Tony Meehan
Encyclopedia
Daniel Joseph Anthony "Tony" Meehan (2 March 1943 – 28 November 2005) was a founder member of the British
group The Shadows
with Jet Harris
, Hank Marvin
and Bruce Welch
. He played drum
s on early Cliff Richard
and The Shadows hits
and on early Shadows instrumental
s.
Meehan was professionally nicknamed "The Baron" by his many admirers and friends within the British pop/rock music industry. He is reckoned to have influenced many thousands of teenage boys and adolescents to take up music as a career including Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac as a result of his iconic film performance in Cliff Richard's film The Young Ones.
His drumming style (qv Bongo Blues, Apache) is noticeably different to the other drummers that the Shadows employed during 1958-2010 such as Brian Bennett, Clem Cattini and Trevor Spencer, preferring a simpler 1950s jazz style kit to a voluminous 1970/80s rock/metal drum kit. Thus his kit was significantly more spartan, in terms of quantity of drums and accessories, than Brian Bennett's modern expansive drum kits through the decades. In his contribution to the 1961 book "The Shadows by Themselves" Meehan gives very useful, timely and helpful advice to all would-be drummers on drum-kit care and maintenance.
, North London
, England
. He was 10 when he became interested in playing drums. By 13, he had his first job with a band
playing in a dance hall at Willesden
, London. He also played timpani
with the London Youth Orchestra. When he was 15, Meehan was set on becoming a lawyer
but he was offered a job at £25 per week in a touring show. He was given six months' holiday. The tour never materialised but he did not go back to school. Unlike other members of the Shadows he was never short of work, playing cabaret
at Churchill's and the Stork Club. He also played with Jet Harris in The Vipers.
Meehan left the Shadows in October 1961 to work as an arranger
/producer
and session
drummer
for Joe Meek
(John Leyton
, Michael Cox: "Young Only Once", Andy Cavell) and from early 1962 at Decca Records
. He teamed again with Harris (who had also left the Shadows and moved to Decca) and as a duo
had success with "Diamonds
" which also included Jimmy Page
on acoustic
rhythm guitar
. "Diamonds" was a number one hit
in the UK. Harris and Meehan had two further hit singles together - "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack".
On 1 January 1962, Paul McCartney
, John Lennon
, George Harrison
and Pete Best
were auditioned at Decca by Meehan, performing a selection of covers that The Beatles
had performed in various clubs over the years, interspersed with three Lennon/McCartney
originals. The Beatles later found out that their manager Brian Epstein
had paid Meehan to produce the recordings made that day. Eventually, Decca rejected the Beatles and instead chose The Tremeloes
, who had auditioned the same day as The Beatles.
Meehan briefly played with The Shadows some years later when Brian Bennett was hospitalised. At one point, John Rostill
was in hospital at the same time, and The Shadows were playing live with Brian Locking
on bass
and Meehan on drums.
Meehan quit the music industry in the 1990s for a major career change as a psychologist, as a result of a lifelong hobby/interest. He worked in London at a local college lecturing psychology until his death. He was a regular church goer at his local RC church in Maida Vale.
1956-57 - (Trad-Irish-band):
1958 - The Vipers:
quoted Bruce Welch as saying that Meehan had died the previous day, as a result of head injuries, following a fall down the main staircase at his London flat in Maida Vale
. Meehan died at St Mary's Hospital South Wharf Road, Paddington
, London
.
At his death, Meehan was twice married (divorced once) and is survived by five children.
At his untimely death he owned 3 homes in London, Australia and Ireland.
EPs
Albums
Albums
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
group The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
with Jet Harris
Jet Harris
Jet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
, Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
and Bruce Welch
Bruce Welch
Bruce Welch OBE, is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer and singer, best known as a member of The Shadows.-Biography:...
. He played drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s on early Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
and The Shadows hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
and on early Shadows instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
s.
Meehan was professionally nicknamed "The Baron" by his many admirers and friends within the British pop/rock music industry. He is reckoned to have influenced many thousands of teenage boys and adolescents to take up music as a career including Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac as a result of his iconic film performance in Cliff Richard's film The Young Ones.
His drumming style (qv Bongo Blues, Apache) is noticeably different to the other drummers that the Shadows employed during 1958-2010 such as Brian Bennett, Clem Cattini and Trevor Spencer, preferring a simpler 1950s jazz style kit to a voluminous 1970/80s rock/metal drum kit. Thus his kit was significantly more spartan, in terms of quantity of drums and accessories, than Brian Bennett's modern expansive drum kits through the decades. In his contribution to the 1961 book "The Shadows by Themselves" Meehan gives very useful, timely and helpful advice to all would-be drummers on drum-kit care and maintenance.
