Roger Allcock

[MeBHank]

Roger was a vitally important member of the Shads family. Not only did his excellent Vintage Unit help bring guitarists closer to the rich sounds of the early records, but he was able to make alterations to vintage echo machines such as Meazzis, meaning that these analogue echoes could finally make the same echo patterns as Hank's Meazzis. Anything Roger didn't know about valve electronics wasn't worth knowing. From what I've heard Roger was second only to the legendary Dick Denney. Every single 'big-hitter' lead guitarist who appeared on the ShadowMania stage and got close to 'That Sound' with a tape echo sounded as good as they did during their best-ever performances because of Roger. He played a significant role in audiences hearing the best live Shadows lead guitar sounds since Hank himself in the early days.

Everything Roger did was absolute top-quality. He built amplifiers and echo machines from scratch to such a high standard you could be fooled into thinking they'd come off a top-quality boutique production line. He was also an excellent guitar technician. Latterly his backing tracks were excellent, and he was, of course, all the way through, an accomplished guitarist.

Behind the scenes, even though many didn't know it, Roger Allcock's talents enriched some of the best days of our lives.

RIP, Roger.