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Hank Marvin

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Hank Marvin was actually called Brian Rankin and was born in 1941 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He first played banjo and piano, but after hearing Buddy Holly he chose the guitar. He even adopted Holly's spectacle frames. His stage name combined his nickname Hank with the first name of the country singer Marvin Rainwater. In 1958, at the age of sixteen, he went to London with his schoolfriend Bruce Welch. At the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, Cliff Richard's manager asked him to be a guitarist. Marvin said yes, if Welch could come too.

Music and breakthrough

Cliff Richard's backing band was first called The Drifters, but had to choose another name in 1959 and became The Shadows. Besides their work with Richard, the group became famous in its own right with instrumentals such as Apache (1960), F.B.I. (1961), Wonderful Land (1962) and Foot Tapper (1963). Marvin also wrote songs for Richard and for the group. From 1969 he also made solo records; on the first, his guitar plays against an orchestral accompaniment. Since 1986 he has lived in Australia.

Influence

In 1959 Cliff Richard bought him a red Fender Stratocaster, probably the first in England. With that guitar and an echo unit Marvin found his own clear sound. He plays the melody the way a singer sings, with great feeling in every note. He was regarded as the first British guitar hero and defined the role of the lead guitarist. Many later guitarists, such as George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Mark Knopfler and Neil Young, name him as a model.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Apache by The Shadows and notice Hank Marvin's guitar, which plays the melody like a singer. Hear the echo on the guitar and the clear tone of his Stratocaster.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

Categories: Artists