Cliff and The Shadows

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Cliff and The Shadows More photos:
Barker and Richard

Description: Cliff Richard with The Shadows

Brian Bennett: Educated at Hazlewood School, Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill School, he left at the age of sixteen to play drums in a skiffle group for holiday makers in Ramsgate. After returning to London and playing in several groups, he became a member of Marty Wilde's Wildcats in 1959. After a successful period with the Wildcats, during which he appeared on their instrumental record without Wilde (recorded as the Krew Kats), "Trambone", he backed Tommy Steele for some of his London stage performances, and in October 1961 he joined The Shadows as the replacement for Tony Meehan. He stayed with the group for all their subsequent line-ups, and as of May 2005 was taking part in an European tour. As well as his work with the Shadows he is also a prolific composer, particularly of soundtrack music for films and television programmes, including The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Pulaski. He also appeared in Cliff Richard's backing band and plays piano and occasionally vibraphone. Two of his most famous works were "The Journey" and "Just a Minute", used for the ITV Schools on 4 broadcasts between 1987 and 1993. He is also an orchestral conductor, having learned how to arrange and conduct music for orchestras from a correspondence course. His son Warren Bennett formerly played keyboards for the band Glass Ties, and is also a composer and producer.

Hank Marvin: Hank Marvin played what is thought to have been the first Fender Stratocaster in the UK, serial number 34346, finished in a Coral Pink shade of Fiesta Red,with gold hardware, and this guitar with its tremolo arm contributed to the Shadows' sound. The guitar was imported from America by Cliff Richard . Marvin's original sound was achieved by the use of a Stratocaster, a Vox amplifier (AC15 and AC30 models) and a drum echo machine, his first being a Meazzi Echomatic. He later used a Vox-badged Meazzi and then a Binson (Drum) Echo Machine. Currently he is using the Alesis Quadraverb Q20 programmed by Charlie Hall with his "Echoes from the Past" (EFTP). In 1959, Marvin and Richard searched through a Fender catalogue to find the guitar played by James Burton, Ricky Nelson's lead guitarist. They assumed it must be a Stratocaster because the most expensive in the brochure was a gold-plated example. Burton, however, played the Telecaster and the Stratocaster was relatively new. Although Marvin used that original guitar between 1959 and 1961, it remained Richard's property and was returned to him when Jennings Musical Industries (the makers of Vox amplifiers and the importers of Fender guitars) outfitted the whole group with matching Fiesta Red Fender guitars. The 1959 instrument is now owned by Bruce Welch - a gift from Cliff Richard in the 1970s for his production work on several of hit albums. Richard had the guitar sprayed white before giving it back to Welch who had it restored, which meant that the history of this unique guitar which included the scratches, knocks, faded paint etc has been wiped out. In the early 1960s, Jennings named a range of guitar accessories (including plectra, a guitar strap and a Bigsby-styled tremolo unit) after Marvin . They used the Hank Marvin signature tremolo unit on several of their own Vox guitars. More significantly, Marvin also worked with Jim Burns (head of the Burns London guitar company) to develop his own signature model: the "Burns Marvin". The "Marvin" appeared in 1964 and a 12-string version called the Double Six appeared a little earlier. The Burns London company was taken over by the American piano-maker, Baldwin, in 1967, and partly as a result of that, the fewer-than-400 original Burns-made Marvins are now sought after. More recently, the revived Burns company made a limited reissue of 2004 signature Marvin guitars with a certificate of authenticity, signed by Marvin. Those instruments were promoted on the Shadows' 2004 Final Tour. Marvin's original Burns guitars had been stolen in 1972 and never appeared again.

Bruce Welch: Bruce Welch (born Bruce Cripps, 2 November 1941 in Bognor Regis, Sussex, England) is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer and singer, best known as a member of The Shadows. Welch grew up with his Aunt Sadie in Chester le Street, County Durham. After learning to play the guitar, he formed a Tyneside skiffle band called The Railroaders when he was fourteen. His Rutherford Grammar School friend Brian Rankin (later to be known as Hank Marvin, joined the group and they travelled to London in 1958 for the final of a talent competition. Although they did not win, they joined with members of other entrant bands and formed The Five Chesternuts with Pete Chester (born 1942), son of comedian Charlie Chester on drums. In September 1958 Welch and Marvin joined The Drifters, later to become The Shadows, as Cliff Richard's backing band. As well as success with The Shadows, Welch also acted as producer for (among others) Cliff Richard and songwriter for his ex-fiancée, Olivia Newton-John. He also released a solo single "Please, Mr Please", which was not commercially successful, even though the song has been covered by several recording artists. Among songs written or co-written by Welch are the Shadows' hits "Foot Tapper" and "The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt", Marvin Welch & Farrar's "Faithful" and "My Home Town", and Cliff Richard hits "In The Country", "Summer Holiday (song)", and "I Could Easily Fall (In Love With You)". He was the musical consultant for the West End musical Buddy. Welch plays occasionally with his second band, the Moonlight Shadows, a Shadows-style band with Phil Kelly taking Hank Marvin's place on lead guitar. He was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music.

Put your friend in the picture with the stars! This is the one gift you can guarantee that no-one else will have. You send, upload or email us a photo of your friend and we will seamlessly merge it into a high-quality A4-sized photo with their heroes. The picture can be mounted in a frame of your choice (16inch x 12inch) with double mounts, in a special Famous Friends presentation box.

Photo Ref: 1490

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Thank you all so much. The picture arrived today and I am absolutely thrilled with it. My sister is going to LOVE it!!
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