Song of the Week 20: Apache

The 1954 western motion picture “Apache” starring Burt Lancaster was the inspiration for English songwriter Jerry Lordan to compose this song in 1959. Guitarist Bert Weedon released the first recording in early 1960 with little success. Later that year, Lordan was opening act for legendary British band The Shadows and suggested they record it. They did with their distinctive echo and hand vibrato sound and it became one of their biggest hits … reaching No. 1 in Europe, but not charting in the U.S.

In late 1960, jazz guitarist Jorgen Ingmann from Denmark released his cover version, which reached No. 2 on the U.S. charts in 1961. That is the version U.S. guitarists heard and emulated. The song has become one the most recorded instrumentals of all time, influencing nearly every guitarist of a generation, from Nokie Edwards to Peter Frampton to Jeff Beck to Kenny Vaughan. George Harrison related that the Beatles even used to play it in the clubs of Hamburg, Germany before they achieved success.

A Little Farther West recorded “Apache” because of its legendary history and because it sounds like it’s from a movie western, even though it isn’t. It’s on our second album, “Mountain Storm.”