Editing Brian Bennett

{{Short description|British musician (born 1940)}}
{{About|the musician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Brian Bennett
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}}
| image           = File:Brian Bennett (cropped).jpg
| caption         = Bennett in 2005
| image_size      =
| birth_name      = Brian Laurence Bennett
| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|1940|02|09|df=y}}
| death_date      =
| origin          = [[Palmers Green]], [[North London]], England, UK
| instrument      = Drums, piano
| genre           = [[Rock and roll]]
| occupation      = Musician, composer
| years_active    = 1956–present
| label           =
| associated_acts = [[Marty Wilde|Marty Wilde's Wildcats]]<br/>[[the Shadows]]<br/>[[Cliff Richard]]<br/>Survivors
| website         = [http://www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk]
| alias           = James Aldenham <!-- used for library music -->
}}
[[File:BrianBennett 7-05-2005 22-06-55.jpg|thumb|250px|Brian Bennett, [[Bruce Welch]] and Warren Bennett at a concert in Brussels in 2005]]
'''Brian Laurence Bennett''' (born 9 February 1940<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=219}}</ref>) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of [[popular music]]. He is best known as the drummer of the UK [[rock and roll]] group [[the Shadows]]. He is the father of musician and Shadows band member [[Warren Bennett (musician)|Warren Bennett]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-bennett-p15768|title=Brian Bennett AllMusic Page|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref>

==Early life==
Bennett was born in [[Palmers Green]], [[North London]], England.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Educated at Hazlewood Lane School, Palmers Green, London and [[Winchmore School|Winchmore Council School]], he finished school at the age of sixteen to play drums in a [[Ramsgate]] [[skiffle]] group performing for holiday makers. After returning to London he studied drums with [[Max Abrams]] and became the in-house drummer at [[The 2i's Coffee Bar]] in [[Soho, London|Soho]] and was a regular performer on [[Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good's]] TV show ''[[Oh Boy! (TV series)|Oh Boy!]]''<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

== Early career ==
He then became a member of [[Marty Wilde|Marty Wilde's Wildcats]] in 1959.<ref name="LarkinGE" /> After a successful period with the Wildcats, during which he appeared on their [[instrumental]] record without Wilde (recorded as the Krew Kats), "Trambone", he backed [[Tommy Steele]] for some of his London stage performances. 

== The Shadows ==
{{Further information|The Shadows}}
In October 1961 he joined [[Cliff Richard]] and the Shadows as the replacement for [[Tony Meehan]].<ref name="LarkinGE" /> The Shadows were known for their instrumental songs, mainly; [[Apache (instrumental)|Apache]] (1960), [[F.B.I. (instrumental)|F.B.I.]] (1961), [[Wonderful Land]] (1962), and [[Foot Tapper]] (1963), among many others. The band split up briefly between 1968 and 1973, but was reformed by Marvin, Welch and Bennett.

He stayed with the group throughout all of their subsequent line-ups, and in May 2005 took part in the Shadows' European tour. During a show in [[Reykjavík]], Iceland he sustained what was thought to be a minor injury to a finger. A splinter from a drumstick pierced under his fingernail on his right hand, he removed it with a pair of old pliers and applied a plaster. A few days later after arriving in Paris, France he was in so much pain he called a doctor. The doctor diagnosed a bad infection and recommended Bennett go to hospital immediately. Thinking it would be a short visit he attended only to find out that it would involve a minor, but very painful, operation to remove the poison. He was due to be playing on stage that evening and had already missed the soundcheck. He arrived at the theatre 15 minutes before the show with his right-hand bandaged and still numb from the anesthetic. He managed to play for the whole show using an altered playing style.<ref>{{cite web |title=Diary of a Drummer |url=http://www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk/botr_2005/botr_05_11.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723151447/http://www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk/botr_2005/botr_05_11.php |archive-date=23 July 2010 |access-date=30 January 2008}}</ref>

In addition to his work with the Shadows he has also appeared in [[Cliff Richard]]'s backing band and plays piano and occasionally [[vibraphone]].

In 1967, Bennett released a solo album of jazz music, entitled ''Change of Direction'', in mono and stereo (neither charted). This was the first solo album by a member of the Shadows.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}} In the 1970s, music by Bennett was selected for several [[Radley Metzger]] films, including ''[[Barbara Broadcast#Music soundtrack|Barbara Broadcast]]'' and ''[[The Opening of Misty Beethoven#Music soundtrack|The Opening of Misty Beethoven]]''.

