Hank Marvin


Hank Brian Marvin is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the backing band for Cliff Richard, and subsequently for Marvin, Welch & Farrar.

Early life

Hank Marvin was born Brian Robson Rankin in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. As a child, he played banjo and piano. After hearing Buddy Holly, he decided to learn the guitar.
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, the country and rockabilly singer.
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, 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 joined the Drifters, 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 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

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 New South Wales, 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 and again in the early 1970s. He has experimented with styles and material, doing instrumental albums, some with mostly vocals, one with only acoustic guitars and one with a guitar orchestra.
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.
Marvin wrote "Driftin'", "Geronimo", "Spider Juice", "I Want You to Want Me" for the Shadows, and "The Day I Met Marie". He co-wrote Richard's 1960 hit; 'Gee Whizz It's You' with Ian Samwell. With Welch, Brian Bennett, 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', and 'The Joy of Living', while Richard also had a hit with his ecology song, 'Silvery Rain'.
In 1977, Marvin played lead guitar on Roger Daltrey's third solo album, One of the Boys, on the tracks Parade and Leon. He co-wrote Olivia Newton-John'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, 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".
Marvin and the Shadows reformed for a 2004 Final Tour, and a 2005 European tour was also organised.
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 charts in France, Norway, Finland and Germany, and later 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 in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music, Marvin declined for "personal reasons".
On 28 October 2009, Marvin was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge Award in recognition of his unique contribution to music.

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, 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 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.

Playing style

Despite being widely imitated at the height of his fame, Marvin's playing style is distinctive and instantly recognisable, characterised by fluid use of the tremolo arm with a volume pedal to achieve a particularly expressive sound that compensated for the lack of vocal content in much of his work.

Influence

Marvin influenced many British rock guitarists, including George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, Steve Howe, Roy Wood, Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Australian guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel has also paid homage to Marvin on various recordings.
In Canada, Cliff Richard and the Shadows had top 10 hits, especially from 1961 to 1965. Canadian guitarists Randy Bachman and Neil Young 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 for "starvin". This slang was referenced in a 2012 television advertisement for Mattessons meat company.

Early group personnel

Marvin also played guitar on the following tracks of library music recorded for Bruton Music:

Singles

– Vocal
YearA-sideB-sideUK Singles ChartNotes
1968"London's Not Too Far" "Running Out of World"
–
Columbia DB 8326
1969"Goodnight Dick""Wahine"
–
Columbia DB 8552
1969"Sunday For Seven Days""Sacha"
–
Columbia DB 8601
1969"Throw Down A Line" "Reflections"
7
Columbia DB 8615
1969"Slaughter on 10th Avenue" "Midnight Cowboy"
–
Columbia DB 8628
1970"Sacha""Goodnight Dick"
–
Columbia DO-8885
1970"The Joy of Living" "Leave My Woman Alone" / "Boogatoo"
25
Columbia DB 8657
1970"Break Another Dawn""Would You Believe It"
–
1970"Break Another Dawn""Morning Star"
–
Columbia DB 8693
1970"Morning Star""Evening Comes"
–
Columbia DO-9112
1977"Flamingo""Syndicated"
–
EMI 2744
1981"Sacha" / "Sunday For Seven Days""Morning Star" / "Evening Comes"
–
 Hank Marvin EP
1982"Don't Talk" "Life Line"
49
Polydor POSP420
1982"The Trouble With Me Is You" "Captain Zlogg"
–
Polydor POSP479
1983"The Hawk and the Dove" "Janine"
–
Polydor POSP581
1983"Invisible Man" "All Alone With Friends"
–
Polydor POSP618
1986"Living Doll"
1
1989"London Kid"
52
1992"We Are The Champions" "Moontalk" / "Into the Light"
66
Polydor PO 229
1993"Wonderful Land" "Hot Rox" / "Nivram"
–
Polydor PO297

Studio and live albums

Compilation albums