Gerard McMahon
Encyclopedia
Gerard McMahon (born Gerard Thomas MacMahon, of Irish/English parentage, in Birmingham
, England) is an English singer-songwriter
, multi-instrumentalist
and producer
who specialises in creating music for films and TV. McMahon is also the founder member of the band G TOM MAC.
Whilst McMahon has undertaken many different musical projects throughout his career, he is probably still best known by many for the gothic rock
anthem "Cry Little Sister
", a song which he recorded in 1987 for the soundtrack album
of the cult horror film The Lost Boys
.
, Stevie Wonder
and Stravinsky, emigrated with his family from England to America when he was 11 years of age. Initially moving to New York
, a few years later the MacMahons moved again, eventually settling in Wichita, Kansas
.
McMahon was only 16 years of age at the time. Despite his young age, McMahon, together with his band, The Strangers, recorded one single before disbanding.
After The Strangers disbanded, McMahon moved to Boulder, Colorado
and took a job arranging classes at the University
.
In 1971 however, McMahon moved to New York to pursue a performing career. His first gigs were playing bass and guitar in R&B bands in Harlem
. However, being a versatile multi-instrumentalist, McMahon was soon receiving additional offers of work as a session musician
. It was in this capacity that he provided backing vocals at Electric Lady Studios
in New York, on the last Zephyr
album to feature wunderkind guitarist Tommy Bolin
- Going Back to Colorado.
In addition to gigging and studio session work, McMahon also became involved around this time in creating music for TV commercials. He also created a number of scores for Public Broadcasting Service
projects.
McMahon spent 1972 living in Los Angeles, where his experience of studio and production work quickly established him a well-respected member of the city's music scene. Soon he was to be found playing bass with Jackson Browne
's touring band. It wasn't too long however before McMahon concluded that it would be more rewarding to promote his own solo career and headed back to Colorado.
After returning to Boulder, McMahon got together with a group of ten studio musicians and fronted what was to become one of the most popular rock bands in Colorado at the time - Gerard.
Having much admiration for McMahon and his band, Guercio offered the band a deal to record an album at his newly built Caribou Ranch
, a popular recording studio subsequently favoured by many prominent artists.
The resultant album, produced by Guercio himself, was the appropriately titled Gerard
. It was released in 1976 on Guercio's Caribou Records
label. There did, however, seem to be one downside to this union, seemingly echoed in McMahon's frustration with the music press at that time, in so far as every review of Gerard's album, an album for which he had written twelve original songs, compared his music to that of Chicago
's. Although the album done well, it never broke nationally.
A second Gerard album was to follow (?), Row
, before the group disbanded. After which McMahon decided to return to Los Angeles.
The next three years saw McMahon again partaking in a number of different musical projects and continuing to lend his services as a session musician. One of the projects he undertook at that time was to play keyboards on ex-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
's Jimmy Ibbotson 1977 Nitty Gritty Ibbotson album. He is also listed amongst the credits for Max Gronenthal's 1979 album Whistling in the Dark.
' Unmasked (1980).
Encouraged by Billy Joel
's former manager Irwin Mazur, in 1980 McMahon decided to promote his own recording career. He assembled a group of accomplished musicians - Gary Mallaber
, John Massaro, Kenny Lewis and two of the musicians he had engaged for Gerard, guitarist Steve Sykes and keyboard player Al Campbell - collectively called Kid Lightning, returned to the studio and recorded the album Blue Rue
. After the album was completed, McMahon's band was dropped from Columbia Records
.
Invited to Los Angeles by Warner Bros.
for a showcase, McMahon quickly impressed Hollywood's film elite - David Geffen
, Joel Schumacher
, Cameron Crowe
, Jerry Bruckheimer
. Already experienced in major TV commercials, McMahon began film work. McMahon wrote and recorded seven songs for film producer
Jerry Bruckheimer's film Defiance
.
McMahon is known to have said that writing songs for films and TV shows was a "great new creative outlet"
During the '80s, McMahon wrote songs for such films as Fast Times at Ridgemont High
, Spring Break
, All the Right Moves
, The Lonely Guy
, Grandview, U.S.A.
and Hardbodies
, among others.
