Hank Marvin

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Hank Marvin, 2007
Hank Marvin live on stage at the Shadows concert on April 22nd, 2005 in Esbjerg, Stadionhal; Denmark
Hank Marvin, sculpture by Victor Heyfron , 1964

Hank Brian Marvin (born October 28, 1941 in Newcastle upon Tyne ; real name Brian Robson Rankin ) is an English guitarist and songwriter .

Life

Hank Marvin is considered one of the most influential guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s. He became known as the guitarist of Cliff Richard's band , the Shadows (previously called "The Drifters"). After beginning his career with the Shadows in 1959, Marvin turned to a solo career in 1969 and released a record on which he sang and played guitar. In 1971 he recorded two albums as "Marvin, Welch and Farrar" with his ex-Shadows bandmates Bruce Welch and John Farrar (later followed by an LP as a duo with Farrar).

In 1970, after a concert in Paris, four guitars were stolen from him, namely two Burns Marvin (one white and one Greensunburst), as well as one Burns Doublesix and one Baldwin Marvin. These instruments have since been lost. Shocked by this "experience" he asked Bruce Welch to lend him the Fender Stratocaster with the number 36346, which was used at the time, at least on loan until the tour was over.

In 1973 Marvin became a member of Jehovah's Witnesses , moved to Perth , Australia and later joined the reunited Shadows. In 1982 he had his biggest hit as a solo artist Don't Talk . In 1988 he made a guest appearance in front of around 280,000 visitors in the London Docklands in a gigantic concert by Jean Michel Jarre , which became known in the 1990s as the "Destination Docklands" concert.

When the Shadows "finally" broke up in 1990, he stepped up his solo appearances with his band, which consisted of Pete May ( drums ), his son Ben Marvin (second lead guitar or rhythm guitar), Warren Bennett (son of Shadows drummer Brian Bennett on the keyboard instruments and second rhythm guitar) and Mark Griffiths (bass). After several dissolutions and reunions, the "Shadows" were on a big farewell tour with Hank Marvin in 2004 and 2005.

Hank Brian Marvin , Sir Cliff Richard , Bruce Welch , snapshot from the O2 arena. London 29 September 2009

Instruments

In addition to the guitar, Marvin also plays the banjo and piano . Marvin started his career with the "Gordie Boys" or the "Railroaders" with a Guyatone Antoria, which he himself described as a mixture of cheese cutter and plank ("Cheesecutter and a plank").

His most famous instruments include the Fender Stratocaster and the Burns London Hank Marvin Signature Electric Guitar. For a long time Marvin's trademark was a Fender Stratocaster in the color Fiesta Red with a light maple neck, which Cliff Richard ordered him directly from Fender in the USA at the price of 180 guineas at the time, because this guitar was not available in Europe at the time. Hank Marvin was more than enthusiastic about the tremolo with the usual arm after he - according to his own words - the American diet (quote: “Maybe the american diet, all that steaks and eggs and milk. How can they bend the strings? ”) Attributed that the guitarists there could shift the notes so much without changing frets. With the strings available in England, Marvin continues, this was not possible. The real background is in the tremolo of the Stratocaster, which no longer requires string bending. The Fender company later brought a corresponding signature model (made in Japan) onto the market. Bruce Welch still uses this legendary Stratocaster (which was briefly overmolded in white, but then returned to its original state) in performances today.

For the title Nivram , Hank Marvin used a Gretsch “Country Gentleman”, for It's a Man's World the specially developed Burns London “Double Six” was used. Greek bouzukis were used in "All Day". In 1970, after a concert, the guitars were stolen from him and have since been considered lost. Amplifier types: VOX AC15 (Apache up to and including Midnight), Vox AC30 (used up to LP The Shadows at Their Very Best , 1989), KCP Custom Amplifier, etc. a. Use at live gigs, plus a Fender Stratocaster equipped with Kinman pickups

Types of echoes: Meazzi Echomatic, Meazzi Bandecho, Binson drum echo, EFTP Echoes from the past (digitized echoes, via ALESIS Q20) and also Alesis Qudraverb 2

Marvin not only plays the electric guitar, but is also an excellent pianist (see titles “Stand up and say that”, “Kinda Cool” and the cover version of “Titles - Chariots of Fire”).

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
UK UK
1969 Hank Marvin UK14 (2 weeks)
UK
1982 Words and Music UK66 (3 weeks)
UK
1992 Into the light UK18th
gold
gold

(10 weeks)UK
1993 Heartbeat UK17th
gold
gold

(9 weeks)UK
1994 The Best of Hank Marvin and the Shadows UK19th
gold
gold

(11 weeks)UK
1995 Hank Plays Cliff UK33
gold
gold

(8 weeks)UK
1996 Hank Plays Holly UK34
gold
gold

(9 weeks)UK
1997 Hank Plays Live UK71 (1 week)
UK
Hank Marvin and the Shadows
Play Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
UK41
silver
silver

(7 weeks)UK
1998 Very Best Of - The First 40 Years UK56
silver
silver

(8 weeks)UK
2000 Marvin at the Movies UK17 (7 weeks)
UK
2002 Guitar player UK10
silver
silver

(8 weeks)UK
2007 Guitar Man UK6th
silver
silver

(6 weeks)UK
2014 Hank UK8 (6 weeks)
UK
2017 Without a word UK9 (5 weeks)
UK
2019 gold UK9 (10 weeks)
UK

More albums

  • Guitar Syndicate (1977)
  • All Alone with Friends (1983)
  • Would You Believe It ... Plus (1994)
  • Handpicked design (1995)
  • Another Side of Hank Marvin (1998)
  • Guitar Ballads (2004)

Singles

year Title
album
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)
Remarks
UK UK
1969 Throw Down a Line
Cliff Richard & Hank Marvin
UK7 (9 weeks)
UK
1970 Joy of Living
Cliff & Hank
UK25 (8 weeks)
UK
1982 Don't talk
UK49 (4 weeks)
UK
1992 We Are the Champions
Hank Marvin feat. Brian May
UK66 (1 week)
UK

Others

In 1996, prominent rock and pop guitarists honored Hank Marvin with a tribute CD - Twang !: A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the Shadows . These are cover versions of selected titles, played by Mark Knopfler , Brian May , Ritchie Blackmore , Peter Green , Keith Urban , Neil Young and Peter Frampton , among others .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Hank Marvin in the British charts
  2. Gold / Platinum Awards in UK (database search)
  3. Twang !: A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the Shadows