Hank Marvin
| Hank B. Marvin | |
|---|---|
 Hank B. Marvin live on stage 22 April 2005 in Esbjerg, Denmark |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Brian Robson Rankin |
| Born | 28 October 1941 |
| Genres | Rock, Instrumental Rock, Rock & Roll |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, banjo, piano |
| Years active | 1956 – present |
| Associated acts | The Shadows, Cliff Richard |
| Notable instruments | |
| Hank Marvin Signature Stratocaster Burns "The Marvin" and the "Shadows Custom Elite Guitar" |
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Hank Brian Marvin (born 28 October 1941) also known as Brian Robson Rankin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard. Marvin has a distinctive guitar sound and appearance, primarily using a clean sound with very distinctive echo and vibrato giving a dreamy effect.[1]
Contents |
Personal life
Marvin was born on 28 October 1941 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. His birth name is Brian Robson Rankin. He chose the name, "Hank Marvin", while launching his career in music. The name is an amalgamation of his childhood nickname of Hank, which he used to differentiate himself from a number of friends also named Brian, and Marvin Rainwater, a country and western singer.
As a child, Marvin played the banjo and the piano. After he heard one of Buddy Holly's songs, he decided to also learn the guitar.
When Marvin was 16, he travelled with his Rutherford Grammar School friend Bruce Welch to London, where he met Johnny Foster, Cliff Richard's manager, at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho. Foster was looking for a guitarist for Richard's upcoming tour of the U.K., and Marvin agreed to join as long as there was also a place for Welch. Foster had actually been looking for guitarist Tony Sheridan at the Two 2i's, but by chance he encountered Marvin. Marvin and Welch joined The Drifters, as Cliff Richard's group was then known, beginning their careers as professional guitar players.
Marvin met Cliff Richard for the first time at a nearby Soho tailor's shop, where Richard was having a fitting for a pink stage jacket. They had their first rehearsal with him at his parents' home in Cheshunt.
Marvin lived in the hills above Perth, Western Australia from 1986 but has since relocated to a luxury apartment in East Perth. He is a committed member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.[2] When not relaxing at his home in Perth, Marvin runs a successful recording studio: Nivram studios (part of Sh-Boom studios in Tiverton street owned by Trevor Spencer and Gary Taylor) where he is happy to receive correspondence from die-hard Shadows fans.
Professional background
Equipment
Marvin played and owned the first Fender Stratocaster in the UK, serial number 34346, finished in Fiesta Red, with gold hardware. 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 with a Stratocaster, a Vox amplifier (AC15 and AC30 models) and a tape echo machine Meazzi Echomatic that was shown to him by Joe Brown (of Joe Brown and the Bruvvers fame) as Joe was asked to try it, but was not able to achieve the desired sound.
He later used a Vox-badged Meazzi, then a Binson Echorec (Drum) Echo Machine and finally another tape-loop machine, the Roland 301 Space Echo, before moving on to electronic units like the Alesis Quadraverb. Many aficionados now use similar units programmed by Charlie Hall with his "Echoes from the Past", authorised emulations of the original sounds.
Marvin also uses the analogue TVS3 echo which was developed by technicians, in particular Paul Rossiter, and musicians in Australia in an attempt to replicate the sounds of the original drum echo machines used on the early Shadows records, and preferred by Marvin.
In 1959, Marvin and Richard searched through a Fender catalogue to find the model of guitar played by James Burton, Ricky Nelson's lead guitarist. They assumed that Burton's guitar was a Stratocaster, because the most expensive guitar in the brochure was a gold-plated example with a red body and a one-piece Maple neck. Burton, however, played the Telecaster, and the Stratocaster was a relatively new model, available only to special order.
Richard made the arrangements and the chosen guitar was imported specially for Marvin, who used it between 1959 and 1961. It remained Richard's property and was returned to him when Jennings Musical Instruments outfitted the whole group with matching Fiesta Red Fender guitars, which featured necks with rosewood fingerboards. Marvin continued borrowing the original Stratocaster for recording, while the new Stratocasters were used mostly for stage work.
Stratocaster reproduction
In 2009, to mark the The Shadows 50th anniversary and "34346", the original Stratocaster is being reproduced in detail by Fender's Custom Shop in California. Built by Fender Master Luthier Greg Fessler, the run is limited to 50 pieces and has been produced within Fender's Dealer Select program. The guitar is a faithful reproduction of the original, down to the mythical colour which Marvin called "Flamingo Pink". This colour is also referred to by Dire Straits Guitarist Mark Knopfler in Alan Yentob's BBC TV series.
