The heyday of instrumentals were from 1960 until 1964. There was a brief revival in 1968 (Several hit no.1 or were top 10 smashes).
Rock instrumentals were originally performed by R + B dance groups in the 1950s, such as Bill Doggett or King Curtis. These bands wanted to engage in and focus on uninhibited jam sessons, while their audiences wanted to focus on drinking and dancing.
By the late '50s, instrumental groups and solo artists were becoming very popular. ("Tequila" by The Champs(1958), for example, was a no. 1 hit for five weeks!) The instrumental offered an alternative to the teen idol and pop sound. And this genre rarely had copycats or imitators. Many DJs used the instrumental often as a lead-in to news or weather segments, which meant more airplay.
1960s instrumental hits can be broadly classified into two styles or categories: instrumental pop (easy listening) and instrumental rock (rock). The rock ones often featured a simple riff, a catchy melody line, some electronic gimmickry, or a combination of all three.
Examples of pop might include:
- "Classical Gas" (1968) by Mason Williams
- "The In Crowd"(1965)-Ramsey Lewis
- Soulful Strut" (Dec, 1968-early 1969) by Young-Holt Unlimited
- "Exodus" by Ferrante and Teicher (Dec. 1960-early 1961)
- Paul Mauriat's "Love Is Blue" (1968).
- "Tequila", "Wipe Out"(1963) by The Surfaris,
- "Green Onions" (1962)-Booker T. and The MGs
- The Ventures' "Hawaii Five-O" (1969)
"Walk, Don't Run", also by The Ventures, became not only a no. 2 smash in 1960, but a milestone in instrumental music history. The quartet became the most successful instrumental act of the rock era, and a role model/prototype for their contemporaries and others that followed.
Their albums even outsold their singles, and the group gained an international market, particularly Europe and Japan. There were even Ventures songbooks with play-along discs to help aspiring musicians.
The surfing craze (1962-1964) gave new energy to the genre from such groups as The Chantays and Dick Dale and The Deltones. Due to competition from other genres (the girl group sound, dance crazes, Motown, etc.), the instrumental was declining. And it would be the British Invasion that caused its demise.
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