool. Lately I've been greatly enjoying Johnny and his band's backing on old LPs by singers Bev Kenney and Jeri Southern. Didn't realize he wrote WDR or the origin of the melody. Maybe you could write a countermelody to "Stardust" and have a surfing anthem there too.

Was hoping to hear Jethro Tull play "Softly" but their 1st single was actually entitled "Sunshine Day" and it sounds more Kinks than Kern.

[rorygg1]

great song, thanks for posting. the ventures owns this song's ass. thanks johnny for writing it, and chet for playing it, and the rest is history

[CaptainOats124]

This is eddie van halens first ever song :0

[646879]

I missed this the first time around...glad I found it ...great player

[STUDIOCHINCHAN]

Thanks for posting this tune, never heard it before and I love it. I hope you enjoy my Video response.

[peleka]

I heard "Softly as a Morning Sunrise" in the changes of "walk Don't Run" and in reading the comments see I was not alone. Must be why I adore both tunes. Maybe I'll start incorporating WDR into Softly when I play it!

[montycraig1]

It is Softly...

[ead117]

Thanks for posting this. I am not a musician, but, hey, somebody has to just listen and enjoy. I am going to find the Mosaic Box Set for my collection.

[ErickaAKlein]

I had the chance to meet him in Colorado in the late 90's at a family event. One of the nicest guys to talk to....he talked about starting as a network musician to get paid....and working his way from there.  Said he didn;t play that much anymore, but has some great stories of the early music business! A true master of the guitar!

[Modes9]

Is the double time stuff rushed or just way on top of the beat?

[janestreetmusic]

Great Posting! The Best!

[cowfez]

Incredible.

[gattonmaster]

JOHNY SMITH I HAVE MADE A BEST OF AUDIO 90 MINUTE MASTERPIECE. HE WAS IN HIS PRIME IN THE 50'S. S'WONDERFUL IS MY ALL TIME GUITAR SONG OF jOHNYS. HIS PERFECT CONTROL, PRIISTINE NOTES , SINGLE NOTE RUNS, BEAUTIFUL CHORDING. ONE OF THE BEST EVER ; YOU HAVE TO STUDY THIS GUY. HE IS RIGHT THERE WITH WES MONTGOMERY. ALSO CHECK OUT JIMMY BRYANT, HANK GARLAND, AND BOLA SETE. I MET HIM IN COLORADO IN ABOUT 71. MY DAD AND UNCLE RAN HIS WHEATRIDGE COLO. MUSIC STORE IN THE EARLY 70'S.

[DukeBasil]

Patrinos is said to have performed "Misirlou" in Greece as early as 1927, and he is often referenced as the first to cut it, but details are elusive. It's possible he made a recording in Greece around 1930, which was when the poverty-stricken country would have begun to build studio facilities. It's more certain he did at least record it in New York City in 1931.

Even though its authorship is unknown.. Nikos Roubanis. English lyrics were later penned by Fred Wise, Milton Leeds and S.K. Russell.

[ParthofthePigeons]

crazy guitar skills!!

[mastermetx]

A legendary guitarrist¡I dont Know that he wrote this melody¡

[pumpo64]

Me neither - and as someone posted elsewhere, this really IS the best version!

[acschmo]

i got to this video by looking fur perry lopez.

i took lessons from him in the late eighties

he was a very cool dude and it was great to jam with him and his f hole stickers L5

[iwgpventures]

この曲がなかったら、ベンチャ－ズの大成はあり得なかったと思う­と、感慨深いです。

[paradoxrk]

...and that's how you play a guitar!

[meleethe13]

Superb!

[wisesatyr72]

This guy have been a enigma to me..I think he lives in Colorado..THis luthier met him at some flea market and told me about it..

Very cool fellow I presumed.

[EADGBE54]

Mr. Smith worked as a jazz and studio player in New York into the early 1960s, then moved to Colorado and operated a music store out there. He retired from playing some years ago. The young Pat Martino was influenced by the precision of Johnny's picking technique. I shook Mr. Smith's hand in St. Louis years ago when he was there for a tribute to Mel Bay but forgot to bring my old Gibson catalog along for an autograph next to his signature model archtop (d'oh!).

[spacepatrolman]

Johhny wrote a 2 volume jazz guitar method published by mel bay it has good runs but its hard to use because he wrote it on the bass clef[ he said because thats the actual pitch ]

[TheRealShreddy13]

Actually, the method is written in both treble and bass clef, like piano music, and doesn't contain any runs, just (mainly) chords, scales and arpeggios.

:-)

[999manman]

I find it amazing that The Ventures were able to extract their phenomenal version from this tune. Someone had some very open ears to manage this coup!

[DukeBasil]

The Ventures actually took their version from CHET ATKINS....Chet got it from Johnny

[999manman]

No kidding? Thanks for telling me that! I always thought it had a slight Chet Atkins feel...neat!!!

[spacepatrolman]

chet simpified it some the ventures simplified it more [ johnny took the chords from softly as a morning sunrise,the first 45 by jethro tul l was softly as a morning sunrise with the label misprinted as jethro toe][ian anderson met roland kirk at the newport jazz festival in1969 after ripping himoff for 2 years][the last ed sullivan shoe had roland kirk]

[DukeBasil]

Johnny Smith did his original version in the 40s/50s...so I dont know what Jethro Tull has to do with this...Chet changed it/simplified it as you say and the Ventures added their INTERPRETATION...much like Dick Dale took a Lebanese/Greek/Armenian/Russia­n melody and made it his own....called MISIRLOU.

[ih8thishit]

are you deaf? you must be. WDR and Miserlou are miles, no make that LIGHTYEARS apart musically. Miserlou is so old no one even knows who wrote it. And for the Dale, whose real name is Dick Monsour, is of lebanese decent. (his grandfather was born in Lebanon, while Dick was born in Boston, MA)

[DukeBasil]

INTERPRETATION. He took an old tune that came from various sources and he even "borrowed" from Harry James' version (trumpet by Dick as well)

The exact history of "Misirlou" has been lost but it's most likely a Greek song, in the rembetika style, from Smirni (Izmir in Turkey) from the 1910s. The title means "Woman from Egypt" or "Egyptian girl" in Turkish. Many Greeks at that time were living in Turkey, especially Smirni and Istanbul. Even though its authorship is unknown,

[DukeBasil]

Johnny Smith 1954

on 10" lp Roost 424 In A Sentimental Mood (ORIGINAL RELEASED VERSION of his Walk Dont Run) WIKIPEDIA is not 100% accurate

[icorf]

Awesome!