Nokie lives in Oregon with his wife Judy. They have four children from previous marriages. Nokie had two girls (Tina and Kim) and Judy two boys (Patrick and Seth). They lost Kim to a car accident in 1988. There are six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Judy Edwards is president of the Nokie Edwards Official USA Fan Club.

Nokie’s Roots
Nokie learned how to play guitar at the age of five; by the age of eleven he could play all string instruments. He turned professional at the age of twelve when he performed on a country station in Idaho. Nokie’s family then moved to Washington State where he played regularly at community fairs and festivals, including landing the coveted role as a featured performer at the historical "Ezra Meeker Days" festival in Puyallup Washington. When Nokie turned seventeen, he went to Oregon were he played in dance halls. His guitar virtuosity was unmatched and unprecedented; he was making $300.00 a week while others were making $75.00 a week. Before eighteen he was given a raise to $350.00 a week. For the next few years Nokie was a welcome regular on the regional music circuit, his star appeal ascended immensely.

1956-1960
From 1956 to 1960 Nokie served his country as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, receiving his training in Ft. Orr, California and in Ft. Bliss, Texas, and then as member of the National Guard in Washington. When he returned to Tacoma, Washington in 1957, his magnificence as a guitarist enabled him to become an integral part of the Tacoma music scene. Buck Owens, the country music artist and pioneer of the "Bakersfield Sound," asked Nokie to join his band. Nokie spent the next year playing with Buck Owens at clubs and on radio and television. An added highlight would be when the Grand Ol’ Opry’s road shows came to the Northwest and they would need a lead guitar player. They would call Buck Owens for a lead guitarist and Buck would send Nokie to play lead for the shows. Through Owens, Nokie met a number of other country music entertainers such as Ferlin Husky, Lefty Frizzell, Justin Tubb, Dale Woods, Benny Martin, and many more.

From 1959 with The Ventures
In 1959, while Nokie was playing lead guitar for Buck Owens, he was approached by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, a couple of guitarists from Washington. They asked Nokie to join them in forming a band which later became known as The Ventures (a band that went on to become the most popular rock instrumental band in history). The group’s first single was a remake of guitarist Chet Atkins’ ‘Walk Don’t Run,’ which was written by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith. The tune was released in 1960 on Josie Wilson’s Blue Horizon label and garnered a lot of requests in the Seattle area. The group then signed with Dolton Records which was owned by Bob Reisdorff. Dolton later became a subsidiary of Liberty Records, and ‘Walk Don’t Run’ was released nationally, with the tune peaking at #2 on the charts. The Ventures followed up the hit single with an album appropriated entitled "Walk Don’t Run". While touring with The Ventures, Nokie played lead on many famous hits that were recorded by Nokie and The Ventures by such as ‘Hawaii 5-O’ , ‘Fugitive’, ‘2000 Pound Bee’, ‘Yellow Jacket’, ‘Hokkaido Skies’, ‘Driving Guitars’, ‘Surf Rider’ (also known as ‘Spudnik’,) ’Moon Child’, ‘Pedal Pusher’, ‘Sleep Walk’, ‘Let’s Go’,’ Slaughter on Tenth Avenue’, ‘Wipe Out’, and ‘Pipeline’, to name a few.

Nokie left The Ventures in 1968 and moved back to Washington to pursue his interest in horse racing, and to further his solo career playing and writing all styles of music. Nokie returned to play lead for The Ventures from 1972 to 1984, and also played in other bands when The Ventures were not touring. Nokie performed with Lefty, David, and Allan Frizzell on Lefty’s last engagement in Tacoma before his untimely death in 1975. In 1985, Nokie briefly joined the band of the country duo Frizzell & West, which featured David Frizzell and Shelly West, who were known for their many hits including, ‘You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma’.

Nokie Today
Nokie still tours Japan performing with The Ventures, and also tours with them in the US when he is needed. One particular tour in Japan took in 108 concerts in only 78 days, and when Nokie and The Ventures arrived in 1965, an estimated 10,000 people showed up at the Tokyo airport to welcome Nokie and The Ventures: Japan’s Beloved Guitar Invaders! Nokie also tours the US, UK, Italy, Canada, as well as Japan twice a year with his own tour. Nokie’s capacity for touring and the drawing record crowds is something for the history books.

In 2002, Nokie started a new guitar company: HitchHiker Guitars. Nokie put his knowledge of 55 years of mastering the guitar into a beautiful instrument. The guitar has great sustain; there are fifteen variations of tones by using the tone control in conjunction with the switches. The word is out that the guitar has an identifiable sound - its own "signature" sound. Once you hear a HitchHiker guitar you know the name because you never forget the distinctive sound. Nokie takes great pride in quality. He spared no expense in building this high tech, high quality guitar built by a true master guitar player, Nokie Edwards. For 2004, Nokie is adding a bass guitar and acoustic guitar to the HitchHiker Company product line. For information: www.nokieedwards.org

During the past decade plus, Nokie has been traveling around the world entertaining old and new fans alike with regular stops at:

• Chet Atkins Association Society (CAAS), Nashville, Tennessee

• Mesquite Guitar Festival "Art Greenhaw’s International Guitar Celebration",
  Mesquite, Texas

