The combination of Edwards on lead guitar, Taylor on drums, Bogle on bass and Wilson on rhythm guitar remained unchanged until Edwards left the band in 1968, to be replaced by Gerry McGee. Edwards came back in 1973 and remained with them until 1984, although he has toured and gigged with them dozens of times in the subsequent years. Edwards' replacement in 1984 was, once again, Gerry McGee. Drummer Mel Taylor remained with The Ventures through the late 1960s, but left in the 1970s when the Ventures became a funk/disco band. He returned in 1980 from his band Mel Taylor and The Dynamics. He remained with the Ventures until his death from cancer in 1996. His spot has since been filled by his son, Leon Taylor. (Original drummer Howie Johnson had died in 1987; Skip Moore, the drummer on Walk-Don't Run is also deceased).
On March 10, 2008, The Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with John Fogerty as their presenter. In attendance were original members Don Wilson and Nokie Edwards, late 1960s member John Durrill, current guitarist Bob Spalding, and current drummer Leon Taylor who, along with Mel Taylor's widow, Fiona, accepted on behalf of The Ventures late drummer. Bob Bogle and Gerry McGee were unable to attend the ceremony. Fiona Taylor gave special mention to her husband's predecessor drummers Skip Moore and Howie Johnson. The Ventures performed their biggest hits, Walk Don't Run and Hawaii Five-O , augmented on the latter by Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame musical director Paul Shaffer and his band.
Among their achievements in America, in 1963 The Ventures had five LPs in the Billboard Top 100 of the albums chart at the same time. Additionally, they released a series of instructional LPs entitled Play Guitar with The Ventures and Play Electric Bass with The Ventures. Four LPs were released in this series, the first of which reached the Billboard Top 100 Album Chart—an achievement previously unheard of for an instructional LP. In a novelty achievement, The Ventures were the first act to place two different versions of the same song in the Top 10, those being Walk Don't Run (#2) and Walk Don't Run '64 (#8).
Les Fradkin, a guitarist who specializes, as The Ventures do, in guitar based instrumental rock, has recorded with Nokie Edwards and performed with The Ventures live on stage. Art Greenhaw, Grammy Award-Winning artist-producer and leader of The Light Crust Doughboys, often identifies The Ventures as a major influence, and he has recorded and co-produced with The Ventures and performed with The Ventures live on stage. Allen Puddler Harris, a pianist originally from Louisiana, also recorded with The Ventures.
