Sad news: Tony Meehan dies.

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Tony Meehan, the original drummer of the Shadows (originally the Drifters) died in hospital yesterday, after an accident at home; he was 62 years old. The Shadows influenced many many rock groups, and Tony Meehan's tight drumming was amongst the best in the UK in the late 50's and early 60's. In the early 60's he left the Shadows and became a record producer, but managed to team up with another Shadow, Jet Harris  (the first British rock musician to play electric bass, and then the first with a 6 string bass) and had three major hit singles in 1962 and 1963. Meehan's drum solo I'll See You In My Drums (on the eponymous Shadows album), is a reference in tightness and the ability to demonstrate drum skills/talent in 90 seconds. My first drum hero.

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Dick Heath Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Jazz-Rock Specialist Joined: April 19 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 12798	Topic: Sad news: Tony Meehan dies. Posted: November 29 2005 at 05:59
	Tony Meehan, the original drummer of the Shadows (originally the Drifters) died in hospital yesterday, after an accident at home; he was 62 years old. The Shadows influenced many many rock groups, and Tony Meehan's tight drumming was amongst the best in the UK in the late 50's and early 60's. In the early 60's he left the Shadows and became a record producer, but managed to team up with another Shadow, Jet Harris (the first British rock musician to play electric bass, and then the first with a 6 string bass) and had three major hit singles in 1962 and 1963. Meehan's drum solo I'll See You In My Drums (on the eponymous Shadows album), is a reference in tightness and the ability to demonstrate drum skills/talent in 90 seconds. My first drum hero.

VanderGraafKommandöh Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Prog Reviewer Joined: July 04 2005 Location: Malaria Status: Offline Points: 89372	Posted: November 29 2005 at 06:42
	Requiscat in pace Tony.


salmacis Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Content Addition Joined: April 10 2005 Status: Offline Points: 3928	Posted: November 29 2005 at 15:07
	Very sad news for British rock. I really like The Shadows' early records, as they had a sophistication in the arrangements that pretty much no-one else in the rock music world had then. Indeed, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan continued this work with their excellent singles as a duo (I particularly like 'Diamonds'). Tony Meehan was one of the earlier drummers to stand out in British rock, and he'll be sorely missed.

Dick Heath Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Jazz-Rock Specialist Joined: April 19 2004 Location: England Status: Offline Points: 12798	Posted: December 07 2005 at 07:58
	Interesting that the British Commonwealth factor meant the Shadows were well known in Canada and hardly known in the US (the Ventures seem to fill the gap - although there was some reciprocation of hits between the Shadows and Ventures through the 60's). Neil Young and Bachmann Turner Overdrive were heavily influenced by the Shadows. Young and one of the Bachmann brothers can be heard on the Hank Marvin/Shadows' tribute album Twang - and in deed Neil Young's autobiographical song From Hank to Hendrix, is song about his guitar heroes Hank Marvin (not Hank Williams as some think) and Jim Hendrix.