Jet Harris
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Jet Harris (real name Terence Harris) was the bass guitarist and leader of The Shadows until April 1962.
Terence Harris was born on 6 July 1939 in Kingsbury, Middlesex, England. Although he learned to play clarinet as a teenager, he made his own four string double bass to play in a jazz group and later graduated to a professionally made double bass. In 1958, while playing in drummer Tony Crombie's jazz group, Crombie suggested that Harris should try "this new guitar". Thus Harris was possibly the first person in Britain to own an electric bass guitar, and certainly the first to play one in a band. His original instrument was a Framus Star bass imported by Besson & Co from West Germany.
He played in several groups including The Vipers and The Most Brothers before joining (in 1959) Cliff Richard's backing group The Drifters, who later changed their name to The Shadows (a name Jet thought up). The only member of the group who was old enough at the time to legally sign a contract, Jet was elected the leader of the group. In 1959, after the neck of his Framus was terminally damaged in a dressing room accident, he was presented (by the importers) with one of the first Fender Precision Basses which came to Britain from the United States. His playing was enterprising and of virtuoso standard. Most of the techniques used by 1970s players were being used by Harris as early as 1960. By 1962, his bass licks had become highly sophisticated, and unmatched by any of his peers.
Jet also contributed vocally, adding backup harmonies and even taking lead vocal once in a while. He also had a trademark scream unique in rock music, as used in the Shadows' "Feeling Fine" and Cliff Richard's "Do You Want to Dance." It was poorly imitated by The Beatles in their Shadows spoof Cry for a Shadow.
In 1962, he left the Shadows due to disagreements arising on tour (according to The Story Of The Shadows, written by the group with Mike Read). He released solo instrumental and vocal work with some success, but returned to top the UK singles chart with former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan with "Diamonds", released in January 1963.
A motor car crash later that year, as well as personal problems, meant that this success did not last long. Harris attempted a solo comeback in 1966 and was briefly in the line-up of the Jeff Beck Group in 1967, but somewhat fell out of the music business. He then worked variously as a labourer, bricklayer, porter in a hospital, bus conductor, and as a seller of cockles on the beach in Jersey.
Jet Harris still plays occasionally, with backing bands The Diamonds or as a guest with The Rapiers, and teamed up with Tony Meehan for a support performance in Cliff Richard's 1988 The Event concerts. In 1998 he was awarded a Fender Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in popularizing the bass guitar in Britain.
2006 saw Jet's first single release in over 40 years, San Antonio, coupled with Ignition precede a new album of all new material scheduled for release in 2007.
He inspired a whole generation of British bass guitarists, and still has many devoted admirers. Many techniques credited to other bass players, such as using the bass guitar as lead instrument and melodic basslines are techniques that were actually pioneered by Jet Harris. As well as melodic bass fills, his other techniques include octave pulses, playing an octave below the lead guitar and creating tension with a broken major-7 double-stop, a technique surprisingly missing from the repertoires of other bassists.
[edit] Selected Singles Discography
- "Diamonds" (with Tony Meehan)
- "Scarlett O'Hara" (with Tony Meehan)
- "Applejack" (with Tony Meehan)
- "The Man With The Golden Arm" (solo)
- "Besame Mucho" (solo)
- "San Antonio" (solo)
[edit] External links
| The Shadows |
|---|
| Hank Marvin | Bruce Welch | Brian Bennett Jet Harris | Tony Meehan | Brian Locking | John Rostill | Ian Samwell | Terry Smart |
| Production |
| Norrie Paramor | Peter Vince | Warren Bennett | Abbey Road Studios |
| Related articles |
| Cliff Richard | 1960s |
