Brian Bennett

Brian Lawrence Bennett , OBE (born February 9, 1940 in Palmers Green , London ) is an English musician. He is best known as the drummer in the band The Shadows . In addition to his skills on drums and percussion, he is a pianist, composer, arranger and producer. Today he lives in seclusion with his wife on the country estate in the county of Hertfordshire, where he also runs his own studio. The marriage resulted in the son Warren Bennett, who followed in his father's footsteps and is also active in the music business as a composer, arranger and producer.

Brian Bennett (center) framed by his son Warren and Mark Griffiths

Adolescent years

Brian Bennett attended school in Hazlewood, Palmers Green and Winchmore Hill School. At the age of 16 he graduated from secondary school and began his career as a professional musician.

The beginnings

The extraordinary talent of Brian Bennett was quickly recognized in professional circles and he got engagements in various band projects as well as in the TV show "Oh Boy!" By Jack Good. At the end of the 1950s he became a permanent member of the house band of 2i's Coffebar (see article The Shadows ) in Soho, London.

Bands

Bennett's real career began as a member of the "Marty Wilde's Wildcats" in 1959, the first hit with his participation was Trambone . He then toured England with some well-known musicians, including Tommy Steele and Eddie Cochran (Summertime Blues and Somethin 'Else) .

The Shadows

Due to internal differences, the then Shadows drummer Tony Meehan had to leave the band (especially due to chronic unpunctuality and unreliability). Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch considered Brian Bennett, who had already met at a Tommy Steele concert in 1959, to be an adequate replacement . He himself still says today that he was not particularly surprised when he was called by the manager of the Shadows , Peter Gormley, and asked to become a member of the Shadows. His joy was also limited, not because of the game, but because he doesn't like touring. (Statement in the tour interview " The Shadows - The Final Tour" ). Die-hard Shadows fans still refer to him as "the new one". The first single Brian Bennett played on was the number 1 hit Wonderful Land from 1961. Bennett remained loyal to the Shadows through all years of ups and downs, as well as when the formation Marvin / Welch / Farrar formed. After the final separation of the Shadows, Bennett also remained loyal to Cliff Richard's support band .

The composer

Brian Bennett has been composing since 1962. During the filming of the film “Summer Holiday” he was already doing his “homework” for distance learning during the breaks. His best-known compositions include The Journey, Mountains of the Moon, Just a Minute, Rugbys Special and Chase Side Shoot Up! . Bennett demonstrated his talent as an arranger and orchestral conductor while working on the subject of "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" .

Famous drum solos

Little B, Big B and Captain Haddock's Missing are probably some of the most famous drum solos in the world. Such pieces were part of the concerts of the Shadows from the beginning .

Drum brands

Brian Bennett prefers drum sets from Ludwig Drums, Chicago. He attaches great importance to the color “Sparkling”, a clear lacquer on colored foil interspersed with metal flakes. He can be seen less often with drum sets from the manufacturers Gretsch, Premier and Remo.

useful information

• He has enjoyed the reputation of "Mr. Reliable on Drums ", that means" the reliability in person behind the drums "
• Bennett's style of playing convinces with its multi-faceted rhythms with partly daring, very pronounced fill-ins
• In 2004 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the British Queen Elizabeth II for his exceptional service to British music, at the same time as Bruce Welch . Hank B. Marvin turned down the order on religious grounds.
• During the 2005 tour, Bennett injured himself at a concert in Reykjavík with a wood splinter on his right thumbnail. He pulled the splinter out with his teeth and put a plaster over it. A few days later, meanwhile the tour had arrived in Paris, the entire right hand was infected. Despite the inflammation and the sepsis (treated in a Paris hospital in good time), Bennett finished the tour with a bandaged hand in great pain. It was feared that Bennett would be absent and a replacement drummer was organized, but fifteen minutes before the concert, Bennett appeared on stage with a smile.
• Bennett took part in recordings / concerts with Tommy Steele , Eddie Cochran , Gene Vincent , Ella Fitzgerald , The Shadows , Cliff Richard and many others.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Brian Bennett: Diary of a Drummer ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  

Web links

• Bennett's website