MUSIC-13

VENTURES MUSIC

2000 Pound Bee

is a Ventures classic and an original.

It is a song that had a major impact on electric guitars
in the 60’s.

It defined the

“Fuzz Tone”

for guitars.

Bee was requested by John Belushi,

to be played at his funeral.

READ

the stories below.

Now Playing:

SINGLE: 2000 Pound Bee — Parts 1 & 2

SONG: 2000 Pound Bee — Part 2

YEAR: 1962

Fuzz Guitar

In late 1962, The Ventures recorded and released original compositions 2000 Pound Bee — Parts 1 and 2. The songs made use of a revolutionary device intended to create a distorted buzzing sound on the electric guitar signal. This device was created for The Ventures by friend and electronics wizard, steel guitarist Red Rhodes, and apparently paralleled development of a commercially available similar device by Maestro. On December 29, 1962, “Bee – Part 2” became the first single to hit the Billboard chart using the fuzz tone on electric guitar. The “VH-1 Music First Encyclopedia of Rock Stars” goes further in stating that it was the first song ever recorded using fuzz-box guitar. Of course, fuzz/distortion, became a staple of rock in the 1960s and, in concert with power guitar later became the basis for “classic rock” and “grunge”. 2000 Pound Bee thus became historically very significant.

John Belushi’s Story

John Belushi and Dan Akroyd created the unforgettable “Killer Bee” characters, on Saturday Night Live, in the 70’s.

They spent one afternoon on the beach talking and the subject of their deaths came up. It was one of those conversations that good friends have sometimes. They were listening to a tape by The Ventures’ 2,000 Pound Bee — Part 2. The song was full of hard sounding guitars and it was the kind of music that was popular in the 60’s with just a touch of punk. Aykroyd had one favor to ask of John. “You got to promise me something, ” Aykroyd said. “If I die before you do, you have to play this tape at my funeral….because its…” Dan laughs…”Wouldn’t it be great to lay this noisy, heavy tape on a church full of people!”

“Sure,” John replied, “and you do the same for me.” He was serious.

“Absolutely,” Aykroyd promised. “Absolutely.”

John Belushi passed away on March 5, 1982 in Los Angeles. On March 11, about 1,000 of John’s family and friends attended a memorial service in New York at the Cathedral of Saint John Divine. As promised, Aykroyd took out a tape player and held it to the microphone and played 2,000 Pound Bee .

The audience was stunned at first but then began to laugh. John once again got the last laugh.

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