Marvin uses a clean guitar sound with a Vox amplifier and often uses an echo, also known as delay, for songs like "Apache" and "Wonderful Land". He also developed a distinctive way of using the guitar's vibrato to give a "dreamy feel" to his playing.
He chose the name Hank Marvin while launching his career.
His name is an amalgamation of his childhood nickname, Hank, which he used to differentiate himself from friends also named Brian, and Marvin Rainwater, a country and western singer.
Sixteen-year-old Marvin and his Rutherford Grammar School friend, Bruce Welch, met Johnny Foster, Cliff Richard's manager, at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho London. Foster was looking for a guitarist for Cliff Richard's UK tour and was considering Tony Sheridan. Instead he offered Marvin the position. Marvin joined The Drifters, as Cliff Richard's group was then known, provided there was a place for Welch.
Marvin met Richard for the first time at a nearby Soho tailor's shop, where Richard was having a fitting for a pink stage jacket. The Drifters had their first rehearsal with Richard at the Webb family home (Cliff's parents) in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.
Marvin influenced many British rock guitarists, including George Harrison, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Brian May, Mark Knopfler, Peter Frampton, Steve Howe, Roy Wood, Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck.
In Canada, Cliff Richard and the Shadows had top 10 hits, especially from 1961 to 1965. Canadian guitarists Randy Bachman and Neil Young credit Marvin as influential.
Marvin also had a solo career. His first critically lauded, self-titled solo album of instrumentals, which featured guitar set to orchestrated backing, was released in 1969, following the first disbanding of The Shadows, in late 1968. The single, 'Sacha', from the album, topped the singles chart in New South Wales, Australia, having been 'discovered' by two DJs at 2WG Wagga Wagga. [15] Marvin's solo career was then suspended due to Shadows reunions, first for a Far East tour and 'live' album in 1969, then a studio album in 1970 ("Shades of Rock") and again in the early seventies. He has experimented with styles and material, doing some purely instrumental albums, some with mostly vocals (e.g. "Words and Music", "All Alone With Friends"), one with only acoustic guitars and one with a guitar orchestra ("The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate").
In 1970, Marvin and Welch formed Marvin, Welch & Farrar, a vocal-harmony trio which failed to appeal to Shadows fans or to contemporary music fans. They became 'Marvin & Farrar' for a vocal album in 1973 and then reverted to The Shadows in late 1973, for the instrumental Rockin' with Curly Leads album. The Shadows came second for the United Kingdom in the 1975 Eurovision song contest.
Marvin wrote "Driftin'", "Geronimo", "Spider Juice" (his daughter's name for orange juice), "I Want You to Want Me" for The Shadows, and "The Day I Met Marie". He co-wrote Richard's 1960 hit; 'Gee Whizz It's You' with Ian Samwell. With Welch, Brian Bennett, and John Rostill, he wrote hits for Cliff Richard, including; "On The Beach", "I Could Easily Fall in Love with You", "Time Drags By", and "In the Country".
In 1969 and 1970, he teamed with Richard for: two 'Cliff & Hank' hit singles, his own song; 'Throw Down A Line' (also recorded by Marvin, Welch & Farrar), and 'The Joy of Living', while Richard also had a hit with his ecology song, 'Silvery Rain'.
In 1977, Marvin played lead guitar on Roger Daltrey's third solo album, One of the Boys, on the tracks Parade and Leon. He co-wrote Olivia Newton-John's 1977 hit 'Sam' with John Farrar and Don Black, and produced albums for the British showman Des O'Connor.
In 1988, Marvin collaborated with French keyboardist and composer Jean Michel Jarre on the track "London Kid", on Jarre's Revolutions album and was a guest in the Jarre's Destination Docklands concert at London's Royal Victoria Dock. Jarre said The Shadows' success had influenced him and led to his decision to devote his career to instrumental music.
In 1992, Duane Eddy guested on Marvin's album Into the Light on the track "Pipeline".
Marvin and The Shadows reformed for a 2004 Final Tour, and a 2005 European tour was also organised.
Marvin dueted twice with French guitarist Jean-Pierre Danel – on his 2007 and 2010 albums, both top-ten hits and certified gold. Their two singles hit the iTunes charts in France, Norway, Finland and Germany, and later (when released as an EP from Danel's compilation The Hit List) in Ireland, United Kingdom, Poland, United States, South Africa and Thailand. Marvin also participated on one of his DVDs and wrote the foreword for Danel's book about the Fender Stratocaster.
