The former Strat toting Shadows chief and British rock’n’roll pioneer recalls illuminating encounters with Gene Vincent, lire Beatles and Jean Michel Jarre... but not Sid Vicious

Interview by SAM RICHARDS

AN AUDIENCE WITH HANK MARVIN

The Shadows in 1961: (l-r) Bruce Welch, Jet Harris, Tony Meehan and Hank Marvin

JAKE ROTHAM; RB/REDFERNS; PA IMAGES / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

HANK Marvin doesn’t have many regrets, but there is one that still niggles. In i960, The Shadows sparked an electric guitar revolution when they topped the UK charts with Jerry Lordan’s “Apache”. Yet their US label declined to promote the single, reasoning that the band were simply copying American rock’n’roll. Instead, it was Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann who grabbed the glory stateside with his opportunistic cover version, and by the time the British invasion eventually did happen, the Shads were old news.

“We missed out, which was a great shame, but we couldn’t do anything about it,” says Marvin from his home in Perth, Australia. “I’m very happy and feel very privileged that we had the success we had. It was way beyond our expectations, so I’m not crying over anything!” Indeed, it’s not long before that familiar grin returns. Asked how he’s coping with lockdown, he replies in a flash: ‘I’m still tryingto get the ankle bracelet off!”

Hand-jiving and saucy singalong choruses: the 2i’s in 1955

The first thing he’s planning to do with his freedom is reconvene his gypsy jazz trio, which has been his main focus since he hung up his red Strat at the end of the last Shadows reunion in 2010. “We’ve done a couple of low-key tours in Australia and New Zealand but it’s more of a fun thing for me,” he enthuses. “I enjoy it very much. It’s a challenge.” But first, back to the birth of British rock’n’roll...