Josie Wilson

Josie Wilson was among the 1st female professionals to infiltrate the male-dominated globe of rock and roll & move. The founder from the self-employed label Blue Horizon, she also created “Walk, Don’t Work,” the seminal instrumental released in 1960 from the Endeavors, the music group led by her boy Don. Born Apr 29, 1915, in Tacoma, WA, Wilson was a lifelong music aficionado who trained herself to try out several instruments, like the ten-string tiple (a little chordophone linked to your guitar). When Don was about 12 years of age, she trained him his 1st chords, and following that he quickly graduated to acoustic guitar — when he and friend Bob Bogle shaped the instrumental duo the Versatones, Josie was their most ardent supporter, actually suggesting they modification their name towards the Endeavors. After bassist Nokie Edwards and drummer Miss Moore became a member of the lineup, the Endeavors went searching for a record offer. Getting no takers, Josie founded Blue Horizon, reservation period at Seattle’s Boles Studio room and pressing up 300 copies of “Walk, Don’t Operate,” the fledgling band’s reverb-soaked rendition from the Johnny Smith jazz traditional. After radio character Pat O’Day released “Walk, Don’t Operate” on his KJR broadcast, the instrumental topped Seattle AM playlists, prompting regional label Dolton to obtain the Endeavors’ agreement. Dolton later certified “Walk, Don’t Operate” to main label Liberty, and in Sept 1960 the solitary reached number 2 within the Billboard pop graph. When the Endeavors relocated from Seattle to LA, Josie Wilson continued to be co-producer in tandem with Dolton owner Bob Reisdorf. The group continued to be the best-selling instrumental action from the rock and roll era, credit scoring six Best 40 strikes including “Telstar” as well as the immortal “Hawaii Five-O” and pioneering the intense, twangy sound afterwards adapted to make surf rock and roll. Wilson continued to be the matriarch from the Projects empire into her ninth 10 years, on the way posting a level of poetry, Dispersed Pebbles. She passed away Feb 18, 2007, at age 91.