A Little History of the Shadowmusic Community.

[David Martin]

Round about the time of the launch of Win95, I'd become so ill that I had to give up the job I loved, and needed to move on... I decided to attempt three things: 1) To go back to my roots and play Shadows' music again 2) To see if someone would pay me to ride a motorcycle in the sunshine 3) to master this new operating system and join the Microsoft Network - which was soon to be connected to the internet.

To cut a long, long story short, I started to ride as a courier, was recruited by MSN to manage one of their Education News Groups (no cash reward) and acquired a Fiesta Red Strat...

I came across the Shadows Circle of Friends (Australia) for more info, and set about learning all that music over again. After some time, I became a part-time member of the Microsoft UK Education Team, and came across the advance news that the company was to launch interactive, online, community groups where the users could make and respond to postings, attach files and pictures - and wondered if I could use them in my work for a pupils' homework help group, but needed to test it out on something not related to my company role...

It was 1998. I knew I wasn't the only person who still loved this music... could I use this technology to bring people together? I set about spreading the word at Shadowmania and Tllburg...

And it grew and grew until, at our peak, we had over 4000 members - including Bruce and Hank... but they never broke cover because in those days there were people here who, simply, were troublemakers who delighted in abusing others whilst staying anonymous... those of you who were here then may remember those troubled times... I had many sleepless nights.

But we survived, and were able to provide a home for the many Shadows'Music Clubs in UK, and the abusers and troublemakers faded away having failed to sink this ship.

Perhaps my proudest moment was the Shadows Round the World Relay - organized from here by a female member. Essentially, For 24 hours of the selected day, Shadows Music was being played live somewhere round the globe by a local group of musicians, who passed the baton to a new group as the clock ticked on...

But our days as an MSN Community were brought to an end when the company sold the technology to another company who discontinued it leaving us needing a new home on a private server. We had some very rocky moments but were eventually rescued by Bob Dore, our hidden hero who has given us a home at his own expense for many years now... without him we'd have folded years ago...

And so to thanks... First of all, thanks to all of you who signed up and became members here. Thanks too to the club organisers who use us to keep their members informed. Special thanks to Dave Robinson for his painstaking research into getting that sound without being a millionaire, and for merging his community with ours. My greatest personal debt is owed to Iain Purdon who has taken on my mantle as I have receded into the background fuelled by increasingly poor health - robbed of my ability to play this music to my own satisfaction - and to George Geddes for his unfailing support.

What happens now? We hope to maintain the treasure trove of advice and info this site contains by removing the interactive facility, but leaving the ability to search for and find the info you seek...

When and how we are not sure yet...

So...thanks to all (I'm sure I've missed out loads of history and important people and for that, I apologise...)

David

[bazmusicman]

Thank you David and the rest of the team that has kept this site alive. I've been a member from the early days of the site and have learned a great
deal from all the members that have shared their knowledge of the music that we all love.

I'm also in the same boat as not being able to play how I used too, being 80 years old. Again thank you from myself and I'm sure the other members as
well for what yourself and the team have done.

Best regards,
Baz.

[abstamaria]

David, it is amusing that, when illness forced you to change jobs, you became a motorcycle courier, at least for a while. I imagined it should be the other way around! (I used to ride motorcycles too, but hung my helmet in 2005 when two motorcycling friends died in accidents a week apart.)

But, in any case, it is good that led you to your work at MSN and the creation of this forum’s [predecessor. Thank you for that, David. I was a member of that earlier forum, which set me on my way.

I do not think Bob Dore posts much here, but we owe him much for providing the platform on which we now rely. Thank you, Bob. I reconnected with a cousin I had not seen since we were little boys and a friend I had not seen in 40 years because of this forum.

And many thanks, also, to the administrators, who have guided the discussions here. I would not be where I am now without this wonderful site.

Andy

[Didier]

I was the first french ShadowMusic member, back in 2000 when it was still hosted on MSN, A few years later in 2004, with another french fan, I created the french forum "Fans des Shadows" based on the ShadowMusic model. Unfortunatly this fan (Jean-Claude Lair) died a few years ago, but the FDS forum is still alive and well with over 800 members.

Didier

[drakula63]

Let's not forget that a someone who we knew as 'Waffles' was a member of this group for a long time - and perhaps still is? - and thanks to him I got to go backstage at a Hank gig in 2000 and sit in on the soundcheck. I doubt that this would have happened had I not made contact with him via this community.

There are, of course, lots of other positive memories associated with this site... impossible to accurately recall them all and no space to recount them!

It's been a blast! Thanks.

[roger bayliss]

I joined the MSN site in 2005 and quickly met up with Ecca and Alan Bakewell and the Hankies club. We are still going as a club , meeting fortnightly and have met many others and been a few times to Shadowmania and other clubs too.

The knowledge shared on here has helped me get the sound I needed and in just over 1 year from now , I will reach the 20 years point !

Still enjoying it every day and grateful for the friends I have met and miss those who have passed.

So from a very grateful me , thanks to David and Bob and the others and to the members on here !


On the subject of motorcycling, I drove them late 60s through 70s as a younger chap. Recently I have been feeling urges to get one , but in the end with arthritis, I thought better of it, so I indulged in a few motorcycle models by minichamps and others to ease my desires. Never leaves my mind though !