Jet Harris (born Terence Harris, 6 July 1939, Honeypot Lane, Kingsbury, North London, England) was the bass guitarist and leader of The Shadows until April 1962.

Life and career

Although he learned to play clarinet as a teenager, he made his own four string double bass to play in a jazz group and later graduated to a professionally made double bass. In 1958, while playing jazz with drummer Tony Crombie, Crombie suggested that Harris should try "this new guitar". Thus Harris was possibly the first person in Britain to own an electric bass guitar, and certainly the first to play one in a band. His original instrument was a Framus Star bass imported by Besson & Co from West Germany.

He played in several groups including The Vipers Skiffle Group and The Most Brothers before joining (in 1959) Cliff Richard's backing group The Drifters, who later changed their name to The Shadows (a name Harris took from Bobby Vee's old backing group). The only member of the group who was old enough at the time to legally sign a contract, Harris was elected the leader of the group. In 1959, after the neck of his Framus was terminally damaged in a dressing room accident, he was presented (by the importers) with one of the first Fender Precision Basses which came to Britain from the United States. His playing was enterprising and of virtuoso standard. Most of the techniques used by 1970s players were being used by Harris as early as 1960. By 1962, his bass licks had become highly sophisticated, and unmatched by any of his peers.

Harris also contributed vocally, adding backup harmonies and even taking lead vocal once in a while. He also had a trademark scream unique in rock music, as used in the Shadows' "Feeling Fine" and Cliff Richard's "Do You Want to Dance". It was imitated by The Beatles in their Shadows spoof, "Cry for a Shadow".

In 1962, he left the Shadows due to disagreements arising on tour (according to The Story Of The Shadows, written by the group with Mike Read). He released solo instrumental and vocal work with some success, but returned to top the UK Singles Chart with former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan with "Diamonds", which featured Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar released in January 1963.

A motor car crash later that year, in which singer Billie Davis was also injured, as well as personal problems, meant that this success did not last long. Harris attempted a solo comeback in 1966 and was briefly in the line-up of the Jeff Beck Group in 1967, but somewhat fell out of the music industry. He then worked variously as a labourer, bricklayer, porter in a hospital, bus conductor, and as a seller of cockles on the beach in Jersey.

Harris still plays occasionally, with backing band The Diamonds or as a guest with The Rapiers, and teamed up with Tony Meehan for a support performance in Cliff Richard's 1989 'The Event' concerts. In 1998 he was awarded a Fender Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in popularizing the bass guitar in Britain.

2006 saw Harris' first single release in over 40 years, "San Antonio", coupled with "Ignition" precede an album of all new material scheduled for release in 2007.

He inspired a whole generation of British bass guitarists, and still has many devoted admirers. Many techniques credited to other bass players, such as using the bass guitar as lead instrument and melodic basslines are techniques that were actually pioneered by Harris. As well as melodic bass fills, his other techniques include octave pulses, playing an octave below the lead guitar and creating tension with a broken major-7 double-stop, a technique surprisingly missing from the repertoires of other bassists.

Selected Singles Discography

• "Diamonds" (with Tony Meehan)
• "Scarlett O'Hara" (with Tony Meehan)
• "Applejack" (with Tony Meehan)
• "The Man With The Golden Arm" (solo)
• "Besame Mucho" (solo)
• "San Antonio" (solo)

External links

• Official Jet Harris Web Site
• Official home of Jet Harris' new album