Don Wilson of The Ventures performs during the 23rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on March 10, 2008. Photo by Kevin Kane/WireImage.

Don Wilson, who founded the influential surf rock group The Ventures in the late 195os, died Jan. 22 in Tacoma, Washington at the age of 88. The influential rhythm guitarist formed The Ventures with bassist Bob Bogle in 1958, and the band popularized their reverb-drenched signature surf guitar sound that soon became synonymous with California beaches and woodies with surfboards strapped to the roof.

But Wilson and The Ventures also popularized the electric guitar, and influenced a huge swath of musicians in the process. Everyone from George Harrison to Stephen Stills, John Fogerty and Gene Simmons were fans of the band.

In June 1960, after hearing a single sung by Chet Atkins, The Ventures decided to record a cover of jazz guitarist Johnny Smith’s song “Walk, Don’t Run.” The song peaked at No. 2 (shut out of the top spot by Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never”) and became a guitar anthem, voted one of the top 100 guitar songs of all time by Rolling Stone.

Wilson and the The Ventures also recorded the iconic theme song to the ’70s cop show “Hawaii Five-0” in 1968. The band had dozens of charting hits over two decades and sold more than 100 million records, becoming the biggest instrumental band of all time.

While The Ventures’ popularity began to fade in the U.S. in the 1960s, the band became hugely popular in Japan, scoring a No. 1 hit there with 1965 single “Diamond Head.” The band even gave rise to a movement in Japan known as “eleki boom,” during which thousands of Japanese went out and bought electric guitars and started bands.

The Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Wilson was the only founding member to play with the band through extensive lineup changes until he retired in 2015.

Follow writer David Gill at Twitter.com/songotaku.