Terence “Jet” Harris
July 6, 1939 – March 18, 2011
Jet Harris was a bassist who is perhaps best remembered as one of the founding members the English pop band, the Shadows. Originally a jazz musician, it is widely believed that Harris was one of the first, if not THE first English musician to start playing the electric bass. The year was 1958, and before long, Harris was playing in a group called the Drifters who were serving as Cliff Richard’s backing band. They soon changed their name to the Shadows who would ultimately go on to release nearly 70 charting singles in the U.K. Richard himself, would later go on to have a very successful solo career. In 1962, Harris left the Shadows due to friction within the group. He went on to release a handful of moderately successful solo records, and played briefly in the Jeff Beck Group, but by the early ’70s, he was out of the music business and working various manual labor jobs. He returned to playing in the late ’80s and continued to do so up until just prior to his death. In 1998, Fender Guitars recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for popularizing the electric bass in Britain. On March 18, 2011, Jet Harris died following a two-year struggle with cancer. He was 71.
Thanks to Su for the assist.