When The Shadows took over, it wasnt long, and the hit was world-famous.

The Shadows took his song and created one of the most influential, distinctive sounds of the British rock with the release of their version of the 1960 hit.

He attended Finchley Catholic High School and went into National Service in the Royal Air Force as a radar operator.

On leaving the Services he had a number of jobs including stand-up comedian, singer and in advertising.

He started to write songs and, in 1958, with the help of contacts made in the advertising business, a demo of one of his songs was heard by a record producer.

The song, A House, A Car and a Wedding Ring was recorded by Mike Preston on Decca Records.

On leaving the Services he had a number of jobs including s read more.

We played all of the Shadows tunes, learning them off the 45rpm single records or buying sheet music, which in those days was always a piano score No internet, TAB or any of the things we take for granted now, and had we been able to make recordings it would have been out of this world Apache was one of the great favourites.

Mike, Apache was written back in the 1950s by a guy called Jerry Lordan, and is associated with The Shadows, the instrumental group who backed Cliff Richard.

Their lead guitarist was Hank B Marvin, and he was one of my boyhood heroes He had one of the very first Fender Stratocaster guitars brought over to the UK from America, and we all lusted after Hanks famous Fiesta Red Strat.

Apparently he was inspired by the Burt Lancaster film Apache.

Apache, and other hits by The Shadows, was very famous in Latin America, and is still heard on the radio today.

When I was in elementary school, I used to hear that song be played by the older boys musical groups, and that was back in the 70s.

The song used to remind me of Watch for me on the mountain by Forrest Cater and All quiet on the western front by Erich Maria Remarque, that sort of thing.

Watching American cowboy movies, we jumped for joy when the cavalry arrived.

Jerry Lordan Apache