Editing Jet Harris (section)

==Soloist and with the Shadows' Tony Meehan==
After leaving the Shadows, he signed a contract with [[Decca Records|Decca]] and released solo [[instrumental]] and vocal work with some success, "Besame Mucho" and "[[(Themes from) The Man with the Golden Arm|The Man with the Golden Arm]]" featuring a Fender VI six-string bass guitar. In late 1962 he was voted 'top instrumentalist' in the readers' poll of the ''[[New Musical Express]]''.<ref name=GuardianObit/> Then, as part of a duo with former Shadows drummer [[Tony Meehan]], he topped the [[UK Singles Chart]] for three weeks in early 1963 with a cover of [[Jerry Lordan]]'s "[[Diamonds (Jerry Lordan song)|Diamonds]]".<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 244}}</ref> Harris and Meehan followed this with two further hit singles, "[[Scarlett O'Hara (instrumental)|Scarlett O'Hara]]" (also written by Jerry Lordan) a UK No. 2, and "[[Applejack (song)|Applejack]]" (composed by [[Les Vandyke]]) reaching UK No. 4 also in 1963.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> Tracks from "Diamonds" onward were recorded with Harris using standard Fender Jaguar and [[Gretsch]] guitars, usually de-tuned to D instead of E. 

Harris and Meehan also made two short cameo appearances in the black and white film ''[[Just for Fun (film)|Just for Fun]]'', released in 1963. In the film, "Jet and the Jetblacks" played "Man From Nowhere", whilst the duo performed "(Doin' the) Hully Gully", a vocal track released as the [[b-side]] of their hit "Scarlett O'Hara".

Harris was partly responsible for helping [[Jimmy Page]] and [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] break into the music business. Page's first major session was as a rhythm guitarist on "Diamonds" in late 1962. After "Diamonds" became a hit, Harris and Meehan hired Jones to play bass in their touring band.<ref name=LZ>{{cite web|url=http://www.led-zeppelin.org/joomla/current-news/1483-jet-harris-1939-2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817115925/http://www.led-zeppelin.org/joomla/current-news/1483-jet-harris-1939-2011|url-status=usurped|archive-date=17 August 2011|title=Jet Harris, 1939–2011 
|website=Ledzeppelin.org |date=18 March 2011 |access-date=21 March 2011}}</ref>

There were several court appearances involving drunkenness and violent behaviour<ref name=GuardianObit/> before the partnership with Meehan came to an abrupt end in September 1963 when a car crash on what was then the A44 (now the B4084) near [[Evesham]], [[Worcestershire]], (in which his girlfriend, singer [[Billie Davis]],<ref>''Daily Telegraph'' obituary, 19 March 2011</ref> was also injured), meant that this success did not last long.<ref name="AMG"/><ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years 3">{{cite book
| first= John
| last= Tobler
| year= 1992
| title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years
| edition= 1st
| publisher= Reed International Books Ltd
| location= London
| page= 124
| id= CN 5585}}</ref> Harris attempted a comeback as the "Jet Harris Band", in 1966 and was briefly in the line-up of [[The Jeff Beck Group]] in 1967, but somewhat fell out of the [[music industry]].<ref name="AMG"/> He then worked variously as a [[labourer]], [[bricklayer]], [[porter (carrier)|porter]] in a hospital, [[bus conductor]], and as a seller of [[cockle (bivalve)|cockles]] on the beach in [[Jersey]].