The Shadows

Something of a national institution in the UK, The Shadows - both with and without singer Cliff Richard - helped define the pre-Beatles era of British rock through catchy instrumentals like Apache, Foot-Tapper and Wonderful Land. Hank Marvin's highly distinctive guitar style (not to mention horn-rimmed glasses and primitive dance routines) was key in elevating the guitar into the forefront of Brit rock, inspiring a whole generation of beat groups. Originally called The Drifters (changing their name to avoid clashing with the US R&B group), the group emerged from the short-lived skiffle boom to become teen sensation Cliff Richard's backing band. In addition to touring and recording with Richard the band developed a parallel career as an instrumental act in their own right, topping the UK charts in 1960 with Kon Tiki and Apache. By 1962 Jet Harris and Tony Meehan had quit, triggering a string of personnel changes. In 1975 the group finished second in the Eurovision Song Contest with Let Me Be The One and eventually drifted into other projects, though they were back on the road in 2004 and in 2009 they reunited to tour with Cliff Richard.