The Shadows

The Shadows, originally known as the Drifters until 1959, were an English instrumental rock group formed in 1958. Initially a backing band for singer Cliff Richard, they began scoring hits in their own right when their single "Apache" reached No. 1 in the UK in 1960. They remained Richard's backing band until 1968, and joined him for several reunion tours in subsequent years. The Shadows dominated the British popular music charts in the pre-Beatles era from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, achieving 69 UK chart singles from the 1950s to the 2000s, 35 as the Shadows and 34 as Cliff Richard and the Shadows, ranging from pop, rock, surf rock and ballads with a jazz influence. The group, who were in the forefront of the UK beat-group boom, were the first backing band to also achieve commercial success in their own right.