Fender has always denied the existence of that colour, while remaining true to form calling it "Custom Red". Each one of the limited edition includes a certificate of authenticity from Fender, stating that the instrument is a reproduction of "The first Stratocaster to be imported into the UK" signed by the Master Builder, there is also a signed certificate of endorsement from Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch.
Branding
In the early 1960s, Jennings named a range of guitar accessories after Marvin. The accessories included plectrum, a guitar strap, and a Bigsby-styled tremolo unit. They used the Hank Marvin signature tremolo unit on several of their own Vox guitars. Marvin also worked with Jim Burns, head of the Burns London guitar company, to develop his own signature model, known as the "Burns Marvin".
The "Marvin" appeared in 1964 and a 12-string version called the "Double Six" appeared a little earlier. In 1967, the Burns London company was taken over by the American piano-maker, Baldwin Piano Company, and partly as a result of the takeover, the fewer-than-400 original Burns-made Marvins are now highly sought after. 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.
Marvin influenced many guitarists, including Pete Townshend, Mark Knopfler and John Fogerty. Although neither Marvin nor the Shadows were ever well known in the United States, despite several appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, Marvin is listed by Frank Zappa as an influence on the first Mothers of Invention album. Afrikaa Bambaataa cited the group's first UK number one single "Apache" as a big influence, though it is likely that Bambaattaa was referring to the cover of "Apache" by The Incredible Bongo Band, which was popular among early hip hop DJs, due to the extended bongo break.
In Canada, Cliff Richard and the Shadows met with success, especially 1961-1965 when they enjoyed several top 10 hits. Canadian guitarists Randy Bachman and Neil Young have credited Marvin's guitar work as influential. Carlos Santana's nickname in his formative years was Apache because it was one of the earliest pieces he learned to play.
Solo career
As well as playing with The Shadows, Hank has had a successful solo career. He has been willing to experiment with styles and material, doing some purely instrumental albums, some with only vocals (e.g. "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 many Shadows fans or to contemporary music fans. They reverted to being The Shadows in 1973, for the Rockin' with Curly Leads album.
As a writer, Marvin was solely responsible for "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". As co-writer with Bruce Welch, Brian Bennett, and John Rostill, he wrote other hits, mainly for Cliff Richard, including "I Could Easily Fall in Love with You" and "In the Country".
In 1988, Marvin collaborated with French keyboardist and composer Jean Michel Jarre on the track "London Kid", which appeared on Jarre's "Revolutions" album and taking a guest role in the Frenchman's giant Destination Docklands concert at the Royal Victoria Dock. Jarre stated that the Shadows' success had a huge influence on him and his decision to devote the majority of his career to instrumental music.
Marvin and the Shadows reformed for a 2004 Final Tour, which was so successful that a 2005 European tour was also organised.
While his Shadows colleagues Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett accepted the honour of an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music, Marvin declined, citing "personal reasons".
Early career groups (pre-Shadows/Drifters)
- 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)
- 1956–1957 – The Railroaders (#1)
- Marvin (guitar), Welch (guitar), George Williams (guitar), Jim ? (drums)
- 1956–1957 – The Railroaders (#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 Wyton (vocals), Johnny Booker (guitar), Hank Marvin (guitar), J. 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/Brian Bennett (drums), Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass)
- 1995 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass)
- 1997 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass)
- 1998 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass)
- 2002 – w/Ben Marvin (guitar), Warren Bennett (guitar/keyboards), Mark Griffiths (bass)
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
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 album (also features Brian Bennett)