McMahon's next album, No Looking Back
was released by Warner Bros. in 1983, after which McMahon signed with the Atlantic Records
label and in 1986 released Foreign Papers
.
McMahon scored a hit in 1986 with "Cry Little Sister
".
McMahon and Silver added Rodney "Cortada" Alejandro on keyboards, drummer Rob Ladd (from the band The Pressure Boys), Willy Aron (lead guitar) and Brie Darling
(from the band Boxing Gandhis
) on backing vocals and percussion for live performances.
The band planned a 2008 tour to promote their second album, Thou Shalt Not Fall
(2007).
McMahon continues to be involved in a number of other musical projects, plus film and TV work.
The first pseudonym McMahon adopted, 'Gerard McMann', was just prior to the release of his album Foreign Papers in 1986. Of this he is reported to have said:
"Cry Little Sister", the song McMahon performed in 1987 for the soundtrack of the film
The Lost Boys was therefore credited to Gerard McMann.
When his father died, he reverted back to McMahon.
However, since forming G Tom Mac, "Gerard Thomas MacMahon" (the correct Irish spelling of McMahon) has become known to his new audience as 'G Tom Mac'. He is also known to use this name professionally. Consequently most of the writing and performance credits since G Tom Mac was formed in 2000 are often to be found listed under this name.
McMahon is sometimes also referred to as "G", a nickname given to him by his friend Roger Daltrey.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England) is an English singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who specialises in creating music for films and TV. McMahon is also the founder member of the band G TOM MAC.
Whilst McMahon has undertaken many different musical projects throughout his career, he is probably still best known by many for the gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
anthem "Cry Little Sister
Cry Little Sister
"Cry Little Sister" is a single by Gerard McMann and Michael Mainieri from the 1987 soundtrack to the film The Lost Boys. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, the single did not chart in the U.S....
", a song which he recorded in 1987 for the soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
of the cult horror film The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys
The Lost Boys is a 1987 American teen comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes....
.
The early years
Gerard McMahon, who lists amongst his musical influences Liam Mullen, John LennonJohn Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and Stravinsky, emigrated with his family from England to America when he was 11 years of age. Initially moving to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a few years later the MacMahons moved again, eventually settling in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
McMahon was only 16 years of age at the time. Despite his young age, McMahon, together with his band, The Strangers, recorded one single before disbanding.
After The Strangers disbanded, McMahon moved to Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
and took a job arranging classes at the University
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
.
In 1971 however, McMahon moved to New York to pursue a performing career. His first gigs were playing bass and guitar in R&B bands in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. However, being a versatile multi-instrumentalist, McMahon was soon receiving additional offers of work as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. It was in this capacity that he provided backing vocals at Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in New York, on the last Zephyr
Zephyr (band)
Zephyr was a blues-based hard rock band formed in 1969 in Boulder, Colorado by guitarist Tommy Bolin, keyboardist John Faris, David Givens on bass guitar, Robbie Chamberlin on drums and Candy Givens on vocals. Although the charismatic performances by Candy Givens were originally the focal point for...
album to feature wunderkind guitarist Tommy Bolin
Tommy Bolin
Thomas Richard "Tommy" Bolin was an American-born guitarist who played with Zephyr , The James Gang , and Deep Purple , in addition to doing solo work...
- Going Back to Colorado.
In addition to gigging and studio session work, McMahon also became involved around this time in creating music for TV commercials. He also created a number of scores for Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
projects.
McMahon spent 1972 living in Los Angeles, where his experience of studio and production work quickly established him a well-respected member of the city's music scene. Soon he was to be found playing bass with Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
's touring band. It wasn't too long however before McMahon concluded that it would be more rewarding to promote his own solo career and headed back to Colorado.
After returning to Boulder, McMahon got together with a group of ten studio musicians and fronted what was to become one of the most popular rock bands in Colorado at the time - Gerard.
Having much admiration for McMahon and his band, Guercio offered the band a deal to record an album at his newly built Caribou Ranch
Caribou Ranch
Caribou Ranch was a recording studio built by producer James William Guercio in 1972 in a converted barn on ranch property in the Rocky Mountains near Nederland, Colorado, on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou...
