Hank Marvin

Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter.

He is known as the lead guitarist for the Shadows.

Marvin was born as Brian Robson Rankin at 138 Stanhope Street in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

His father was an army officer.

He played banjo and piano.

After hearing Buddy Holly he decided to learn the guitar and also adopted Holly-style dark-rimmed glasses.

He chose his stage name while launching his career.

It is an amalgamation of his childhood nickname, Hank, and the first name of American country singer Marvin Rainwater.

He moved to London in April 1958 after persuading his parents to let him do so in pursuit of a career in the music business.

Sixteen-year-old Marvin and his Rutherford Grammar School friend, Bruce Welch, met Johnny Foster, Cliff Richard's manager, at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London.

Foster was looking for a guitarist for Cliff Richard's UK tour and was considering Tony Sheridan.

Instead he offered Marvin the position.

Marvin agreed to join the Drifters, as Cliff Richard's group was then known, provided there was a place for Welch.

Marvin met Richard for the first time at a nearby Soho tailor's shop, where Richard was having a fitting for a pink stage jacket.

The Drifters had their first rehearsal with Richard at the Webb family home (Cliff's parents) in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

After a threat of legal action by representatives of the American band of the same name, the Drifters became The Shadows in 1959.

The Shadows were known for their instrumental songs, mainly; Apache (1960), F.B.I. (1961), Wonderful Land (1962), and Foot Tapper (1963), among many others.

He co-wrote Richard's 1961 hit; "Gee Whizz It's You" with Ian Samwell.

With Welch, Brian Bennett, and John Rostill, he wrote hits for Cliff Richard, including; "On the Beach", "I Could Easily Fall in Love with You", "Time Drags By", and "In the Country".

The band split up briefly between 1968 and 1973, but was reformed by Marvin, Welch and Bennett.

His first critically lauded, self-titled solo album of instrumentals, which featured guitar set to orchestrated backing, was released in 1969, following the first disbanding of the Shadows, in late 1968.

The single "Sacha" topped the singles chart in New South Wales, Australia, having been 'discovered' by two DJs at 2WG Wagga Wagga.

Marvin's solo career was then suspended due to Shadows reunions, first for a Far East tour and 'live' album in 1969, then a studio album in 1970 (Shades of Rock) and again in the early 1970s.

He has experimented with styles and material, doing instrumental albums, some with mostly vocals (e.g. Words and Music, All Alone With Friends), one with only acoustic guitars and one with a guitar orchestra (The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate).

In 1969 and 1970, he teamed with Richard for: two 'Cliff & Hank' hit singles, his own song; "Throw Down a Line" (also recorded by Marvin, Welch & Farrar), and "The Joy of Living", while Richard also had a hit with his ecology song, "Silvery Rain".

In 1970, Marvin and Welch formed Marvin, Welch & Farrar, a vocal-harmony trio which failed to appeal to Shadows fans or to contemporary music fans.

They became 'Marvin & Farrar' for a vocal album in 1973 and then reverted to the Shadows in late 1973, for the instrumental Rockin' with Curly Leads album.

The Shadows came second for the United Kingdom in the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest with "Let Me Be the One".

Marvin wrote "Driftin'", "Geronimo", "Spider Juice" (his daughter's name for orange juice), "I Want You to Want Me" for the Shadows, and "The Day I Met Marie".

In 1977, Marvin played lead guitar on Roger Daltrey's third solo album, One of the Boys, on the tracks Parade and Leon.

He co-wrote Olivia Newton-John's 1977 hit 'Sam' with John Farrar and Don Black, and produced albums for the British showman Des O'Connor.

"Silvery Rain" was covered by Olivia Newton-John on her 1981 album Physical.

In 1988, Marvin collaborated with French keyboardist and composer Jean Michel Jarre on the track "London Kid", on Jarre's Revolutions album and was a guest in Jarre's Destination Docklands concert at London's Royal Victoria Dock.

Jarre said the Shadows' success had influenced him and led to his decision to devote his career to instrumental music.

Marvin appeared with Leslie Nielsen in an advert for Red Rock Cider, which was done as a parody of Nielsen's Police Squad! films.

In a bar scene, Nielsen calls out, "Hey, you over there, in the shadows!", after which Marvin steps forward.

When Nielsen asks Marvin to "accompany" him (police talk for taking someone down to the station), Marvin literally accompanies him, on the guitar, as Nielsen sings the product's jingle.

In 1992, Duane Eddy guested on Marvin's album Into the Light on the track "Pipeline".

Marvin and the Shadows reformed for a 2004 Final Tour, and a 2005 European tour was also undertaken.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows performed the final tour dates in 2009 and 2010.