Hi °C | Lo °C Even Hank Marvin has to admit it — young Larne guitarist Chris Braniff plays like a Shadow.
In fact 16-year-old Chris is calling himself The Young Shadow.
And deservedly so according to legendary Hank who is in Belfast today to play the Odyssey Arena with his old friend Cliff Richard.
Hank, who has listened to the lad strumming his hit Apache on a recording, told his sound-a-like in a personal message: “You sound just like me.”
The Young Shadow is keeping his fingers crossed that he will get to meet his hero when the Shadows appear on stage for the last time before they all go their separate ways.
“I want to tell Hank that after I heard Apache for the first time I made up my mind to learn to play the guitar just like him,” explains Chris who is in his GCSE year at Larne Grammar. “I'm delighted that he thinks I have done it.”
Chris was a hit at last year's Do Ye Come Here Often country show at the Waterfront. And after hearing him the host and U105 presenter George Jones sent Chris's debut recording to Marvin.
BBC pop guru Paul Gambaccini thinks young Braniff is special too after listening to him on a Radio Ulster show. “How can one so young produce this amazing sound,” he said.