, a popular recording studio subsequently favoured by many prominent artists.
The resultant album, produced by Guercio himself, was the appropriately titled Gerard
Gerard (album)
Gerard is an album by the Colorado band Gerard, fronted by singer/songwriter Gerard McMahon. The album was recorded at Caribou Ranch in Colorado and was released in 1976...
. It was released in 1976 on Guercio's Caribou Records
Caribou Records
Caribou Records is a record label which distributed some of the Brother Records releases by The Beach Boys. It is owned by James William Guercio, who also owns Caribou Ranch recording studios, and was the longtime manager of the band Chicago....
label. There did, however, seem to be one downside to this union, seemingly echoed in McMahon's frustration with the music press at that time, in so far as every review of Gerard's album, an album for which he had written twelve original songs, compared his music to that of Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
's. Although the album done well, it never broke nationally.
A second Gerard album was to follow (?), Row
Row (album)
Row is an album by the Colorado band Gerard, fronted by singer/songwriter Gerard McMahon. It was Gerard's second album and was released in 1976.-Track listing:All songs written and produced by Gerard McMahon.#"I Don't Belong Here Now"#"My Family "...
, before the group disbanded. After which McMahon decided to return to Los Angeles.
The next three years saw McMahon again partaking in a number of different musical projects and continuing to lend his services as a session musician. One of the projects he undertook at that time was to play keyboards on ex-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
's Jimmy Ibbotson 1977 Nitty Gritty Ibbotson album. He is also listed amongst the credits for Max Gronenthal's 1979 album Whistling in the Dark.
1980 - 1999
McMahon's song Is That You was the first track on KissKISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
' Unmasked (1980).
Encouraged by Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
's former manager Irwin Mazur, in 1980 McMahon decided to promote his own recording career. He assembled a group of accomplished musicians - Gary Mallaber
Gary Mallaber
Gary Mallaber is a Los Angeles session drummer, percussionist and singer. He got his start playing drums in a band from Buffalo, New York, known as Raven....
, John Massaro, Kenny Lewis and two of the musicians he had engaged for Gerard, guitarist Steve Sykes and keyboard player Al Campbell - collectively called Kid Lightning, returned to the studio and recorded the album Blue Rue
Blue Rue
Blue Rue is an album by singer/songwriter Gerard McMahon and Kid Lightning. It was released on the ARC/Columbia label in 1981.-Track listing:#"Taxi "#"Night Woman"#"Gone Tomorrow"#"Town Girls"#"All I Really Need"...
. After the album was completed, McMahon's band was dropped from Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
Invited to Los Angeles by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
for a showcase, McMahon quickly impressed Hollywood's film elite - David Geffen
David Geffen
David Geffen is an American record executive, film producer, theatrical producer and philanthropist. Geffen is noted for creating Asylum Records in 1970, Geffen Records in 1980, and DGC Records in 1990...
, Joel Schumacher
Joel Schumacher
Joel T. Schumacher is an American film director, screenwriter and producer.-Early life:Schumacher was born in New York City, the son of Marian and Francis Schumacher. His mother was a Swedish Jew, and his father was a Baptist from Knoxville, Tennessee, who died when Joel was four years old...
, Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
, Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
. Already experienced in major TV commercials, McMahon began film work. McMahon wrote and recorded seven songs for film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Jerry Bruckheimer's film Defiance
Defiance (1980 film)
Defiance is a 1980 American film starring Jan-Michael Vincent, Art Carney, and Theresa Saldana.Early Jerry Bruckheimer production. Jan-Michael Vincent portrays a suspended young seaman who takes up temporary housing in a neighborhood overrun by a gang, while waiting for his next orders to ship out....
.
McMahon is known to have said that writing songs for films and TV shows was a "great new creative outlet"
During the '80s, McMahon wrote songs for such films as Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
, Spring Break
Spring Break (film)
Spring Break is a 1983 comedy film, starring David Knell and Perry Lang.Tagline: Like it's really, totally, the most fun a couple of bodies can have. You know?-Plot summary:...
, All the Right Moves
All the Right Moves
All the Right Moves is a 1983 drama film directed by Michael Chapman and starring Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Chris Penn, and Gary Graham...
