The Shadows

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The Shadows were the fore-runners of the guitar bands of the British pop scene of the swinging sixties. They began as the Drifters in the late fifties but changed the name to the Shadows to avoid confusion with an American group with the same name.
Original members were Hank Marvin (lead guitar), Bruce Welch (rhythm guitar), Jet Harris (bass guitar) and Tony Meehan (drums).
The Shadows initially provided the musical backing for Cliff Richard in the very popular “Cliff Richard Show”.
They became stars in their own right when their recording “Apache” hit the No. 1 spot of the British chart in 1960 and remained there for several weeks.

This was followed by a string of No. 1 hits including “KonTiki”, “Atlantis”, “Wonderful Land”, “Foot Tapper” and “Dance On”.
Not satisfied with being just backing musicians, drummer Tony Meehan and bass guitarist Jet Harris left to strike out on their own. They were replaced by drummer Brian Bennett and bass guitarist Brian Locking. Harris & Meehan managed to hit the No. 1 spot with “Diamonds”. Success was limited and they faded away soon after.

The impact of the Shadows on the British pop scene of the sixties can only be described as historic. According to the Apache Songfacts, John Lennon once claimed that The Shadows were one of the only things in British music “worth listening to” before The Beatles came along.

Their trademark was the unique sound of Hank Marvin’s lead guitar.

It was Hank who introduced the use of Echo or Reverb. He also frequently used the tremolo arm to produce an effect similar to steel guitar sounds. Other Hank Marvin trademarks were Muting, a technique featured in their hit “Foot-tapper”, and penta-tonic “double stops” (featured in “Livin’ Doll).
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