"Out of The Shadows"

Interview 1980 © Dynamite International reproduced here with permission

Back in February 1980 Hanne Jordan interviewed the sons of The Shadows -  namely Dwayne Welch, Warren Bennett &  Dean Marvin  which duly appeared in the Cliff & The Shadows Fanzine "Dynamite".    Until recently I was unaware of its existence so I am grateful to Harry De Louw for his permission in allowing this interview to appear on my web site.

What are you doing at the moment?

Dwayne Welch:    I am working as a management trainee at EMI records and started in October 1979.

Warren Bennett:    My dad who is writing for Bruton Music heard about a job and arranged the job for me.  I started two years ago.

Dean Marvin:        I am a jeweller

Favourite groups?

Warren Bennett:         ELO, The Beatles, Blondie, Supertramp, Carole Bayer Sager

Dwayne Welch:          I don’t particularly like New Wave, but I like the idea of The Specials, Madness and Selector

Dean Marvin:             I like anything but disco, Abba, Boney M & Dollar

Any brothers and sisters?

Dwayne Welch:       I am an only child on my father’s side but have a brother that my mum had with somebody else.  They live in

                            Spain where I lived for three years as well.  My brother is very important to me.  He is nine years old.

Warren Bennett:      I have got a sister of 15 Sarah Jane and a brother of 3 Joshua.

Dean Marvin:           From the original marriage of my father and mother there is Peter and Paul, Phillipa and myself.  From my dad and

                            my step-mum there are Talia and Ben and my mum remarried and there are David and Lucy

Warren you are playing in a band?

 Warren Bennett:      Yes, it was called “Central Direction” but we changed the name recently is “Direktion”.  We just signed a one   

                             single contract with Pinnacle.  Member are Russell Emanuel – bass, Mike Christer  - guitars & vocals; David

                             Strickland  engineer and producer; and me – drums, keyboards and vocals.  Dwayne used to be in the band but

                             went solo.  We write a lot of songs together.

Do you like going to the Shadows concerts?

Warren Bennett:      Yes a lot; I go as much as I can.

Dean Marvin:           Yes, but I am very nervous when I am going in case anything goes wrong.

What are your dad’s hobbies? 

Warren Bennett:    Dad likes reading books in the garden and listening to classical records           .

Dean Marvin:         My father likes gardening and football

Has it always been good times for The Shadows?

Warren Bennett:    Not at the beginning, it was very hard.  It is a pity that one of the best things that they did was without

                          recognition.  It was the Marvin, Welch and Farrar thing. When the music press learns it is The Shadows they put it

                          aside.  The same with Brian’s recent album “Heat Exchange”   Hank is also doing a solo album now.  On it are Brian

                          Bennett and Alan Jones.  Some of the titles off the forthcoming Shadows albums are: Whiter shade of pale, If you

                          leave me now, Temptation, Just the way you are and Nights in white satin together with some 6 new titles.

What you do think about Cliff as a person?

Dean Marvin:        He really cares about people.  He has everything he wants but still cares about people.   He is my godfather.

Warren Bennett:    He is great.  He is not a flashy person

Dwayne Welch:     I think he is great

Do you go to concerts with your father? 

Warren Bennett:    Yes we do, as much as we can

Dean Marvin:         Not that often because Dad is afraid to be recognised.  Where we live now he is happy & he can do what wants

Are you happy being the son of a Shadow?

Warren Bennett:    Yes I am quite proud.  My dad achieved something with his life.  He makes people happy and he himself is happy.

Dean Marvin:         Why not.......

Why are you not in the music biz Dean?

Dean Marvin:    A couple of years ago I did not care, but now I would love to have a job in the biz but it is very hard and I don’t want to use my dad for it.