, The Lonely Guy
The Lonely Guy
The Lonely Guy is a 1984 romantic comedy film, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Steve Martin. The screenplay was written by Neil Simon, based on the book The Lonely Guy's Book of Life by Bruce Jay Friedman....
, Grandview, U.S.A.
Grandview, U.S.A.
Grandview, U.S.A. is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Randal Kleiser. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Carole Cook, Ramon Bieri, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, M. Emmet Walsh, Michael Winslow, Troy Donahue, and Steve Dahl. The original music...
and Hardbodies
Hardbodies
Hardbodies is a 1984 sex comedy film about three middle-aged men who hire a younger man to help them pick up women at the beach. The film was directed by Mark Griffiths, and stars Grant Cramer, Courtney Gains, and Gary Wood...
, among others.
McMahon's next album, No Looking Back
No Looking Back (album)
No Looking Back is an album by English singer/songwriter Gerard McMahon, released on the Full Moon/Warner Bros. label in 1983. The album was produced by Gerard McMahon and Michael Ostin...
was released by Warner Bros. in 1983, after which McMahon signed with the Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
label and in 1986 released Foreign Papers
Foreign Papers
Foreign Papers is an album by English singer/songwriter Gerard McMann , released on the Atco Records label in 1986. The album was produced by Gerard McMann, Frank Filipetti and Joe Filipetti.-Track listing:#"Everytime I See You "...
.
McMahon scored a hit in 1986 with "Cry Little Sister
Cry Little Sister
"Cry Little Sister" is a single by Gerard McMann and Michael Mainieri from the 1987 soundtrack to the film The Lost Boys. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, the single did not chart in the U.S....
".
G TOM MAC
McMahon recorded another album 2000 for Edge Artists. To record and promote the album, McMahon formed a new band, G TOM MAC, with bassist, songwriter and co-producer Anthony Silver.McMahon and Silver added Rodney "Cortada" Alejandro on keyboards, drummer Rob Ladd (from the band The Pressure Boys), Willy Aron (lead guitar) and Brie Darling
Brie Howard
Brie Howard is an American musician and actress. She has also appeared or been credited under the names Brie Brandt, Brie Darling, and Brie Howard Darling....
(from the band Boxing Gandhis
Boxing Gandhis
The Boxing Gandhis are an American alternative funk/soul band from Los Angeles founded by music producer David Darling The Boxing Gandhis are an American alternative funk/soul band from Los Angeles founded by music producer David Darling The Boxing Gandhis are an American alternative funk/soul band...
) on backing vocals and percussion for live performances.
The band planned a 2008 tour to promote their second album, Thou Shalt Not Fall
Thou Shalt Not Fall
Thou Shalt Not Fall is the second album by G Tom Mac. It was produced by Gerard McMann and Tony Silver and was released in 2007 on the Edge Artists record label.-Track listing:All songs written by Gerard McMann, except where noted.#"All The Rage"...
(2007).
McMahon continues to be involved in a number of other musical projects, plus film and TV work.
Pseudonyms
Since McMahon has been known under a number of different names, much confusion has arisen over the years about his identity.The first pseudonym McMahon adopted, 'Gerard McMann', was just prior to the release of his album Foreign Papers in 1986. Of this he is reported to have said:
"Cry Little Sister", the song McMahon performed in 1987 for the soundtrack of the film
The Lost Boys (soundtrack)
The Lost Boys is the soundtrack from the 1987 film The Lost Boys released by Atlantic Records.-Track listing:#"Good Times" by INXS and Jimmy Barnes – 3:49#"Lost in the Shadows " by Lou Gramm – 6:17...
The Lost Boys was therefore credited to Gerard McMann.
When his father died, he reverted back to McMahon.
However, since forming G Tom Mac, "Gerard Thomas MacMahon" (the correct Irish spelling of McMahon) has become known to his new audience as 'G Tom Mac'. He is also known to use this name professionally. Consequently most of the writing and performance credits since G Tom Mac was formed in 2000 are often to be found listed under this name.
McMahon is sometimes also referred to as "G", a nickname given to him by his friend Roger Daltrey.
