Randy Bachman by Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories

Author:Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Music, Genres & Styles, Composers & Musicians, Rock
ISBN: 9780143185772
Publisher: Penguin Group (Canada)
Published: 2011-09-01T05:00:00+00:00

Shadows and Reflections

The first time I heard the distinctive melodic instrumental music of the Shadows I was instantly smitten. It was the beginning of a lifelong admiration for the group’s intricate, guitar-driven sound. The U.K. quartet became my mentors, with Shadows lead guitarist Hank Marvin serving as my very own hero.

The story of how I fell in love with the Shadows starts with how I joined Allan and the Silvertones. Allan and the Silvertones were a popular group from the other side of the Red River in East Kildonan whose reputation had spread around the city. I first heard about them in around 1961. They needed a rhythm guitar player because the guy they had, Johnny Glowa, had quit to go back to school. He’d even sold his orange Gretsch 6120 guitar to Neil Young. So I was asked to audition on rhythm guitar; I guess they knew of me from the Velvetones. Allan Kowbel was playing lead guitar at the time. The group’s repertoire consisted largely of material from England’s Cliff Richard and the Shadows, whose guitar player was Hank Marvin. I’d never heard the Shadows until I met Allan. He gave me a couple of their EPs to learn from, which, I think, had “Kon Tiki,” “Man of Mystery,” “FBI,” and songs like that. They gave me a few days to learn the songs before my audition. Learning the chords was no problem, and the melodies were a piece of cake for me, so I learned them too just for fun. With my background in melody from years of violin, moving on to the Shadows seemed natural.

Featuring Hank Marvin on lead guitar, Bruce Welch on rhythm guitar, drummer Tony Meehan (replaced by Brian Bennett), and Jet Harris on bass, the Shadows initially came together in 1958 as backing group for U.K. pop sensation Cliff Richard. Dubbed England’s very own Elvis Presley, Cliff recorded and toured with the Shadows, whose two guitars, bass, and drums lineup became the template for British rock bands, including the Beatles. Beginning in 1960 with “Apache,” the Shadows carved out a separate career recording instrumentals, going on to score thirty-five chart hits on their own as well as charting almost as many times with Cliff Richard, making them the third most successful singles recording act in U.K. music history.

With his trademark Buddy Holly glasses and fiesta-red Fender Stratocaster (reputed to be the first Stratocaster in the U.K.), Hank Marvin became an inspiration to thousands of British teens who picked up guitars in the wake of their success. Hank’s use of an echo effect and his vibrato arm on his guitar were integral to his sound. He’d seen James Burton playing a Fender Telecaster backing Ricky Nelson, and so, with no Fender dealers in the U.K. in 1959 and not knowing what else to do, he wrote away to Fender in California and sent money for a Telecaster. But what they sent him was a Stratocaster like the one Buddy Holly played and later Jimi Hendrix.

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