The debt we owe Cliff Richard - his generosity kick started 1960's popular music - here's why

1959, the Pink Jacket, the Fiesta Red Stratocaster - 

Cliff Richard at the early height of his fame

If you've ever been fortunate to meet Cliff Richard in person, he's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, regardless of who you are - whether you are a celebrity, royalty or just a plain, ordinary citizen.

So why do we owe Cliff such a great and perhaps unrealised thanks? Its quite simple really, because without his generosity, the course of popular music and our way of life might have been very different.

Cliff on his ATV show in 1960, with the Shadows

Before Beatlemania, there was Cliffmania. Many commentators and writers who put pen to paper about 1960's popular music, miss out one very important fact, that there was musical life before the Beatles. There was a phenomena that virtually dominated the musical charts from 1959-63. Cliff Richard and his backing band The Shadows. Both together and separately.

Cliff on the set of Expresso Bongo with the Shadows

Cliff was just one of a number of 'faces' of the late 1950's that came through the conduit of the legendary 2I's club in Old Compton Street, Soho, London to find fame and fortune in the music industry. At that time, it was the place to be seen, heard and  also hired. 

Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde, Wee Willie Harris, The Vipers - all names that in 1958 became household names due to an unprecedented growth in music came through this legendary coffee bar. 

The teenager was now a major player financially as well as socially in society. The old guard of tweed jacketed people in authority was now giving way to modernity. Suddenly progress was being made and the past was history.

This is the guitar and the player that made musical history  - 

Hank B. Marvin and the famous Stratocaster Cliff bought him

Backing Cliff in 1958 were schoolfriends from his hometown of Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire. Soon it became obvious that a quartet of players who orbited around the 2I's club should become Cliff's backing group. The Drifters as was, changed line-up and in 1959 became the Shadows, displacing Cliff's former schoolfriends.

Lead guitarist Hank B Marvin of the Shadows (as the Drifters name was changed to in early 1959), needed a guitar to show off his obvious talent. Cliff organised the import of the first Fender Stratocaster into the UK. A Fiesta red painted guitar, with Birdseye maple neck and gold plated hardware. Perhaps one of the most important guitars in the history of music.

It was a sensation then, in Hank's hands it became a guitar that launched the careers of thousands of guitarists who either became famous, or in most cases just enjoyed playing and still do.

Hank Marvin in 1961 with his second Red Stratocaster - 

George Harrison stated years later - 'No Shadows, no Beatles.'

Hank Marvin took the Fender Stratocaster, the Vox AC15 amplifier and the Meazzi echo machine and blended those into a cocktail of sound that remains unique. 

Hank's signature sound, whether backing Cliff or on the Shadows recordings was amazing, it was the sound to emulate, his technique the thing to follow. Even in 1964, Beatlemania had not diminished the presence in the charts of Cliff and the Shadows.

As early as 1960, Cliff had plenty to write about

Cliff was in 1960 about to help change the music scene in Britain forever. He pushed for his Recording Manager Norrie Paramor, to record the Shadows in their own right. They had a tune in mind called 'Apache' that Jerry Lordan had offered them.

When they recorded it in 1960, Cliff was on the session as a musician. The track was sensational, suddenly and indeed overnight, many bands seemed to discard their singer and reform as an instrumental band, intent on getting Hank's sound.

The Shadows continued to perform continually with Cliff until 1968

a series of reunions have also occurred over the years since.

The gift of that guitar to Hank led Hank to develop a technique that gave him a career and also helped Cliff enjoy such longevity in the music business. From that seed of generosity, you can count off a whole line of people who are famous today who were inspired by what Hank was doing - Players including Brian May, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and many more.

Brian Epstein took the Beatles to watch the Shadows in 1963 so that they could see their stagecraft, such was their impact on music. The combined talent of the various Shadows line-ups over the years enabled both Cliff and the Shadows to enjoy lasting fame and appreciation, but their musical legacy also pushed others forward too.

In 1983 I was at last able to afford a decent guitar that fitted the bill and started to play along to Cliff and the Shadows old material, they were at the time still releasing records and doing the occasional reunion, it was a revelation and has provided me with music I still play today.

It all started with that red guitar Cliff bought for Hank Marvin.

So we have a lot to thank Cliff for. Besides that, he's a very nice chap too.