Other artists
McMahon's multi faceted talents, his diversity in music and songwriting continue to be recognised by other artists throughout the music industry. The following are just a few of the many artists not mentioned elsewhere in this article who are also known to have recorded his songs:- Roger DaltreyRoger DaltreyRoger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
- McMahon contributed greatly to The WhoThe WhoThe Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's lead singer Roger Daltrey's 1992 solo album Rocks in the HeadRocks in the HeadRocks in the Head is Roger Daltrey's eighth solo album. The album was released in 1992 on Atlantic Records, and recorded at The Hit Factory....
. In addition to co-writing 10 of the 11 songs, McMahon also produced the album for Daltrey. He was also the primary backing musician, providing backing vocals, keyboards and guitar. He is further credited on the album with musical directionMusic directorA music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
.- Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
- Carly Simon
- McMahon co-wrote the hit single "Give Me All Night" with Carly Simon, which peaked at #5 in the charts and appears on her Coming Around Again album (1987).
- ChicagoChicago (band)Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
- Chicago
- McMahon co-wrote "What Does It Take", "One from the Heart" and "Only Time Can Heal the Wounded" which appear on Chicago's Twenty 1Twenty 1Twenty 1 is the 21st album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1991. As their first album of the 1990s, Twenty 1 was intended to extend Chicago's continuing success into another decade....
album (1991). McMahon also co-wrote "I Stand Up", the b-side to the single "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your LoveI Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love"I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" is a Billboard Hot 100 #3 hit song which was written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 19 , with Bill Champlin singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached number three...
", which peaked at #3 in the billboard charts in June 1988. "I Stand Up" appears on Chicago's Chicago 19Chicago 19Chicago 19 is the 19th album by American rock band Chicago and was released in 1988. After recording Chicago 18 with David Foster, the band decided to expand their sound with other producers and worked primarily with Ron Nevison and Chas Sandford for this album...
album (1988).- TavaresTavares (band)Tavares are a successful American R&B, funk and soul music group, composed of five Cape Verdean-American brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts.-Band members:...
- Tavares
- McMahon wrote the hit single "Bad Times" which appears on Tavares' Supercharged album (1980). (This was also the theme song for the film Defiance).
- Robert LammRobert LammRobert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
- Robert Lamm
- McMahon wrote "Life In Motion" which appears on the collaborative BeckleyGerry BeckleyGerald Linford "Gerry" Beckley is a founding member of the band America.Beckley was born to an American father, and an English mother. He began playing the piano at the age of three and the guitar a few years later. By 1962, Beckley was playing guitar in The Vanguards, an instrumental surf music...
-Lamm-WilsonCarl WilsonCarl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
album Like A Brother (2000) (being the last album recorded by Carl WilsonCarl WilsonCarl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys...
before his death). McMahon also co-wrote "Ain't No Ordinary Thing" and "In This Country" for Lamm's Life Is Good in My Neighborhood album (1995) and "The Love You Call Your Own" for Lamm's In My Head album (1999).- The Spinners
- McMahon wrote "Put Us Together Again" which was released as a single by The Spinners in 1985.
- Phoebe Snow
- McMahon co-wrote "The Other Girlfriend" which appears on Snow's Natural Wonder album (2003). He also wrote "Right to the End", which she performed with Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
for her I Can't Complain album (1998).- Vonda ShepardVonda ShepardVonda Shepard is an American pop/rock singer. She appeared as a regular in the television show Ally McBeal from seasons 1-5 in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.-Biography:Vonda Shepard was born in New...
- Vonda Shepard
- McMahon co-wrote "Wake Up the House" which appears on Shepard's The Radical Light album (1992).
- Digable PlanetsDigable PlanetsDigable Planets is an American alternative hip hop trio based in New York City, composed of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler , Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving . They released their debut album Reachin' in 1993, and their follow-up album Blowout Comb in 1994...
