Hank Marvin

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Hank B. Marvin
HankMarvin2.jpg
Hank B. Marvin live on stage 22 April 2005 in Esbjerg, Denmark
Background information
Also known as Brian Robson Rankin
Born (1941-10-28) 28 October 1941 (age 71)
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"

Hank Brian Marvin (born 28 October 1941) 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.[1] Marvin has a distinctive guitar sound and appearance, primarily using a clean sound with distinctive echo and vibrato giving a dreamy effect.[2]

Contents

Personal life [edit]

He was born Brian Robson Rankin on 28 October 1941 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As a child, he played the banjo and piano. After he heard one of Buddy Holly's songs, he decided to also learn the guitar.[1]

He chose the name Hank Marvin while launching his music career. 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.

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 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.

From 1986 Marvin lived in Brigadoon, a hills suburb east of the city of Perth, Western Australia but has since relocated to a luxury apartment in East Perth. He is known to join in onstage briefly on an impromptu basis when musician friends are visiting Perth, such as in February 2013 when Cliff Richard held a concert at Sandalford Winery. He is a devout Jehovah's Witness.[3] Marvin runs a successful recording studio: Nivram studios (part of Sh-Boom studios in Tiverton Street, Perth owned by Trevor Spencer and Gary Taylor).

In the UK, his name is often humorously recognised as cockney rhyming slang for the word "starving".[4] This slang was referenced in a 2012 TV advertisement for Mattesons.[5]

Guitarist [edit]

Hank Marvin and Jean-Pierre Danel, 2007
Cliff Richard and the Shadows 2009

Marvin played and owned the first Fender Stratocaster in the UK. In 2009, to mark The Shadows 50th anniversary, the original Stratocaster was reproduced by Fender's Custom Shop in California.[citation needed]

Influence [edit]

Marvin influenced many guitarists, including Brian May, Mark Knopfler,[6] Peter Frampton,[7] Steve Howe,[8] Roy Wood,[9] Tony Iommi,[10] Pete Townshend,[11] Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck.[12]

In Canada, Cliff Richard and the Shadows met with success, especially 1961-1965 when they enjoyed several top 10 hits. Canadian guitarists Randy Bachman[13] and Neil Young have credited Marvin's guitar work as influential.[14]

Solo career [edit]

As well as playing with The Shadows, Hank Marvin 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 "Summer Holiday", "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 took 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.

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, which was successful and a 2005 European tour was also organised.

Marvin dueted twice with French award-winning guitarist Jean-Pierre Danel, on his 2007 and 2010 albums, both Top 10 hits and certified gold. Their two singles hit the iTunes charts in France, Norway, Finland and Germany. Marvin also participated to one of his DVDs and wrote the foreword for Danel's book about the Fender Stratocaster.

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".[15]

Early career groups (pre-Shadows/Drifters) [edit]

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 Whyton (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 [edit]

  • 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 [edit]

  • 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 [edit]

In addition to the above, Marvin also plays guitar on the following tracks of library music recorded for Bruton Music:

Discography [edit]

Singles [edit]

(V) – Vocal

Year A-side B-side UK Singles Chart[16] 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
#7
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) Boogatoo
#25
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
(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)
#49
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
#1
(Cliff Richard and The Young Ones featuring Hank B. Marvin)
1989 London Kid
#52
(Jean-Michel Jarre featuring Hank Marvin)
1992 We Are The Champions (with Brian May) Moontalk / Into The Light (CD)
#66
Polydor PO 229
1993 Wonderful Land (with Mark Knopfler) Hot Rox (CD) / Nivram
Polydor PO297

Studio and live albums [edit]

  • 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)
  • 1992 Into the light #18
  • 1993 Heartbeat #17
  • 1995 Hank plays Cliff #33
  • 1996 Hank plays Holly #34
  • 1997 Hank plays Live #71
  • 1997 Plays the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber #41
  • 2000 Marvin at the Movies #17
  • 2002 Guitar Player #10
  • 2007 Guitar Man #6

Compilation albums [edit]

  • 1987 Would You Believe It...Plus (reissue of 1969 LP with bonus tracks)
  • 1994 The Best of Hank Marvin & The Shadows #19
  • 1995 Handpicked (no chart position)
  • 1997 The Very Best of Hank Marvin & The Shadows The First 40 Years #56
  • 1998 Another Side Of Hank Marvin (no chart position)
  • 2001 The Singles Collection 'The 80's & 90's' Hank Marvin & The Shadows (no chart position)
  • 2004 Shadowing The Hits (no chart position)
  • 2004 Guitar Ballads (no chart position)
  • 2007 Hank Marvin & The Shadows Play The 60's (no chart position)
  • 2008 The Solid Gold Collection (no chart position)

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Hank Marvin - Guitar God
  2. ^ The London Gazette: no. 42885. p. 197. 4 January 1963. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  3. ^ Hank Marvin discusses his faith
  4. ^ "H". London Slang. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2011. 
  5. ^ "'Hank Marvin' stars in new Mattessons advert | MusicRadar". Beta.musicradar.com. 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2012-12-17. 
  6. ^ Balmer, Paul (2007). The Fender Stratocaster Handbook: How to Buy, Maintain, Set Up, Troubleshoot, and Modify Your Strat. MBI Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 0760329834. "Hank Marvin had a huge influence on guitarists such as Brian May of Queen, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits..." 
  7. ^ Whitaker, Sterling C. (2003). Unsung Heroes of Rock Guitar. Booksurge. p. 111. ISBN 1591097584. 
  8. ^ Prown, Pete; Sharken, Lisa (2003). Hal Leonard. pp. 63, 66. ISBN 1617745014 http://books.google.com/books?id=vqQjuzPrqIwC&pg=PA63.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ Marten, Neville; Giltrap, Gordon (2010). The Hofner Guitar: A History (2 ed.). Hal Leonard. p. 40. ISBN 1423462742. 
  10. ^ Gulla, Bob (2009). Guitar Gods: The 25 Players Who Made Rock History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 133–134. ISBN 0313358060. 
  11. ^ Giuliano, Geoffrey (2002). Behind Blue Eyes: The Life of Pete Townshend. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 16. ISBN 0815410700. 
  12. ^ Clayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds: The Band That Launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page. Hal Leonard. p. 46. ISBN 0879307242. 
  13. ^ Bachman, Randy (2012). Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories. Penguin. p. 155. ISBN 0143185772. 
  14. ^ Gulla 2009, p. 237
  15. ^ Actor Hurt leads Queen's honours, — BBC News Online
  16. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 264. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.