Throughout much of the 1950s Venuti made records and played at clubs. This was the beginning of about a 15-year lull in Venuti's career. In the early 1960s Venuti was mostly inactive due to his development of alcoholism. The late 1960s marked a revival in his career. In 1967 he was invited to perform at Dick Gibson's Colorado Jazz Party, and was such a success that he would be asked to repeat his performances annually until his death in 1978. In 1968 he was also invited to the Newport Jazz Festival, and in 1969 he performed at the London Jazz Expo.