- Digable Planets
- The Digable Planets sampled McMahon's song "Bad Times" on their "Dial 7 (Axion of Creamy Spies)" single. The song peaked at #32 in the Hot Rap Singles charts and appears on the Digable Planets' Blowout CombBlowout CombBlowout Comb is the second studio album by American hip hop group Digable Planets, released October 18, 1994, on Pendulum/EMI Records. The album is titled after a grooming product that was used popularly by African Americans during the 1970s, amid the trend of the Afro hair style...
album (1994).- The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
- The Temptations
- The Temptations also decided to cover McMahon's song "Put Us Together Again", previously released as a single by The Spinners. The Temptations' version appears on the To Be Continued... album (1986).
- Terry ReidTerry ReidTerry Reid is an English rock vocalist and guitarist. He has performed with high profile musicians, as a supporting act, a session musician, and sideman.- History :...
- Terry Reid
- McMahon wrote and produced "Right to the End" for Reid's The Driver album (1991).
- Angela BofillAngela BofillAngela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...
- Angela Bofill
- McMahon wrote [ "Love You Too Much"] which appears on Bofill's Too ToughToo ToughToo Tough marks the fourth album released by recording artist Angela Bofill. This would be her second release through Arista Records with Narada Michael Walden again at the production helm.-Reception:...
album (1983).- Stan HarrisonStan HarrisonStan Harrison is an American saxophonist who is also accomplished in playing other woodwind instruments, namely the horn, flute and clarinet. He has also written music for television. Harrison released his first solo album The Ties That Blind in 2000 on his own record label...
- Stan Harrison
- McMahon co-wrote and produced "Living Every Day Now" which appears on Harrison's The Optimist album (2007).
- Ronnie SpectorRonnie SpectorVeronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
- Ronnie Spector
- McMahon wrote "True to You" which appears on Spector's Unfinished Business album (1987).
Song list (Film and TV)
All the following songs are written and performed by Gerard McMahon unless otherwise stated:| Year | Film/TV Show | Song Information | Co writer | Performed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Defiance Defiance (1980 film) Defiance is a 1980 American film starring Jan-Michael Vincent, Art Carney, and Theresa Saldana.Early Jerry Bruckheimer production. Jan-Michael Vincent portrays a suspended young seaman who takes up temporary housing in a neighborhood overrun by a gang, while waiting for his next orders to ship out.... |
"Bad Times" | Tavares Tavares (band) Tavares are a successful American R&B, funk and soul music group, composed of five Cape Verdean-American brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts.-Band members:... |
|
| "Un Tipo Malo" '"Hot Town Streets" '"Take It Down The Middle" '"Double Shot" '"I Will Stay With You" '"Let The Light Shine In The Morning" |
Gerard McMahon | |||
| 1982 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High Fast Times at Ridgemont High Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name... |
"The Look in Your Eyes" | Gerard McMahon | |
| 1983 | Spring Break Spring Break (film) Spring Break is a 1983 comedy film, starring David Knell and Perry Lang.Tagline: Like it's really, totally, the most fun a couple of bodies can have. You know?-Plot summary:... |
"One of These Days" | Gerard McMahon | |
| All the Right Moves All the Right Moves All the Right Moves is a 1983 drama film directed by Michael Chapman and starring Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Chris Penn, and Gary Graham... |
"Mr. Popularity" | Winston Ford | ||
| 1984 | The Lonely Guy The Lonely Guy The Lonely Guy is a 1984 romantic comedy film, directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Steve Martin. The screenplay was written by Neil Simon, based on the book The Lonely Guy's Book of Life by Bruce Jay Friedman.... |
"Oughta Know Love By Now" | Winston Ford | |
| "Don't Call Me Lonely" | Gerard McMahon | |||
| Hardbodies Hardbodies Hardbodies is a 1984 sex comedy film about three middle-aged men who hire a younger man to help them pick up women at the beach. The film was directed by Mark Griffiths, and stars Grant Cramer, Courtney Gains, and Gary Wood... |
"Smile for the Camera" "Barbados Rita" "Hello, Hello" |
Gerard McMahon | ||
| Grandview, U.S.A. Grandview, U.S.A. Grandview, U.S.A. is a 1984 American comedy-drama film directed by Randal Kleiser. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Carole Cook, Ramon Bieri, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, M. Emmet Walsh, Michael Winslow, Troy Donahue, and Steve Dahl. The original music... |