- 1977: Roger Daltrey One of The Boys album – guitar on "Parade" and "Leon"
- 1978: Des O'Connor Another Side of Des O'Connor album
- 1979: Wings Back to the Egg album – "Rockestra Theme" 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 - 1983: Tracy Ullman You Broke My Heart In 17 Places album: guitar on "Move Over Darling" and "You Broke My Heart in 17 Places"
- 1983: Leo Sayer Have You Ever Been in Love album: guitar on "Don't Wait Until Tomorrow"
- 1984: Shakin' Stevens "Teardrops" single
- 1985: Dire Straits plays "Going Home" ("Local Hero's Theme"), with the band, as a special guest at Live at Wembley
- 1986: Cliff Richard and The Young Ones "Living Doll"
- 1988: Jean Michel Jarre Revolutions guitar on "London Kid"
- 1989: Jean Michel Jarre Destination Docklands: guitar on "London Kid" and "Rendez-Vous IV"
- 1995: Alan Jones A Shadow In Time album: guest on title track "A Shadow In Time"
- 1998: Jane McDonald "You're My World" single
- 2005: Richard Hawley "I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin", b-side of "Coles Corner" single
- 2007: Peter Frampton Fingerprints album: guitar on My Cup of Tea (also features Brian Bennett)
- 2007 Jean-Pierre Danel Nivram (French Chart #15)
- 2008 Jason Donovan Let It Be Me on Dreamboats and Petticoats album
- 2008 Le QuecumBar Patrons Stars of Gypsy Swing ("Coquette", "Noto Swing")
In addition to the above, Marvin also plays 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
Singles
(V) – Vocal
| Year | A-side | B-side | UK Singles Chart[3] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | London's Not Too Far (V) | Running Out Of World (V) (The Shadows) |
|
Columbia DB 8326 |
| 1969 | Goodnight Dick | Wahine |
|
Columbia DB 8552 |
| 1969 | Sunday For Seven Days | Sacha |
|
Columbia DB 8601 |
| 1969 | Throw Down A Line (V) | Reflections |
|
Columbia DB 8615 (Cliff and Hank) |
| 1969 | Slaughter on 10th Avenue (The Shadows) | Midnight Cowboy |
|
Columbia DB 8628 |
| 1970 | The Joy Of Living (V) | Leave My Woman Alone (V) Boogitoo |
|
Columbia DB 8657 (Cliff and Hank) |
| 1970 | Break Another Dawn | Would You Believe It (V) |
|
(Unreleased, promo only) |
| 1970 | Break Another Dawn | Morning Star |
|
Columbia DB 8693 |
| 1970 | Morning Star | Evening Comes |
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(Australia and New Zealand only) |
| 1977 | Flamingo | Syndicated |
|
EMI 2744 (Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate) |
| 1981 | Sacha Sunday For Seven Days | Morning Star Evening Comes |
|
(New Zealand only) Hank Marvin EP |
| 1982 | Don't Talk (V) | Life Line (V) |
|
Polydor POSP420 |
| 1982 | The Trouble With Me Is You (remix) (V) | Captain Zlogg |
|
Polydor POSP479 |
| 1983 | The Hawk and the Dove (V) | Janine |
|
Polydor POSP581 |
| 1983 | Invisible Man (V) | All Alone With Friends |
|
Polydor POSP618 |
| 1986 | Living Doll |
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(Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank B. Marvin) | |
| 1989 | London Kid |
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(Jean-Michel Jarre featuring Hank Marvin) | |
| 1992 | We Are The Champions (with Brian May) | Moontalk / Into The Light (CD) |
|
Polydor PO 229 |
| 1993 | Wonderful Land (with Mark Knopfler) | Hot Rox (CD) / Nivram |
|
Polydor PO297 |
Albums
- 1969 Hank Marvin #14
- 1977 Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate (no chart position)
- 1982 Words and Music #66
- 1983 All alone with friends (no chart position)
- 1987 Would You Believe It...Plus (reissue of 1969 LP with bonus tracks)
- 1992 Into the light #18
- 1993 Heartbeat #17
- 1994 The Best of Hank Marvin & The Shadows #19
- 1995 Handpicked (no chart position)
- 1995 Hank plays Cliff #33
- 1996 Hank plays Holly #34
- 1997 Hank plays Live #71
- 1997 Plays the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber #41
- 1997 The Very Best of Hank Marvin & The Shadows The First 40 Years #56
- 1998 You're My World Jane Mcdonald #1
- 1998 Another Side Of Hank Marvin (no chart position)
- 2000 Twang A Tribute To Hank Marvin & The Shadows (no chart position)
- 2000 Marvin at the Movies #17
- 2001 The Singles Collection 'The 80's & 90's' Hank Marvin & The Shadows (no chart position)
- 2002 Guitar Player #10
- 2004 Shadowing The Hits (no chart position)
- 2004 Guitar Ballads (no chart position)
- 2007 Guitar Man #6
- 2007 Hank Marvin & The Shadows Play The 60's (no chart position)
- 2008 The Solid Gold Collection (no chart position)
References
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Book:The Shadows