Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for

The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...

, a group which primarily performed

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

s and was the backing band for

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million ...

, and subsequently for Marvin, Welch & Farrar.

Early life and career

Hank Marvin was born Brian Robson Rankin in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England. As a child he played

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

and piano. After hearing

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

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, which he used to differentiate himself from friends also named Brian, and the first name of

Marvin Rainwater Marvin Karlton Rainwater (July 2, 1925 – September 17, 2013) was an American country and rockabilly singer and songwriter who had several hits during the late 1950s, including " Gonna Find Me a Bluebird" and " Whole Lotta Woman," which hit #1 ...

, the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

and

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and b ...

singer. 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 Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

, 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 The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/ soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed i ...

, 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 Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...

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

in 1959.

Solo career

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

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

Brian Bennett Brian Laurence Bennett, (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band me ...

, 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". 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". "Silvery Rain" was covered by Olivia Newton-John on her 1981 album ''Physical''. In 1977, Marvin played lead guitar on

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

's third solo album, '' One of the Boys'', on the tracks ''Parade'' and ''Leon''. He co-wrote

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

's 1977 hit ' Sam' with John Farrar and Don Black, and produced albums for the British showman Des O'Connor. 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". His 2002 solo tour of the United Kingdom was billed as the ''Guitar Player Tour (The Final Tour)''. 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. Marvin dueted twice with French guitarist Jean-Pierre Danel on his 2007 and 2010 albums, both top-ten hits and certified gold. Their two singles hit the

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

charts in France, Norway, Finland and Germany, and later (when released as an EP from Danel's compilation The Hit List) in Ireland, United Kingdom, Poland, United States, South Africa and Thailand. Marvin also participated on one of his DVDs and wrote the foreword for Danel's book about the Fender Stratocaster. While Welch and Bennett became the Officers of the Order of the British Empire ( OBE) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music, Marvin declined for "personal reasons"."Actor Hurt leads Queen's honours"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

. On 28 October 2009, Marvin was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of his unique contribution to music. He has continued to release instrumental solo albums, all of which have reached the UK Top 10 album charts since 2002. His latest solo album, ''Without a Word'', was released in 2017.

Personal life

His first wife was Beryl, with whom he had four children. He is currently married to Carole, with whom he had two children. Since 1986, Marvin has lived in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. He has made impromptu appearances on stage when musician friends visit the area, such as in February 2013 when Cliff Richard held a concert at Sandalford Winery. He is a Jehovah's Witness. Marvin runs a recording studio, Nivram studios, part of Sh-Boom studios in Tiverton Street, Perth, owned by Trevor Spencer and Gary Taylor. He has also developed a keen interest in the music of

jazz guitar Jazz guitar may refer to either a type of electric guitar or a guitar playing style in jazz, using electric amplification to increase the volume of acoustic guitars. In the early 1930s, jazz musicians sought to amplify their sound to be he ...

legend Django Reinhardt and performs regularly with his group, "Hank Marvin's Gypsy Jazz", whose repertoire consists of a mix of Reinhardt originals and new tunes composed in the gypsy jazz genre.

Style and influence

According to Guitar.com, "In 1960 arvindefined the role of 'lead guitarist'" and "became the first British 'guitar hero'". The website continued, "Hank is legendary for his expressive phrasing, but rather than use his Strat's controls to accentuate volume swells, he prefers to use a pedal to give that vocal quality to his lines." Marvin influenced many British rock guitarists, including

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

, Brian May, Mark Knopfler,

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English musician and songwriter who was a member of the rock bands Humble Pie and the Herd. As a solo artist, he has released several albums, including his major breakthrough album, the live ...

, Steve Howe, Roy Wood, Tony Iommi,

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...

and

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

. Australian guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel has also paid homage to Marvin on various recordings. In 1959, Cliff Richard purchased a fiesta red Fender Stratocaster for Marvin to use on stage, which is widely claimed to be the first Stratocaster in the United Kingdom. Although it allegedly still belongs to Richard, it has been in the possession of Bruce Welch since 1968. Marvin has performed on stage almost exclusively with fiesta red Stratocasters since Richard's original purchase. In Canada, Cliff Richard and the Shadows had top 10 hits, especially from 1961 to 1965. Canadian guitarists Randy Bachman and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

credit Marvin as influential, Young penning the song " From Hank to Hendrix" on his '' Harvest Moon'' album in partial tribute. "Hank Marvin" is

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymi ...

for "starvin" ("starving"). This slang was referenced in a 2012 television advertisement for Mattessons meat company.

Early group personnel

* 1956 Riverside Skiffle group Crescent City Skiffle Group: Marvin (banjo), John Tate (guitar), Derek Johnson (guitar), Joe Rankin (bass), Mal Malarky (mandolin), and Howard Muir (wb), John Clayton (guitar) * 1956–1957 The Railroaders (No. 1): Marvin (guitar), Welch (guitar), George Williams (guitar), John Clayton (guitar), Jim (drums) * 1956–1957 The Railroaders (No. 2): Marvin (guitar), Welch (guitar), Eddie Silver (guitar), George Williams (bass), and Jim ? (drums) * 1958 The Vipers (aka the Vipers Skiffle group) live concert:

Wally Whyton Wallace Victor "Wally" Whyton (23 September 1929 – 22 January 1997) was a British musician, songwriter and radio and TV personality. Biography Born in London, England, Whyton grew up listening to jazz, blues and folk music, and learned to pla ...