"Face The Odds" | Gerard McMahon | ||
| 1987 | The Lost Boys The Lost Boys The Lost Boys is a 1987 American teen comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Kiefer Sutherland, Jami Gertz, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann, Alex Winter, Jamison Newlander, and Barnard Hughes.... |
"Cry Little Sister (Theme From The Lost Boys)" | Michael Mainieri | Gerard McMann |
| 1995 | Kicking and Screaming | "In a Twilight Moment" | Phoebe Snow | |
| Born To Be Wild Born to Be Wild (film) Born to Be Wild is a 1995 American family comedy film. The film grossed $3.7 million in the box office.-Plot:Rick Heller is a juvenile delinquent who keeps getting himself into trouble. To keep him out of trouble his mother puts him to work cleaning the cage of a female gorilla named Katie which... |
"One World for Us" | Gerard McMahon | ||
| 1996 | Vampirella Vampirella Vampirella is a fictional character, a comic book vampire heroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and costume designer Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine Vampirella #1 . Writer-editor Archie Goodwin later developed the character from horror-story hostess, in... |
"Bleed for Me" | Roger Daltrey | |
| No Way Home | "Ghost in the Heart" | Gerard McMahon | ||
| 1997 | Chasing Amy Chasing Amy Chasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series.... |
"My Stomp, My Beat" | Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson was an American theatre and film actress and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."-Early life and career:... |
|
| Fame L.A. | "You Don't Reject Me" | Eddie Kislinger | Stephanie Dicker | |
| "Wake Up the House" | Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard is an American pop/rock singer. She appeared as a regular in the television show Ally McBeal from seasons 1-5 in which she played a resident performer at the bar where the show's characters drank after work. She plays piano, guitar, and bass.-Biography:Vonda Shepard was born in New... |
Brent Fraser | ||
| 1998 | The Players Club The Players Club The Players Club is a 1998 comedy/drama thriller film from New Line Cinema starring Bernie Mac, LisaRaye, and Jamie Foxx. Ice Cube, who has a small role in the film, wrote and made his directorial debut. The movie made $5,894,607 in its opening week... |
"Money Can't Buy You Love" | Frank Fitzpatrick | K-Ci and JoJo K-Ci and JoJo K-Ci & JoJo are an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey , Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they were also members of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Dalvin.-On their own:K-Ci and JoJo's first sign of... |
| Implicated | "If I Have You" | Jennifer Gross | ||
| 2001 | Witchblade Witchblade (TV series) Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered a Witchblade television series based on the Witchblade Top Cow Productions comic book series in 2001. Some of the episodes were written by Ralph Hemecker, Marc Silvestri and J.D... Season 1 |
"Child of Mine" (Episode 2 "Conundrum") |
Roger Daltrey | Roger Daltrey feat. Gerard McMahon |
| "Cry Little Sister" (remix) (Episode 11 "Transcendence") |
Michael Mainieri | G TOM MAC | ||
| "Child of Mine" (Episode 11 "Transcendence") |
Roger Daltrey | Roger Daltrey feat. Gerard McMahon | ||
| 2002 | Witchblade Witchblade (TV series) Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered a Witchblade television series based on the Witchblade Top Cow Productions comic book series in 2001. Some of the episodes were written by Ralph Hemecker, Marc Silvestri and J.D... Season 2 |
"Cry Little Sister" (Episode 6 "Nailed") |
Michael Mainieri | Gerard McMann |
| "Child of Mine" (remix) (Episode 8 "Hierophant") |
Roger Daltrey | Roger Daltrey feat. G TOM MAC | ||
| The Banger Sisters The Banger Sisters The Banger Sisters is a 2002 American comedy film produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures about the reunion of two middle-aged women who used to be friends and groupies when they were young. The movie starred Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush... |
"Child of Mine" | Roger Daltrey | Roger Daltrey feat. G TOM MAC | |
| The Shield The Shield The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons... Season 1 |
"Sugar Fine" (Episode 7 "Pay in Pain") |
Gerard McMahon | ||
| 2003 | From Justin to Kelly From Justin to Kelly From Justin to Kelly is a 2003 American romantic comedy musical film starring Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, the winner and runner-up, respectively, of the first season of American Idol... |