== Other works ==
Bennett has enjoyed a parallel and successful career as a composer of library music, issuing multiple LPs with production music labels such as Bruton and [[KPM Music|KPM]]. He was also a member of [[Steve Gray (musician)|Steve Gray]]'s WASP ensemble, which recorded library music for the KPM 1000 Series.<ref name=m>Oliver Lomax. ''The Mood Modern'' (2018), pp. 328-47</ref> This has resulted in the use of his music for many popular TV theme tunes including [[BBC]] sports themes such as ''[[Rugby Special]]'' ("Holy Mackerel") and BBC Golf ("Chase Side Shoot Up"), Channel 9 Australia's cricket theme and police drama ''[[Bluey (1976 TV series)|Bluey]]'' theme tune ("New Horizons"),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/what-will-happen-to-the-soundtrack-of-summer/news-story/4c7fd38e47c2dfee05a7abd5b8f5173c |title=What will happen to the soundtrack of summer? |publisher = [[news.com.au]]|date= 15 April 2018|access-date=26 April 2023}}</ref> the sitcoms ''[[Robin's Nest (TV series)|Robin's Nest]]'' and ''[[Birds of a Feather (TV series)|Birds of a Feather]]'', ''[[The Ruth Rendell Mysteries]]'',<ref name="LarkinGE"/> ''[[Pulaski (TV series)|Pulaski]]'', ''[[Square Deal (TV series)|Square Deal]]'', ''[[Close to Home (1989 TV series)|Close to Home]]'', ''[[Murder in Mind (TV series)|Murder in Mind]]'' and, with his son Warren, composed and played the incidental music in ''[[New Tricks]]''. Two of his most famous works were "The Journey" and "Just a Minute" written under the alias James Aldenham and used for the ''[[ITV Schools]] on 4'' broadcasts between 1987 and 1993. He scored the British-German film ''[[The Harpist (film)|The Harpist]]'' in 1999.

He is also an [[orchestral conductor]], having learned how to arrange and conduct music for orchestras from a correspondence course. His son [[Warren Bennett (musician)|Warren Bennett]] formerly played keyboards for the band Glass Ties, and is also a composer and producer.

==Honours ==
He was appointed [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 [[British honours system|Queen's Birthday Honours]] List for services to music.

Bennett runs a home recording studio, Honeyhill studios, in [[Radlett]], Hertfordshire. In November 2009, at the age of 69, Bennett completed a 50th Anniversary reunion world tour with Cliff Richard and the Shadows.

==Discography==
===Albums===
*Brian Bennett – Change of Direction – LP/CD – Columbia/see4Miles
*Brian Bennett – Illustrated London Noise – LP/CD – Columbia/see4Miles – 1969
*Collage – Misty – – LP/CD – DJM/see4Miles
*Brian Bennett Band – Rock Dreams  – LP/CD – DJM/see4Miles – 1977
*Brian Bennett Band – Voyage (A Journey into Discoid Funk) – LP/CD – DJM/see4Miles – 1978
*Heat Exchange – One step ahead – LP/CD – EMI/see4Miles
*[[Ruth Rendell Mysteries]] – LP/CD
*Ruth Rendell Mysteries (volume.2) – LP/CD
*Ruth Rendell Mysteries (Wexford) – LP/CD
*Drumtrax (house library. ) – CD
*Nomads of the wind – CD
*Global sunrise – CD.
*The Works – (Box set of 4CDs).
*Greatest Guitar hits (volume 1) – CD
*Greatest Guitar hits (volume 2) – CD
*[[Living Britain]] – CD
*Official Bootleg album – CD

===Singles===
*Canvas/Slippery Jim De Grize – 7" – DB 8294 – Columbia.
*Ridin The Gravy Train/Bubble Drum (Thunder company) – 7" – DB 8706
*Chase side shoot up/Pegasus – 7" – 6007040
*Thunderbolt/Clearing skies – 7" – DJS10714
*Saturday night special/Farewell to a friend – 7" – DJS10756
*Girls back home/Jonty Jump – 7" – DJS10791
*Pendulum force/Ocean Glide – 7" – DJS10843
*Top of the world/ Soul Ice – 7" – DJM10981
*Shake down/Your gonna love this – 7" – EMI 2988
*Shake down/Your Gonna Love this – 12" – 12EMI2988

==Music labels (non-commercial)==
*Themes Records – LP
*KPM – solo & w/others – LP
*Bruton – solo & w/others – LP/CD
*Music House – solo & w/others – CD
*Reliable Source Music – CD

==Filmography==
*''[[Luxo Jr.]]'' – music: "Chateau Latour", "Finesse", "Quicksilver"
*''[[Light & Heavy (film)|Light & Heavy]]'' – music: "Chateau Latour"
*''[[Surprise (1991 film)|Surprise]]'' – music: "Quicksilver"

==Production credits==
*[[Dennis Waterman]] – ''Downwind of Angels'' – LP – DJF 204830 – DJM – 1976
*Dennis Waterman – ''Dennis Waterman'' – LP – DJF 20513 – DJM – 1977
*[[Demis Roussos]] – ''The Demis Roussos Magic'' – (CD) – BX 523-2
*[[Drake (rapper)|Drake]] – "[[Summer Sixteen]]" – 2016

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk}}
* {{IMDb name|0071626|Brian Bennett}}
* {{Discogs artist|artist=Brian Bennett|name=Brian Bennett}}

{{The Shadows}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Brian}}
[[Category:English drummers]]
[[Category:British male drummers]]
[[Category:English pianists]]
[[Category:English record producers]]
[[Category:English rock drummers]]
[[Category:English composers]]
[[Category:British rock and roll musicians]]
[[Category:People from Palmers Green]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Ivor Novello Award winners]]
[[Category:People from Radlett]]
[[Category:The Shadows members]]
[[Category:English conductors (music)]]
[[Category:British male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:British music arrangers]]
[[Category:People educated at Winchmore School]]
[[Category:British male pianists]]
[[Category:21st-century British conductors (music)]]