While Welch and Bennett became the Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music, Marvin declined for "personal reasons".
Hank is presently living in Perth, Australia and is now semi retired.
Moonlight Shadow
Hank Marvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
He passed on worried and warning,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Lost in a riddle that Saturday night,
Far away on the other side.
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
And she couldn't find how to push through.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun,
Far away on the other side.
He was shot six times by a man on the run
And she couldn't find how to push through.
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven far away.
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day.
Four a.m. in the morning,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
I watched your vision forming,
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Stars roll slowly in a silvery night,
Far away on the other side.
Will you come to terms with me this night,
But she couldn't find how to push through.
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven far away.
I stay, I pray
See you in heaven one day.
Far away on the other side.
Caught in the middle of a hundred and five.
The night was heavy and the air was alive,
But she couldn't find how to push through.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Far away on the other side.
But she couldn't find how to push through.
The song Moonlight Shadow by Hank Marvin tells the story of a tragic event that leaves a woman grieving for a man she loves. The song begins with the woman's first encounter with the man she loves, carried away by a moonlight shadow, which shows how ethereal and mysterious their connection is from the start. As the story progresses, the couple finds themselves in the middle of a dangerous situation where the man is caught up in a fight and is fatally shot six times. The woman is left in a state of confusion and despair, unable to process the sudden loss of her partner.
The lyrics also touch on the themes of sorrow, grief, and hope. The imagery of whispering trees and a silvery night creates a haunting atmosphere of sadness, while the repeated refrain "I stay, I pray, See you in heaven far away" expresses the woman's longing for her loved one and her hope that they will be reunited in the afterlife. Ultimately, the song captures the intensity of a profound loss and the human emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time ever she saw him,
She saw him for the first time ever.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
She was entranced and captivated by the magic of the night.
He passed on worried and warning,
He left with a sense of unease and concern.
Lost in a riddle that Saturday night,
Confused, perplexed, and unsure of what was happening on that fateful Saturday evening.
Far away on the other side.
In a distant place beyond her reach.
He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight
He found himself caught in the midst of a violent and dangerous altercation.
And she couldn't find how to push through.
She was unable to navigate the challenging and treacherous circumstances surrounding her loved one.
The trees that whisper in the evening,
The rustling of the leaves and branches of the trees in the evening was soothing and calming.
Sing a song of sorrow and grieving,
Her heart was heavy with sorrow and sadness.
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun,
She caught a glimpse of a gun in the distance, but nothing more.
He was shot six times by a man on the run
Her loved one was brutally and fatally shot by a fugitive on the loose.
I stay, I pray
She remains in the moment, offering up prayers.
See you in heaven far away.
With the hope of someday reuniting with her loved one in the afterlife, far from this earthly realm.
Four a.m. in the morning,
In the early morning, just before dawn.
I watched your vision forming,
She saw a vision of her loved one taking shape before her eyes.
Stars roll slowly in a silvery night,
The stars glimmered and shone on this magical, moonlit evening.
Will you come to terms with me this night,
She wonders if she will ever be able to reconcile and find peace with what has happened.
Caught in the middle of a hundred and five.
Feeling stuck and trapped amidst a multitude of complex emotions and situations.
The night was heavy and the air was alive,
The atmosphere of the evening was saturated with a sense of tension and intensity.
But she couldn't find how to push through.
Despite her efforts and even her prayers, she feels at a loss for how to move forward and cope with her grief.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow.
Once again, she finds herself transported and lost in the mystical allure of the moonlit night.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Michael Oldfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carlottavanuum2613
I am 74 years and i hear and love the shadows since 1959 till today, 2021 !!!
@y2k7-9-11
Wow!!! I remember hearing The Shadows when I was 2 years old in 1964.....and all their different 🎵🎶🎵 music and on tv...and now I'm 59!!!!!
@dietmarschlichtherle7061
The same with me :-) Take care !
@t555p
I’m 74 too. I never get tired of hearing them and seeing them perform.
@user-tq9vs6ww6o
@@y2k7-9-11 ? ? ? ? ? ?
@josch6334
I am 25 years your junior...I came listening to this incredible band sice I heard their version of ghostriders I am saddebd I missed them in Las Vegas...greetings from CaliJo back in Germany
@guntherderbastler1027
Hank Marvin was the reason why I learnt to play guitar, now I'm 73 years old and like to play his unforgettable instrumentals all the time
. Thank you very much, Hank.
@guntherderbastler1027
❤
@guntherderbastler1027
3:39
@Nigel-ie6gy
👍🏽🎸