"The Game" | John Van Eps | Gabriellis Kaye |
| As the World Turns As the World Turns As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light... |
"Once Betrayed" (Episode broadcast 13-05-2003) |
G TOM MAC | ||
| The Skulls III The Skulls III The Skulls III is an American teen thriller film, sequel to The Skulls and The Skulls II. It is directed by J. Miles Davis and stars Clare Kramer, Bryce Johnson, Steve Braun, and Barry Bostwick.-Cast:* Clare Kramer: Taylor Brooks... |
"That's What The Thrill Really Is (instrumental version)" |
G TOM MAC | ||
| "That's What The Thrill Really Is" (instrumental version) |
Jennifer Grais | |||
| Sunset Junction (A Documentary Film) |
"Sunset Junction" | G TOM MAC | ||
| 2005 | Scrubs Scrubs (TV series) Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes... Season 4 |
"Half" (Episode 25 "My Changing Ways") |
G TOM MAC | |
| 2006 | I-See-You.Com I-See-You.Com I-See-You.Com is a comedy film directed and co-written by Eric Steven Stahl, starring Beau Bridges and Rosanna Arquette.-Plot:Harvey Bellinger , his wife Lydia , and their two teenage kids live a well off life in suburbia... |
"I See You" | G TOM MAC | |
| 2008 | The lost boys: The tribe | "Cry little sister Cry Little Sister "Cry Little Sister" is a single by Gerard McMann and Michael Mainieri from the 1987 soundtrack to the film The Lost Boys. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, the single did not chart in the U.S.... " |
G TOM MAC | |
| 2010 | The lost boys: The thirst | "Cry little sister Cry Little Sister "Cry Little Sister" is a single by Gerard McMann and Michael Mainieri from the 1987 soundtrack to the film The Lost Boys. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, the single did not chart in the U.S.... " |
G TOM MAC |
Further works
McMahon has also contributed to all the following films and TV shows:- Rude AwakeningRude Awakening (TV series)Rude Awakening is a TV series created by Claudia Lonow, aired by Showtime on 55 22-min episodes for 3 seasons .-Story:Rude Awakening tells the story of Billie Frank, an out of work alcoholic ex-soap opera actress. She tries to go sober and become a writer but continues to struggle with her...
(1989) (Music Arranger) - Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy film directed by Mike Newell and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fourth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by David Heyman...
(2005) (Music Editor) - "Greatest Days on Earth" Party of FiveParty of FiveParty of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
- song - "Quiver of 19" Felicity - song
- "Happy Time" Jack & JillJack & Jill (TV series)Jack & Jill is an American television series comedy-drama starring Ivan Sergei, Amanda Peet, Jaime Pressly, Justin Kirk, Simon Rex and Sarah Paulson which ran from September 1999 to April 2001 on the WB Network. It was created and executive produced by Randi Mayem Singer.The show's theme song was...
- song - CharmedCharmedCharmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
- Dawson's CreekDawson's CreekDawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
- EdEd (TV series)Ed is an NBC television program co-produced by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants Incorporated, NBC Productions, and Viacom Productions that aired from 2000 to 2004....
- BaywatchBaywatchBaywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
- Crossing JordanCrossing JordanCrossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
- My So-Called LifeMy So-Called LifeMy So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
- ProvidenceProvidence (TV series)Providence is an American drama series that aired on NBC starring Melina Kanakaredes. The show ran for five seasons from January 8, 1999 until December 20, 2002.-Synopsis:The show revolves around Dr...
- PassionsPassionsPassions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
- The $treetThe $treetThe $treet is an American television drama series that aired on Fox in 2000. 11 episodes were produced and 6 aired in the U.S.The series was about a small brokerage house called Belmont Stevens located in New York and the lives of its employees. Freddie Sacker was one of the most notable...
- Countdown
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer
External links
- G TOM MAC official site
- Part 1 Evan Bergman's documentary film about McMahon -, Part 2 & Part 3
- G TOM MAC@cdbaby.com - Complete list of G TOM MAC albums and sound clips of all songs.
- G TOM MAC@indie911.com - Includes playlist of full length songs.
- G TOM MAC@imeem.com - Videos, sound clips, photos, blog.