Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player

Subject: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Little Robyn
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 04:13 PM

From Reuters, LONDON | Fri Mar 18, 2011 2:23pm EDT

British musician Jet Harris, who played bass guitar in Cliff Richard's band The Shadows, has died aged 71, British media reported on Friday.

Terence Harris, nicknamed "Jet" because he was one of the fastest runners in his school, was introduced to Richard in 1958, and his website credits him with coming up with the name The Shadows.

"Jet was exactly what the Shadows and I needed -- a backbone holding our sound together," Richard said in a statement.

"Jet, the bass player, will always be an integral part of British rock'n'roll history. Losing him is sad -- but the great memories will stay with me. Rock on, Jet."

With The Shadows, Harris enjoyed a string of hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s including "High Class Baby," the chart-topping "Apache" and "Guitar Tango." His last recording with the band was "Wonderful Land" in 1962, which also made it to number one in the British charts.

After leaving the group, Harris teamed up with former Shadows bandmate Tony Meehan and again reached number one with "Diamonds" in 1963.

After a serious car crash nearly ended his career he faded from the limelight, although he did tour in Europe and release several albums. As his success as a musician faded, Harris became a professional photographer.

He was made an MBE for his services to music, and died after a two-year battle with cancer. Earlier this month he was forced to cancel all appearances due to ill health.

RIP Jet

Robyn

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 04:19 PM

RIP Jet

Saw him just over 2 years ago wityh the Marty Wilde show. One of the band introduced me to him. I was shocked as I didn't recognise him.
I suppose you always remember them how thay were.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: fat B****rd
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 04:34 PM

Shame. He was the first bass player I heard to play a riff. I think the Shadows track was "36 24 36"
I saw him as Jet Harris and the Jetblacks* doing "Main Title Theme" with Jet on 6 string bass, great sound.
RIP Jet
*It may have been John Paul Jones on 4 string bass.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Bernard
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 05:21 PM

RIP, Jet - reputedly the first Brit to play an electric bass. It's also said he came up with the name 'Shadows'.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: BobKnight
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 05:22 PM

My hero as school kid - which led to me playing bass since the 1960's. He was the "mean and moody," Shadow, the cool one. I have no doubt there are a lot of older guys like me who only started playing bass because of Jet Harris. Sadly missed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: bradfordian
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 05:50 PM

I'm a child of that era, aren't most of us? --Still got & occassionally play their first two LPs, "The Shadows" & "Out of The Shadows" Seems not that long ago, but it is 50 years........geeeeeez!

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Nigel Paterson
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 08:52 AM

Very sad news indeed. I absolutely idolised The Shadows. Totally captivated by Hank Marvin's red 'Strat' & fascinated by Jet Harris' Fender bass...took me a while to work out just what a 'bass-man' did in a group! I bought their records & whilst playing them, stood in front of my bedroom mirror with a tennis racquet doubling as Hank's Strat, doing the Shadow's Walk.
         A fond & grateful farewell to Jet....another good man gone to the Great Studio in the Sky,
         Nigel.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Dave Earl
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 09:38 AM

I remember playing Air guitar in the playground with me mates to the Shadows on somebodies transistor radio and I suppose it would have been almost (alright over) 50 years ago.

Sad news

Sock it to 'em there Jet.

Dave

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Ian Gill
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 10:56 AM

I knew he was very ill but still sad news. Condolences to his - I think- fairly recent wife. He was an inspiration to countless young musicians as well as an iconic figure. His music will live on.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 02:56 PM

He had hits with Tony Meehan, Diamonds, Scarlett O'Hara and Applejack, not bad for a bass player and a drummer.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 03:01 PM

My favorite: The Breeze and I.
RIP Jet.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 08:56 PM

Very sad news indeed. I switched from violin to guitar at the age of 11 because of the Shadows.

RIP Jet.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Bernard
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 09:06 PM

I remember reading somewhere that Jet was always winding up the other Shadows during recording sessions because he'd keep turning up the volume on his bass... and in those days you couldn't fix it in the mixdown!

