Song Clearance Sheet
3 sources citedApache
Instrumental Rock1960s133BPM
UnconfirmedKey
Tempo/key via Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriter of record (Jerry Lordan), no dispute found — the true 1960 original composition behind the Incredible Bongo Band’s version (already in this catalog), the one hip-hop actually built on.
Quick Facts
Released1960
GenreInstrumental Rock
LabelColumbia (EMI)
ProducerNorrie Paramor
Recorded atEMI Studios, London
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Jerry Lordan
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
This is the true original composition behind the Incredible Bongo Band’s 1973 version (already in this catalog) — and it was that later version, with its bongo intro and heavier percussion, that hip-hop pioneers turned into an anthem, not this original Shadows hit.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter of record and no dispute found.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The 1973 version hip-hop actually built on — a cover of this composition (already in this catalog)
The 1981 Sugarhill Gang cover of the Bongo Band arrangement (this batch)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Jerry Lordan
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A delightful, directly confirmed origin
Lordan personally disliked Weedon’s recording, feeling it too jaunty. While on tour with the Shadows he played the tune to them on a ukulele; they immediately liked it and recorded their own version in June 1960. No lyrics reproduced.
Wikipedia · read it →
An accidental iconic guitar sound
Guitarist Hank Marvin’s now-iconic echo/vibrato sound came about almost by accident — fellow musician Joe Brown had bought an Italian-built guitar echo chamber he personally disliked and simply gave it to Marvin, who developed his distinctive sound by combining it with his Fender Stratocaster’s tremolo arm.
Wiki of the Arts · read it →
A real chart-history nuance
Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released his own cover just months later (Nov 1960) — this became the version North American audiences actually associate with the song, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, since the Shadows’ own version barely charted in the US.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
The original behind the Incredible Bongo Band’s Apache
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used itIncredible Bongo Band · The Sugarhill Gang
Who to Contact
AP
Jerry Lordan (estate)
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 11)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass