Hank Marvin
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| Hank B. Marvin | |
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 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) 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]
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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]
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]
- 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: Tracey 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" (UK charts #1)
- 1988: Jean Michel Jarre Revolutions guitar on "London Kid" (UK charts #52)
- 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 Charts #15, #8 Norway, #86 Germany) + Blues jam session on DVD
- 2008 Jason Donovan "Let It Be Me" on Dreamboats and Petticoats album
- 2008 Le QuecumBar Patrons "Stars of Gypsy Swing" ("Coquette", "Noto Swing")
- 2010 Jean-Pierre Danel "M Appeal" (Norwegian charts #7, Finland #99)
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 [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) |
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Columbia DB 8326 |
| 1969 | Goodnight Dick | Wahine |
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Columbia DB 8552 |
| 1969 | Sunday For Seven Days | Sacha |
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Columbia DB 8601 |
| 1969 | Throw Down A Line (V) | Reflections |
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Columbia DB 8615 (Cliff and Hank) |
| 1969 | Slaughter on 10th Avenue (The Shadows) | Midnight Cowboy |
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Columbia DB 8628 |
| 1970 | The Joy Of Living (V) | Leave My Woman Alone (V) Boogatoo |
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Columbia DB 8657 (Cliff and Hank) |
| 1970 | Break Another Dawn | Would You Believe It (V) |
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(Unreleased, promo only) |
| 1970 | Break Another Dawn | Morning Star |
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Columbia DB 8693 |
| 1970 | Morning Star | Evening Comes |
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(Australia and New Zealand only) |
| 1977 | Flamingo | Syndicated |
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EMI 2744 (Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate) |
| 1981 | Sacha / Sunday For Seven Days | Morning Star / Evening Comes |
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(New Zealand only) Hank Marvin EP |
| 1982 | Don't Talk (V) | Life Line (V) |
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Polydor POSP420 |
| 1982 | The Trouble With Me Is You (remix) (V) | Captain Zlogg |
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Polydor POSP479 |
| 1983 | The Hawk and the Dove (V) | Janine |
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Polydor POSP581 |
| 1983 | Invisible Man (V) | All Alone With Friends |
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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) |
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Polydor PO 229 |
| 1993 | Wonderful Land (with Mark Knopfler) | Hot Rox (CD) / Nivram |
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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]
- ^ a b Hank Marvin - Guitar God
- ^ The London Gazette: no. 42885. p. 197. 4 January 1963. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ^ Hank Marvin discusses his faith
- ^ "H". London Slang. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "'Hank Marvin' stars in new Mattessons advert | MusicRadar". Beta.musicradar.com. 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
- ^ 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..."
- ^ Whitaker, Sterling C. (2003). Unsung Heroes of Rock Guitar. Booksurge. p. 111. ISBN 1591097584.
- ^ 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) - ^ Marten, Neville; Giltrap, Gordon (2010). The Hofner Guitar: A History (2 ed.). Hal Leonard. p. 40. ISBN 1423462742.
- ^ Gulla, Bob (2009). Guitar Gods: The 25 Players Who Made Rock History. ABC-CLIO. pp. 133–134. ISBN 0313358060.
- ^ Giuliano, Geoffrey (2002). Behind Blue Eyes: The Life of Pete Townshend. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 16. ISBN 0815410700.
- ^ Clayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds: The Band That Launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page. Hal Leonard. p. 46. ISBN 0879307242.
- ^ Bachman, Randy (2012). Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap Stories. Penguin. p. 155. ISBN 0143185772.
- ^ Gulla 2009, p. 237
- ^ Actor Hurt leads Queen's honours, — BBC News Online
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 264. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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