Terence "Jet" Harris was an English rock and roll musician.
23 Facts About Jet Harris
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Jet Harris was an original member of Cliff Richard's backing band the Shadows, serving as the bass guitarist from the group's inception until April 1962, after which he had success as a soloist and as a duo with that band's drummer Tony Meehan.
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In 1958, while playing jazz with drummer Tony Crombie and his group the Rockets, Crombie got a Framus bass guitar for Jet Harris, making him one of the first British exponents of the instrument.
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Jet Harris played in several groups, including the British skiffle group.
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In 1959, after the neck of his Framus was terminally damaged in a dressing room accident, Jet Harris was presented by the importers with a Fender Precision Bass, one of the first to come to Britain from the United States.
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Jet Harris contributed vocally, adding backup harmonies and occasional lead vocals.
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In Mike Read's book, The Story of the Shadows, Jet Harris attributed the start of his depression and related alcohol addiction to discovering that Cliff Richard had had an affair with his wife Carol Costa after they were separated.
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In 1962, Jet Harris left The Shadows following disagreements, mostly with Bruce Welch over his drinking habit.
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Jet Harris was partly responsible for helping Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones break into the music business.
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Jet Harris then worked variously as a labourer, bricklayer, porter in a hospital, bus conductor, and as a seller of cockles on the beach in Jersey.
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For many years, Jet Harris made a point in his stage shows of saying how long it had been since he quit drinking, winning applause from audiences who knew how it had wrecked his career in the 1960s.
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Jet Harris still played occasionally, with backing band the Diamonds or as a guest with the Rapiers, and guested with Tony Meehan at Cliff Richard's 1989 'The Event' concerts.
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Jet Harris appeared annually at Bruce Welch's 'Shadowmania' and toured backed by the Rapiers.
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Jet Harris recorded continuously from the late 1980s with a variety of collaborators, including Tangent, Alan Jones, Bobby Graham and the Local Heroes.
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From 2005 to 2009, Jet Harris achieved a lifetime ambition by touring UK theatres with his own show, "Me and My Shadows".
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In 2007, Jet Harris was invited by UK singer Marty Wilde to be a special guest on his 50th Anniversary tour.
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Jet Harris said that this was his most enjoyable working experience in years.
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In 2010, Jet Harris started working with the Shadowers, led by guitarist Justin Daish.
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Jet Harris began plans for a new show, featuring fresh material he had never performed before.
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Jet Harris was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 New Year Honours.
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In 2010, Jet Harris was presented with a special award from the US Fender guitar company for his services to their company in effectively launching their bass guitar in the UK in 1960.
22.
Jet Harris was a heavy smoker and died on 18 March 2011, two years after being diagnosed with throat cancer, at the home of his partner Janet Hemingway, in Winchester.
23.
At the luncheon that followed the unveiling of the plaque, various musicians took part in a performance in Jet Harris' memory, including Mike Berry, Clem Cattini of The Tornados, bassist Mo Foster, guitarist Daniel Martin and Jet Harris' backing group the Shadowers.