Hank Marvin Shadows

A major influence on British guitar heroes of the '70s such as Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, Hank Marvin played lead guitar for the Shadows, one of the U.K.'s top instrumental outfits and backing band for Cliff Richard on most of his hits. Born Brian Robson Rankin on October 28, 1941, Marvin grew up in Newcastle learning guitar, banjo and piano. He played in various skiffle groups around the area, and met up with rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch.

Recognised by fans and fellow recording artists, as one of the World's most influential and best ever guitarists. This tribute is frequently confirmed when Hank regularly features high on the polls that determine the greatest guitarists of all time. Initially known as the lead guitarist of The Shadows, the band that evolved to become the UK's biggest ever selling instrumental group, Hank Marvin defined the sound of a generation. Hank was the very first guitarist in the UK to own an iconic Fender Stratocaster - when Cliff Richard imported the guitar from the US exclusively for Hank to play. As a solo Artist, Hank Marvin has released 16 albums, with Top 20 albums spanning almost 50 years; 1969-2017 (to date), in a long and successful career lasting more than 60 years.

Hank Marvin, mostly playing a Favino acoustic guitar (and, occasionally, the "Hank Marvin"-model Fender Stratocaster), turns in some delightful work on this 58-minute CD, supported by players including Ben Marvin on guitar, Ray Martinez on bass, Gary Taylor on rhythm guitar, and Ric Eastman on drums. The music ranges across the decades from the 1950s to the 1970s – the virtuosity is beyond question and the arrangements on familiar fare such as "Sunny Afternoon," "American Pie," "Ticket to Ride" and "Eleanor Rigby" bring out some unexpected attributes to the songs, as well – only "Your Song" does what one would expect in its arrangement, and that tune is so pretty that one would never want to deviate too far from the basics on it. Some of the original tunes are less than memorable melodically, but the playing is always interesting enough to hold the listener, and one of them, "A Tall-A Tall Dark Stranger" could have made a good single two or three decades ago, with its rippling double-lead guitar parts.