Legend (Shadows tribute band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Legend
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Scarborough, England
Genre = Rock and roll, Instrumental, 1960s
Years_active = 2000 – present
Associated_acts = The Shadows
URL = [http://groups.msn.com/legend/ groups.msn.com/legend/]
Current_members = Terry Carter
Chris Jarvis
David Martin
Martin Verrill
Matthew Verrill

Legend are a Shadows tribute band, formed from members of the East Yorks. Shadows Guitar Club, who specialise in playing tracks from the "Burns era" of The Shadows (i.e. the period from 1964-1968 when the band used Burns guitars rather than the Fender Stratocasters for which they were more famous.)

The band members are:
* Terry Carter (lead/rhythm guitar)
* Chris Jarvis (bass guitar)
* David Martin (lead/rhythm guitar)
* Martin Verrill (drums/percussion)
* Matthew Verrill (keyboards/percussion)

Formed as a hobby through a shared admiration of the music of The Shadows in their Burns period, the band were fortunate enough to be one of the first to concentrate on these arguably lesser-known tracks. As a consequence they gained a high profile on the Shadows fan scene which was experiencing a resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to the spread of the Internet as a medium for people with shared interests to communicate, and the desire from fans of The Shadows to keep the music of the band alive, since the band had been unofficially retired since 1990. The band use authentic replicas of the Burns Marvin and Shadow Bass guitars, made by Burns London (the original company that produced the guitars in the 1960s, now under new ownership).

Live appearances

The band started their live career at the East Yorks Guitar Club meetings, where fans would get together to play Shadows tunes in front of an audience. As the band's profile grew, they were invited to play further afield at similar meetings around the country. For two of their first gigs, the band were fortunate enough to have Warren Bennett (son of Shadows' drummer Brian Bennett, and producer/keyboard for The Shadows and Hank Marvin) sit in with them on keyboards. Since that time, Legend have played, both together and apart, with various members of The Shadows, culminating in 2001 with founding band member Bruce Welch joining them on stage.

In 2002, Bruce Welch invited Legend to play at the now-annual Shadowmania event, staged for fans of The Shadows at the Lakeside Complex, Frimley Green. This invitation was extended again in 2005, and Legend took to the Lakeside stage again on 22nd September 2007. They are the only UK amateur band to be accorded this accolade three times, and one of the first to be invited to play at fan gatherings in The Netherlands and Germany. They also have a growing fan base in Japan.

Recordings

In 2002, Legend recorded their first album, "In The Beginning", at Honeyhill Studios (owned by Brian Bennett and site of many Shadows and related recordings.) Warren Bennett acted as producer, alongside Dick Plant (longtime Shadows studio acolyte) as engineer. The CD was released on the Dutch label Movi Music, and launched at the 2002 Pipeline Convention in London [ [http://rhis.co.uk/pipeline/convention.htm Pipeline 1999 Convention ] ] .

To coincide with their third appearance at the annual Shadowmania event, Legend released a 5-track EP entitled "Something's Afoot...!". In keeping with the band's desire to stay true to the ethic of the 60's-era Shadows, the EP was recorded "live" (i.e. all 4 members playing at the same time), and the result is a collection of tracks worthy of inclusion on any mid-60s Shadows album, with the advantages of clarity that modern technology brings.

External links

* [http://groups.msn.com/legend/ Legend's MSN Groups site]
* [http://www.shadowmusic.co.uk Shadowmusic.co.uk Shadows fan site]
* [http://www.shadowmania.uk.com Bruce Welch's Shadowmania]

References