Brian Bennett, Bruce Welch and Warren Bennett at a concert in Brussels in 2005
Brian Laurence Bennett (born 9 February 1940[1]) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band member Warren Bennett.[2]
Bennett was born in Palmers Green, North London, England.[1] He formed his first band, The Railroaders, when he was fourteen at Rutherford grammar school in 1954, with Hank Marvin.[3]
He then became a member of Marty Wilde's Wildcats in 1959.[1] After a successful period with the Wildcats, during which he appeared on their instrumental record without Wilde (recorded as the Krew Kats), "Trambone", he backed Tommy Steele for some of his London stage performances.
In October 1961 he joined Cliff Richard and the Shadows as the replacement for Tony Meehan.[1] The Shadows were known for their instrumental songs, mainly; "Apache" (1960), "F.B.I." (1961), "Wonderful Land" (1962), and "Foot Tapper" (1963), among many others.
Bennett is best known for co-writing "Summer Holiday" with rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch.[4] The band split up briefly between 1968 and 1973, but was reformed by Marvin, Welch and Bennett. In addition to his work with the Shadows he has also appeared in Cliff Richard's backing band and plays piano and occasionally vibraphone.
The band reunited from 2008 to 2010, and played one-off concerts in 2015 and 2020. Bennett along with Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch was one of three core members of the group
Other works
In 1967, Bennett released a solo album of jazz music, entitled Change of Direction, in mono and stereo (neither charted). This was the first solo album by a member of the Shadows. Also in the 1960s and 1970s, Bennett played the drums on records by other artists including Labi Siffre, Ella Fitzgerald, Olivia Newton-John, The Walker Brothers and Peter Frampton.[5]
Bennett has enjoyed a parallel and successful career as a composer of library music, issuing multiple LPs with production music labels such as Bruton and KPM. He was also a member of Steve Gray's WASP ensemble, which recorded library music for the KPM 1000 Series.[6] This has resulted in the use of his music for many popular TV theme tunes including BBC sports themes such as Rugby Special ("Holy Mackerel") and BBC Golf ("Chase Side Shoot Up"), Channel 9 Australia's cricket theme and police drama Bluey theme tune ("New Horizons"),[7] the sitcoms Robin's Nest and Birds of a Feather, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries,[1]Pulaski, Square Deal, Close to Home, Murder in Mind and, with his son Warren, composed and played the incidental music in New Tricks.
In the 1970s, music by Bennett was selected for several Radley Metzger films, including Barbara Broadcast and The Opening of Misty Beethoven. Two of his most famous works were "The Journey" and "Just a Minute" written under the alias James Aldenham and used for the ITV Schools on 4 broadcasts between 1987 and 1993. He scored the British-German film The Harpist in 1999. He is also an orchestral conductor, having learned how to arrange and conduct music for orchestras from a correspondence course.
Bennett's compositions had a resurgence when used by hip hop rappers in the 2010s, including Kanye West and Nas.[3][8] In 2017, Bennett and Welch unveiled a blue plaque at the Globe theatre in Stockton.[9] In 2021, he along with many other drummers, were enlisted by Don Powell of Slade to record the charity single "Let There Be Drums".[10] In 2022, he released a single "Name of the Game" with Dave Richmond, which was on the UK Physical Singles Chart for one week in December 2022, at number 82.[11]
Personal life
Bennett's son, Warren, formerly played keyboards for the band Glass Ties, and is also a composer and producer. Brian is a widow.[3] In the early 1960s, Bennett did a postal course with Berklee College of Music in composing.[3]
In May 2005, Bennett took part in the Shadows' European tour. During a show in Reykjavík, Iceland he sustained what was thought to be a minor injury to a finger.[12] A splinter from a drumstick pierced under his fingernail on his right hand, he removed it with a pair of old pliers and applied a plaster. He eventually called a doctor while in France and had a quick operation to heal his wounded finger. Bennett managed to play for the rest of the tour using an altered playing style.[13]
Honours
He was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to music.
Bennett runs a home recording studio, Honeyhill studios, in Radlett, Hertfordshire. In November 2009, at the age of 69, Bennett completed a 50th Anniversary reunion world tour with Cliff Richard and the Shadows.
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