Jimmy McShane
Encyclopedia
James "Jimmy" McShane was an Irish
singer, known as the frontman of Italian band Baltimora
.
, Northern Ireland. He learned at a young age to play bass and guitar, and showed talent for dancing.
He made his début playing in small clubs in his hometown and was presented to various audiences, without success. McShane came from a humble, conservative family, and so had to deal with their rejection when he revealed his homosexuality. In view of his low artistic success, McShane decided to work as an emergency medical technician for the Red Cross in Ireland until he met Bassi with whom he created Baltimora
.
In America, he was overwhelmed with the success of Tarzan Boy. Some sources state lead vocals were performed by Maurizio Bassi (with Jimmy actually providing the backing vocals), including lead vocals on their biggest hit "Tarzan Boy" despite the fact that McShane lip synched while appearing in the "Tarzan Boy" music video and not Bassi, who was also the group's keyboardist although this still remains uncertain. Both the music and the lyrics of Baltimora were written mostly by Bassi and Naimy Hackett, though McShane wrote the lyrics to some of their songs, such as the single "Survivor in Love".
However their inability to provide a successful follow-up led to Bassi to disband Baltimora. This drove McShane away from the music scene.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
singer, known as the frontman of Italian band Baltimora
Baltimora
Baltimora were an Italian New Wave dance outfit active in the mid to late 1980s. The group comprised Jimmy McShane , Maurizio Bassi , Giorgio Cocilovo , Claudio Bazzari , Pier Michelatti and Gabriele Melotti...
.
History
James McShane was born on 23 May 1957, in DerryDerry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland. He learned at a young age to play bass and guitar, and showed talent for dancing.
He made his début playing in small clubs in his hometown and was presented to various audiences, without success. McShane came from a humble, conservative family, and so had to deal with their rejection when he revealed his homosexuality. In view of his low artistic success, McShane decided to work as an emergency medical technician for the Red Cross in Ireland until he met Bassi with whom he created Baltimora
Baltimora
Baltimora were an Italian New Wave dance outfit active in the mid to late 1980s. The group comprised Jimmy McShane , Maurizio Bassi , Giorgio Cocilovo , Claudio Bazzari , Pier Michelatti and Gabriele Melotti...
.
In America, he was overwhelmed with the success of Tarzan Boy. Some sources state lead vocals were performed by Maurizio Bassi (with Jimmy actually providing the backing vocals), including lead vocals on their biggest hit "Tarzan Boy" despite the fact that McShane lip synched while appearing in the "Tarzan Boy" music video and not Bassi, who was also the group's keyboardist although this still remains uncertain. Both the music and the lyrics of Baltimora were written mostly by Bassi and Naimy Hackett, though McShane wrote the lyrics to some of their songs, such as the single "Survivor in Love".
However their inability to provide a successful follow-up led to Bassi to disband Baltimora. This drove McShane away from the music scene.