I'm particularly fond of the bass line in 'Kon-Tiki' - unusually it had quite a lot of echo on it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,DaveA
Date: 19 Mar 11 - 09:36 PM

I was surprised at how little time he actually spent with them - his wife had an affair with Cliff Richard & he was eased out. Cliff must have felt bad about it all the time - Jet was excluded from the 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour that he & The Shadows did!

Poor guy - what a way to be remembered. His wife was the only woman known to have slept with Cliff Richard!!

Dave

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: andrew e
Date: 20 Mar 11 - 01:23 AM

Yes I felt he could have been included in some of the reunion concerts.

I think a lot of people missed him.

Politics probably!

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Alan
Date: 20 Mar 11 - 04:09 AM

Jet was in a bad way at the time of his hit records to the extent he didn't play on any of them.
Big Jim Sullivan was involved in a big way.
Joe Moretti, who played on Johnny Kidd's "Shaking All Over" played lead on "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack".

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Bernard
Date: 20 Mar 11 - 07:27 AM

I seem to remember, too, that a planned comeback tour (in the 1970s?) didn't work out because Jet was suffering really badly with stage fright. At least that was the story in the music press ...

We see these people as gods, but sometimes forget that they are just as human as us ordinary folk, with further to fall.

He has achieved what many of us only hope for - he will be remembered fondly.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: andrew e
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 08:22 AM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1368276/Cliff-Richard-slammed-helping-band-member-Jet-Harris-hour-need.html

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 08:38 AM

Well I lost faith in what the article writer was saying when I saw the caption beneath the final photo claiming that Jet Harris is on Cliff Richard's right. It's Bruce Welch, of course. Harris is at the back on the right of the shot.

If that's an indication of their accuracy and research, it stinks.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 10:07 AM

Another favourite from my early childhood gone. We had bought a solid wood radiogramme at the time and luckily for us we found Buddy Holly's Rave-on, a single of Matt Monroe (not so lucky) and Jett Harris & Tony Meehan's Diamonds down the back of it, I played it over and over. I especially remember the music of the Shadows wafting through our house on the radio more than anything else. I am not particularly a Cliff fan but the pleasure of listening to the Shadows will stick with me forever (even more so than the Beatles).

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 10:08 AM

RIP Jet x

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Bernard
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 10:49 AM

It sounds more like stirring... I may be wrong, but it appears as if 'friend and manager Stockton' may either have been completely misquoted, or guilty of a serious error of judgement.

Why should Sir Cliff, or anyone else, be expected to provide money for medical treatment. If Stockton had anything about him, he would surely have organised benefit concerts and the like.

It's such a shame people use sad occasions such as this to further their own ends.

I think the error with the photograph is more likely to have been the typesetter's - he/she mistook 'on the right' for 'on Cliff's right'...

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: BobKnight
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 12:13 PM

Hey guys - let's not get into "he said, they said" shit. Let's just remember Jet as one of the pioneer's of British rock music, a legend in his own time, and the inspiration for so many kids in the early sixties. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it - this is a time to remember Jet, not slag each other off.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 12:54 PM

I think the error with the photograph is more likely to have been the typesetter's - he/she mistook 'on the right' for 'on Cliff's right'...

You're probably right, Bernard, but it does say something about the standards of proof-reading/editing. Mind you, it's the Daily Mail, so nothing surprising there.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 02:50 PM

Do they typeset any more? I thought it was all computerised nowadays, and the art of the blockmaker had disappeared forever.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Hovering Bob
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 06:18 PM

The Shadows were never the same after Jet left the group and to my mind they never replaced him, only had sort of 'session' bass players.
BobH

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: BobKnight
Date: 21 Mar 11 - 09:46 PM

Brian Locking and John Rostill, I seem to remember, HB. Could be wrong about John Rostill, it was a long time ago. Anyway, you're right - they never seemed to fit - no charisma.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Mike Rogers
Date: 22 Mar 11 - 04:21 AM

It's 49 years ago this month since I first saw The Shadows, backed by Cliff Richard. I used to order their singles to ensure that I got them asap. Jet had an unlucky life - the car crash which came at an especially cruel time really knocked him (and Billie Davis)back.
I'm not sure that Jet would have readily followed Cliff and the Shads into pantomime - just not right for his mean and moody image.
I remember an EP that my brother had where Jet recites sometime about
'I'm real mean, I tear wings off flies.' That's rock'n'roll.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 22 Mar 11 - 04:43 AM

Yep Bob, it was Brian Locking and John Rostill. Brian was with the Shadows for many years - a lot longer than Jet, whose tenure was surprisingly short (3 years or so?). Brian left, I believe, to pursue his life as a Jehovah's Witness. John Rostill just never 'fitted' IMHO, and, of course, the Shadows were pretty much past their time by then.