• Muriel Anderson’s "All Star Guitar Night" in Tennessee and California

• "Guitar’s For Life", New York

• Japan two and three times annually, occasionally with The Ventures

• Pierpaolo Adda’s Annual Concert, Soave, Italy

• Guitar Extravaganza, Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Canada

• North Carolina Thumb and Finger Style Convention

• Performing for the Ohio’s Thumb and Finger Style Association

• David Harris (HAS - Concert Productions)

• Seattle’s Experience Music Project (EMP) with The Ventures

• Performing with David Frizzell

• Performing with The Light Crust Doughboys

Nokie has shared the stage with other notable entertainers like Mickey Jones (drummer for Kenny Rogers, Bob Dylan, Johnny Rivers), Little Jimmy Dickins, Jeff (Skunk) Baxter, Thom Bresh (Merle Travis’ son), Peter Frampton, Robbie Krieger, Richard Smith, Tommy Emmanuel, Laurence Juber (Paul McCartney & Wings), The Fabulous Wailers, The Stampeders, Peter Tork (The Monkees), Mitch Rider, Seymour Duncan, Brent Mason, John Jorgenson, Will Ray, Albert Lee, Art Greenhaw, the Light Crust Doughboys, and many more.

Nokie Edwards is the featured instructor for fifteen guitar instructional videos teaching courses marketed throughout the world, in addition to the legendary "Play Guitar With The Ventures" series of instructional albums in the USA, which launched thousands of guitarists and became the only instrumental guitar LPs in history to make Billboard's and Cashbox’s best-selling album charts. Nokie’s guitar clinics in North America, Europe and Japan attract beginners and professionals alike who watch in awe as their mentor instructs them in the fine art of guitar playing.

Nokie Edwards has earned success in the all-important albums market, unlike many of his superstar contemporaries who scored hits with singles only. During the 1960’s alone, Nokie Edwards and The Ventures had no less than 33 albums to hit the US charts, 5 of these influential albums went "Gold’. In addition to The Ventures albums, Nokie has performed as a guest on over three dozen CD’s and recorded over two dozen solo albums - seven of which he produced of his own.

Nokie's performances are a mix of music that puts an audience on the edge of their seats... Speaking of "the edge of your seat"... It is a must to see Nokie and Thom Bresh on stage. You know the old saying, "the show must go on", well, "The Show Must Never End!" Nokie continues to diversify his music career by composing new songs and adding new arrangements to his favorite songs... Bringing back and creating new precious memories for the listener around the globe. As busy as he is, Nokie always makes time for an autograph session and to be with his fans as they line up for memorabilia and get his latest CD’s. His concerts consist of the famous hit songs of The Ventures as well as Nokie's favorite country, classical, light jazz, blue grass and "oldies" hits. Nokie's fans and peers recognize Nokie Edwards as a guitarist of very distinctive style. His outstanding finger and flat-picking styles allow his pure artistic expression to truly flow through the guitar.

Two Decades of Awards & Trophies for Nokie Edwards

• 2004 - Certificate of Commendation by The Foreign Minister of Japan
  in recognition for distinguished achievements in promoting exchanges between Japan and the United States of America. Strengthening of friendship between two countries — 150th year anniversary of the Japan - US relationship.

• 2003 - Presented the "Key to the City Of Mesquite, Texas" during The Mesquite Guitar Festival by Mayor Mike Anderson in honor of Nokie's achievements in the field of music and influence upon Mesquite's Art Greenhaw. 

• 2001 - Plaque for his contribution to Soave, Italy for keeping American music alive in Italy

• 2001 - Award for his contribution to Country Western Music by C&R Northwest Country Music Review

• 2001 - Trophy for his New York performance and contribution at “Guitars For Life”

• 2001 - Awarded membership to Thumb and Finger-Style Association of Kentucky and North Carolina

• 2001 - Nokie made Honorary Captain by the Louisa, Kentucky Police Department

• 1997 - Hand prints at Chambers Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee

• 1996 - Hand prints in the Rock Walk Hall of Fame in Hollywood, California

• 1994 - Award of appreciation and deep admiration from Toyako Onsen Japan and Mayor Masayoshi Okamura for the charity concert which encouraged cultural exchange and promoting the town as expressed in the images of Lake Toya with his song First Snow Memory

• 1984 - Nokie deputized as “Deputy Sheriff” by the Tennessee Police Department

• 1982 - Nokie made “Honorary Colonel" of The Arkansas State Police

Awards from 1960-1984

• One Gold Single ('Walk Don’t Run')

• One Gold Single ('Hawaii 5-0')

• Five Gold Albums

• One Gold Album for the Northwest Hall of Fame

• Received the First Gold Eight Track from Japan

• Ginza Lights (written by Nokie Edwards in 1964) voted the “All-Time” Number One Song in Japan in 1994

• Responsible for 25% of Liberty Records' total record sales

• Award for an unprecedented One Million Albums Sold Each Year from 1961 to 1966

• The Ventures sold over One Hundred Million Albums

• Only foreign group to ever receive the Prestigious Japanese Grand Prix Award (only three were given in the history of the record company at that time)

• Double Platinum Sales Award presented to Nokie Edwards commemorating the sales of more than 2,000,000 copies of MCA records' albums and CD music from Pulp Fiction.

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