The Shadows

Known as the Drifters for the first two years of their existence (1958 and 1959), British band the Shadows first served as Cliff Richard's backing band between 1958 and 1968, before becoming known for their own repertoire. Incorporating a beat style, they went on to become a popular figure in instrumental rock 'n' roll with a surf rock influence. The London, England-based band are led by guitarists Hank Marvin (active between 1958 and 2020) and Bruce Welch (1958-2020), and drummer Brian Bennett (1961-2020). Numerous other musicians joined the Shadows, including drummer Tony Meehan (1959-1968), bassists Alan Tarney (1973-1977), and Mark Griffiths (1986-2015). The band—who had several periods of inactivity between 1970 and 1973, 1990 and 2004, 2010 and 2015, and 2015 and 2020—enjoyed a number of successful albums including The Shadows (number 1 in the UK in 1961), Out of the Shadows (number 1 in 1962), Dance with the Shadows (number 2 in 1964), Strings of Hits (number 1 in 1979), Moonlight Shadows (number 6 in 1986), and Reflection (number 5 in 1990). The Shadows also scored a number of chart-topping hits in the UK with "Apache" (1960), "Kon-Tiki" (1961), "Wonderful Land" (1962) and "Dance On!" (1962), and "Foot Tapper" (1963). The group's last chart success came in 1989 with the medley "Shadowmix,” which reached number 81 in the UK. The band continued to perform live and appeared together for the last time in 2020 as part of a BBC4 documentary, The Shadows at Sixty, celebrating their 60-year career.

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