Brian "Licorice" Locking was an English musician and songwriter known for his tenure as bassist with The Wildcats in 1959 and The Shadows, between 1962 and 1963.
15 Facts About Brian Locking
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Brian Locking was born on 22 December 1938 in Bedworth, Warwickshire, England and after moving to Grantham Lincolnshire attended St Anne's School, Spittlegate, and then Huntingtower Road School.
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Brian Locking began playing double bass in several bands, and was a member of The Harmonica Vagabonds, subsequently called The Vagabonds Skiffle Group; he performed regularly at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, where he was asked to tour with Terry Dene and with fellow Grantham-based rocker Vince Eager, whom he had performed with in The Vagabonds.
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Brian Locking switched to bass guitar, later joining The Wildcats, a backing group for the rock and roll singer Marty Wilde.
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Brian Locking played several other instruments including harmonica and clarinet.
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Stylistically, Brian Locking had a solid "less is more" approach, which was the obverse of Harris's adventurous hard-driving style.
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Brian Locking played the harmonica in live shows and on his signature album track, "Dakota".
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Brian Locking appeared in the 1963 Cliff Richard film, Summer Holiday.
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Brian Locking remained on the music scene at a more compatible pace and was invited to play double bass on Donovan's first recording session.
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Brian Locking briefly played with the Shadows again five years later while his successor John Rostill was in hospital.
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In later life Brian Locking was a regular guest playing at Shadows guitar clubs across the UK and abroad.
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Brian Locking was frequently invited to perform with various Shadows-style bands and was fundamental to honouring their legacy in such countries as France and Germany.
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Brian Locking reprised his role in the Wildcats at Marty Wilde's 50th Anniversary Concert, where he appeared on stage with all the surviving Shadows members.
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Brian Locking suffered from Bell's palsy, and he was registered blind.
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Brian Locking died in a hospice in North Wales on 8 October 2020 aged 81, after having been diagnosed with a tumour on the bladder.