Biography
Tony Meehan was born at New End Hospital, New End, HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was 10 when he became interested in playing drums. By 13, he had his first job with a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
playing in a dance hall at Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, London. He also played timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
with the London Youth Orchestra. When he was 15, Meehan was set on becoming a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
but he was offered a job at £25 per week in a touring show. He was given six months' holiday. The tour never materialised but he did not go back to school. Unlike other members of the Shadows he was never short of work, playing cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
at Churchill's and the Stork Club. He also played with Jet Harris in The Vipers.
Meehan left the Shadows in October 1961 to work as an arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
/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...
and session
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...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
(John Leyton
John Leyton
John Leyton is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song, "Johnny Remember Me" , which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961.-Career:Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he...
, Michael Cox: "Young Only Once", Andy Cavell) and from early 1962 at Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. He teamed again with Harris (who had also left the Shadows and moved to Decca) and as a duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
had success with "Diamonds
Diamonds (Jerry Lordan song)
Diamonds is an instrumental written by Jerry Lordan. It was a #1 hit in the UK for Jet Harris and Tony Meehan.The guitar Jet Harris used on the record was a Fender six string bass.The recording features Jimmy Page on acoustic rhythm guitar....
" which also included Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on acoustic
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
. "Diamonds" was a number one hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the UK. Harris and Meehan had two further hit singles together - "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack".
On 1 January 1962, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, John Lennon
John 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...
, George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and Pete Best
Pete Best
Pete Best is a British musician, best known as the original drummer in The Beatles. He was born in the city of Madras, British India...
were auditioned at Decca by Meehan, performing a selection of covers that The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
had performed in various clubs over the years, interspersed with three Lennon/McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
originals. The Beatles later found out that their manager Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
had paid Meehan to produce the recordings made that day. Eventually, Decca rejected the Beatles and instead chose The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
, who had auditioned the same day as The Beatles.
Meehan briefly played with The Shadows some years later when Brian Bennett was hospitalised. At one point, John Rostill
John Rostill
John Henry Rostill was an English bassist and composer, recruited by The Shadows to replace Brian Locking.-Biography:...
was in hospital at the same time, and The Shadows were playing live with Brian Locking
Brian Locking
Brian "Licorice" Locking was the bass guitarist with The Shadows between 1962-1963.- Career :...
on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Meehan on drums.
Meehan quit the music industry in the 1990s for a major career change as a psychologist, as a result of a lifelong hobby/interest. He worked in London at a local college lecturing psychology until his death. He was a regular church goer at his local RC church in Maida Vale.
Early career groups (pre-Shadows/Drifters)
1956 - (Skiffle Trio):- John Kessler (g/v), Tony Kessler (guitar) and Tony Meehan (drums)
1956-57 - (Trad-Irish-band):
- Billy Flynn (g/v), Raymond Cleary (g), David Rees (b) and Tony Meehan (wb)
1958 - The Vipers:
- Wally Wyton (vocals/guitar), Johnny Booker (guitar), Freddie Lloyd (b), Jet Harris (b) and Tony Meehan (drums)
Drums career usage
- 1954-1958: Ajax
- 1959-1961: Gretsch (The Drifters); (The Shadows)
- 196?-196?: Trixon (The Shadows)
- 196?-196?: Ludwig (The Shadows)
- 1962-1963: Gretsch (Jet Harris and Tony Meehan)
- 1963-1964: Gretsch (Tony Meehan)
- 1964-1970: Gretsch (Tony Meehan)
Death
On 29 November 2005, BBC NewsBBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
quoted Bruce Welch as saying that Meehan had died the previous day, as a result of head injuries, following a fall down the main staircase at his London flat in Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
. Meehan died at St Mary's Hospital South Wharf Road, Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
"As the drummer with the Shadows, Tony Meehan helped to lay the foundations for British rock’n’roll, both backing Cliff Richard and on a long string of instrumental hits recorded under the group’s own name. John Lennon once claimed that before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music. As the first backing band to emerge as stars in their own right, they were early trailblazers for the beat-group boom that eclipsed them." - Shadows drummer who became an A&R man for Decca - The Times (Obituaries), Nov 30th, 2005.
At his death, Meehan was twice married (divorced once) and is survived by five children.
At his untimely death he owned 3 homes in London, Australia and Ireland.
Groupography
- The Vipers Skiffle GroupThe Vipers Skiffle GroupThe Vipers Skiffle Group – later known simply as The Vipers - were one of the leading British groups during the skiffle period of the mid to late 1950s, and were important in the careers of radio and television presenter Wally Whyton, coffee bar manager Johnny Martyn, wire salesman Jean Van den...
