The Shadows: The Definitive Story

'This is the last great untold story of the beat boom era – and Bob Stanley is the perfect person to tell it. I blazed through it' Pete Paphides'Bob's book brings alive one of the greatest bands that rock n roll ever gave birth to' Sir Cliff RichardThe definitive biography of one of the most influential UK bands of all time, featuring a foreword by Cliff Richard. This is the first definitive biography of the Shadows, one of the most influential British groups of all time. A book that rightly places the band in the pantheon of all time British greats who changed music forever. It is a story of soaring triumphs and crushing lows. Of Soho coffee bars and northern cabaret. Of faith and disillusionment and of some of the most unique and deathless recordings of all time. Told by lifelong fan and bestselling, critically acclaimed music historian Bob Stanley, and featuring a foreword by Cliff Richard, this is the story of how a group of working-class boys from Newcastle upon Tyne became the biggest act in the UK before the Beatles revolution of 1963. Scoring thirty-four hit singles under their own name, the Shadows landed a further thirty-five hits alongside Cliff Richard who – along with other surviving members – has spoken exclusively to Bob for the book. 'The Shadows' aims to cement the group’s legacy as one of the most significant and commercially successful British acts of all time and the world's first pop group. Bob Stanley is an award-winning, critically acclaimed author, journalist and pop culture historian, whose previous publications include Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop, Let’s Do It: The Birth of Pop and Bee Gees: Children of the World. He co-founded the band Saint Etienne in 1990 with his childhood friend Pete Wiggs.

• Publication date: 24 September 2026
• Page count: 352
• Dimensions: Height 241 mm; Width 164 mm; Thickness 38 mm
• Publisher: Putman Publishing
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN-13: 9781917923873