(vocals), Johnny Booker (guitar), Hank Marvin (guitar), Jet Harris (bass) and Johnny Pilgrim (wb) * 1958 The Five Chesternuts 7" single ("Jean Dorothy" on Columbia): Gerry Hurst (vocals), Marvin (guitar), Welch (guitar), Neil Johnson (bass) and Pete Chester (drums)

UK solo tours

* 1994 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass), Brian Bennett (drums) * 1995 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass), Matthew Letley (drums) * 1997 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass), Matthew Letley (drums) * 1998 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass), Matthew Letley (drums) * 2000 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass), Peter May (drums) * 2002 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass), Fergus Gerrand (drums)

Production credits

* Spaghetti Junction ''Work's Nice – If You Can Get It/Step Right Up'' Columbia DB 8935 * Des O'Connor – ''Another Side Des O'Connor'' – LP – NSPL 18559. * Flair – ''Stop Look & Listen'' – LP – MLP 15611. * Flair – ''Fair'' – LP – CC 227324 * Flair – ''Fair Play'' – LP – CC 327224

Duets and guest appearances

* 1972: Spaghetti Junction ''Work's Nice – If You Can Get It/Step Right Up'' Columbia DB 8935 * 1976: Evita: guitar on "Buenos Aires" * 1977: Dennis Waterman ''Waterman'' (also features

) * 1977:

'' One of the Boys'' – guitar on "Parade" and "Leon" * 1978: Des O'Connor ''Another Side of Des O'Connor'' * 1979: Wings ''

Back to the Egg ''Back to the Egg'' is the seventh and final studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, released in June 1979 on Columbia Records in America (their first for the label), and on Parlophone in the UK. Co-produced by Chris Thomas, t ...

'' – "

Rockestra Theme "Rockestra Theme" is the fourth and final single on Wings' final studio album ''Back to the Egg''. Recording "Rockestra Theme" was recorded on 3 October 1978 at Abbey Road Studios by an all-star collection of musicians dubbed "Rockestra", although ...

" and "So Glad to See You Here" * 1982: British Electric Foundation ''Music of Quality and Distinction Volume 1'', guitar on "Anyone Who Had a Heart" with Sandie Shaw and "It's Over" with

Billy MacKenzie William MacArthur Mackenzie (27 March 1957 – 22 January 1997) was a Scottish singer and songwriter, known for his distinctive high tenor voice. He was the co-founder and lead vocalist of post-punk and new wave band the Associates. He also h ...

* 1983: Tracey Ullman ''

You Broke My Heart in 17 Places ''You Broke My Heart in 17 Places'' is the debut studio album by Tracey Ullman, released in 1983. It peaked at No. 14 on the UK Albums chart and No. 34 in the spring of 1984 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the United States.'' Joel Whitburn Presen ...

'': guitar on "Move Over Darling" and "You Broke My Heart in 17 Places" * 1983: Leo Sayer '' Have You Ever Been in Love'' : guitar on "Don't Wait Until Tomorrow" * 1984: Shakin' Stevens "Teardrops" single * 1985:

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and per ...

plays "Going Home" (" Local Hero's Theme"), with the band, as a special guest at ''Live at Wembley'' * 1986:

and The Young Ones " Living Doll" (UK charts No. 1) * 1988: Jean Michel Jarre '' Revolutions'' guitar on "London Kid" (UK charts No. 52) * 1989: Jean Michel Jarre '' Destination Docklands'': guitar on "London Kid" and "Rendez-Vous IV" * 1992: Brian May We are the Champions Instrumental cover * 1995: Alan Jones ''A Shadow in Time'' album: guest on title track "A Shadow in Time" * 1998:

Jane McDonald Jane Anne McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cr ...

"You're My World" single * 2004:

The Strat Pack ''The Strat Pack: Live in Concert'' is a film of a September 24, 2004, concert featuring Joe Walsh, Gary Moore, Brian May (playing the Sunburst Stratocaster, in the opening set, rather than his signature guitar Red Special ), Hank Marvin, ...

: guitar on " The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt," " Sleep Walk" and "

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...

" * 2005:

Richard Hawley Richard Willis Hawley (born 17 January 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. After his first band Treebound Story (formed while he was still at school) broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longp ...

"I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin", B-side of "Coles Corner" single * 2007:

''Fingerprints'': guitar on "My Cup of Tea" (also features

) * 2007: Jean-Pierre Danel "Nivram" (French Charts No. 15, No. 8 Norway, No. 86 Germany) + Blues jam session on DVD * 2008:

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 m ...

"Let It Be Me" on ''Dreamboats and Petticoats'' * 2008: Le QuecumBar Patrons "Stars of Gypsy Swing" ("Coquette", "Noto Swing") * 2010: Jean-Pierre Danel "M Appeal" (Norwegian charts No. 7, Finland No. 99) Marvin also played guitar on the following tracks of library music recorded for Bruton Music: * "Fighter Plane" (with Alan Hawkshaw) on ''Top of the Range'' * "Conquest of Space" (with Alan Hawkshaw) on ''Grandiose Impressive Panoramic'' * "Human Desert" (with Alan Hawkshaw) on ''Human Desert''

Discography

References

External links

*
Hank Marvin Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2019) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marvin, Hank 1941 births 20th-century composers 20th-century English singers 20th-century English writers 21st-century composers 21st-century English singers 21st-century English writers Converts to Jehovah's Witnesses English banjoists English expatriates in Australia English jazz guitarists English male guitarists English jazz pianists English jazz singers English rock guitarists English rock pianists English rock singers English Jehovah's Witnesses English multi-instrumentalists English rock keyboardists English male singer-songwriters British rock and roll musicians Expatriate musicians Jazz banjoists Living people Musicians from Newcastle upon Tyne Musicians from Western Australia The Shadows members Writers from Perth, Western Australia Lead guitarists British male pianists British male jazz musicians