Jet was the only one who 'looked right' - everything about him was perfect, the classic mean, moody rocker.

As Arthur Itis has already said, when I saw him two or three years ago on the Marty Wilde tour, he was a shadow (pun intended!) of his former self physically (as you might expect), but a very personable guy. He seemed very nervous on stage.

They must be getting a helluva band together for the Great Gig In The Sky by now.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Mike Rogers
Date: 22 Mar 11 - 02:09 PM

Brian Locking was in the Shadows for only 18 months. Fact.

John Rostill was in the Shadows for about 6 years. Subsequent bassists such as Alan Jones and Mark Griffiths have been hired hands working for the Shadows.

Many people felt that Rostill fitted rather well, including Brian Bennett, who should know. He has described Rostill as the Shadows' best bass player. He also contributed quite a bit of material.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Bernard
Date: 22 Mar 11 - 03:25 PM

Yup - Licorice was the 'stop gap' who didn't quite 'fit' - John was excellent. Apart from his hair!! ;o)

Nonetheless, Jet was the first, and has deservedly earned his place in history. Things may well have been very different without him.

RIP

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: GUEST,Alan Whittle
Date: 23 Mar 11 - 05:23 AM

Yeh, Jet was really something. Music was so scarce in those days. I couldn't afford the records so i had to play the tunes in my head(something I still do). You heard them maybe twice a week - there were no rock n roll radio stations in England.

I was still a big fan when things started going wrong. Myheart went out to him him when he did the NME concert on telly from Wembley and he said, This is my latest single Big bad Bass, which thanks to you all hass been a flop....

The coloured pic book in Woolies went down from half a crown to sixpence. I bought it then. My mum said, he's not popular now, is he? And I said, i still like himIt would be worth more now. Where do all these things go?

About 1965 he sold his story for thre first time to The People, or News of the World. It was only then I realised before the Shads, he'd been a jazzer. Smoking dope in Soho with Tony Crombie. crombie was not long after - maybe already enjoying a big career with Alan Haven - doing Ronnie Scotts club, touring Las vegas, etc.

Whenever I heard of him in the intervening years, Jet was not doing too well. One of my mates got a gig in the 1970's in a group that Jet had just left. Two Irish guys ran the group - the starting pay was four quid a gig. Another time there was a feature on telly, looking very raddled Jet was living in a caravan, and looking bloody miserable.

it must have been in the 1980's that that book about the history of the Shads came out and the story surfaced about Cliff having an affair with Jet's wife. Strange there has never been any mention of it in any of Cliffs sunny anecodtal tomes about his past. That 'lessons in Love' sequence in The Young Ones really sort of comes alive, with that revelation.

I finally got to see Jet play, when he was 70. He looked tiny and bald, but I was still in awe of him. Doing a gig at a Warnerbreaks weekend. the show was a short one - but it climaxed with Jet high kicking through FBI. The were a gang of musicians from Holland in the audience. Young guys who loved the shadows music. One of them had that old LP where the Shads were wearing big wooly jumpers with reideers on the front.

The next week, I went out and bought a bass guitar. Jet was inspirational. If Cliff could convince anyone that his relationship with God had the intensity of Jet's relationship with the wood and the wire of his bass, he would be converting millions.

Subject: RE: Obit: Jet Harris, Shadows bass player
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 23 Mar 11 - 05:39 AM

"Brian Locking was in the Shadows for only 18 months. Fact.
John Rostill was in the Shadows for about 6 years."

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa.

How time bends our memories of the past! :-)