- The Drifters
- Cliff Richard and the Drifters
- The ShadowsThe ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
- Cliff Richard and the Shadows
- Jet Harris & Tony Meehan
- The Tony Meehan Combo
Jet Harris and Tony Meehan
Singles- "DiamondsDiamonds (Jerry Lordan song)Diamonds is an instrumental written by Jerry Lordan. It was a #1 hit in the UK for Jet Harris and Tony Meehan.The guitar Jet Harris used on the record was a Fender six string bass.The recording features Jimmy Page on acoustic rhythm guitar....
" / "Footstomp" - 7" - Decca - "Scarlet O'Hara" / "Hully Gully" - 7" - Decca
- "Applejack" / "Tall Texan" - 7" - Decca
EPs
- Jet and Tony - EP - Decca
Albums
- Remembering - LP - Decca
- Best of - CD
- Diamonds and Gems - CD
Production credits
Singles- Louise CordetLouise CordetLouise Cordet was an English pop singer who also sang in French, best known as a one-hit wonder for her 1962 single, "I'm Just a Baby".-Early life:...
-- "I'm Just a Baby" / "In A Matter of Moments" -- 1962 (Decca) - Jay and Tommy Scott -- "Angela" / "Did You" -- 1962 (Decca)
- Jet HarrisJet HarrisJet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
-- "My Lady" / "You Don't Live Twice" -- 1964 (Decca) - White TrashWhite Trash (band)White Trash were a Scottish pop group who recorded briefly for Apple Records in 1969.Made up of ex-members of The Pathfinders and The Poets, they were given the name White Trash by Richard DiLello, the Apple liaison officer who wrote a book about his times at the label called The Longest Cocktail...
-- "Road To Nowhere" / "Illusions" -- 1969 (Apple) - Cody -- "I Belong With You" / "Wanna Make You Happy" -- 1971 (Polydor/Atco)
- Darryl ReadDarryl ReadDarryl Read is a British poet, singer, guitarist, drummer, actor, and writer. Read is among the forerunners of punk rock...
-- "High Rise Angry Young Man" -- 1981 (on "Collectomatic vol I" -- LP—1997 (White Label))
Albums
- Donal DonnellyDonal DonnellyDonal Donnelly was an English-born Irish theatre and film actor. He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, but raised in Dublin, Ireland....
-- Take the Name of Donnelly -- 1968 (Decca) - Tim HardinTim HardinJames Timothy "Tim" Hardin was an American folk musician and composer. He wrote the Top 40 hits "If I Were a Carpenter", covered by, among others, Joan Baez, Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and Robert Plant, and "Reason to Believe", covered by many, including Rod Stewart, as well...
-- Painted HeadPainted HeadPainted Head is an album by folk artist Tim Hardin, recorded in England and released in 1972. It was Hardin's last release on Columbia Records.There are no original songs on Painted Head...
-- 1973 (CBS) - John HowardJohn Howard (singer-songwriter)John Howard is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and recording artist. With his February 1975 debut album Kid in a Big World , Howard emerged as a late voice of the glam-pop wave of the early 1970s...
-- Kid in a Big World -- 1975 (CBS 80473) - Kevin Westlake -- Stars Fade (In Hotel Rooms) -- 1976 (UTOPIA 1-1388)
- 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...
-- One of the BoysOne of the Boys (Roger Daltrey album)One of the Boys is the third solo album by The Who's lead singer, Roger Daltrey. It was first released in 1977. The sessions were recorded at The Who's Ramport Studios during the winter of 1976 , and Daltrey allowed students from the local Battersea technical school to film them as an educational...
-- 1977 (MCA) - Eric BurdonEric BurdonEric Victor Burdon is an English singer-songwriter best known as a founding member and vocalist of rock band The Animals, and the funk rock band War and for his aggressive stage performance...
- Darkness DarknessDarkness DarknessDarkness Darkness is an album by the former vocalist from The Animals, Eric Burdon. It was recorded in May 1978 at Roundwood House, County Laois in Ireland, using Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio. The album was released by Polydor in 1980...
-- 1980 (Polydor)
Further reading
- Driftin' with Cliff Richard, by J. Harris, R. Ellis and C. Richard
- The Shadows by Themselves by Royston Ellis with The Shadows. Consul Books. 1961. No ISBN.
- The Story of the Shadows by Mike Read. 1983. Elm Tree books. ISBN 0241108616
- That Sound (From Move It on, the story of the magic sound of The Shadows), by R.Pistolesi, M.Addey & M.Mazzini. Publ: Vanni Lisanti. June 2000. No ISBN.
- The Complete Rock Family Rock Trees, by Pete Frame. Omnibus. ISBN 0711968799
- Guinness World Records: British Hit Singles & Albums (19th Edn), David Roberts. ISBN 1904994105
- The Complete Book of the British Charts (Singles and Albums), by Neil Warwick, Jon Kutner & Tony Brown, 3rd Edn. ISBN 9781844490585
- Jet Harris — Survivor, by Dave Nicolson, ISBN 9780956267900, 31st Oct 2009.