Tony Meehan

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daniel Joseph Anthony Meehan (born March 2, 1943 in Hampstead / London , England , † November 28, 2005 in Paddington / London) was a British drummer and founding member of the instrumental rock band The Shadows .

Life

Meehan discovered drums at a very early age and played in bands as a teenager. In the mid-1950s, he played with the Vipers , among others , where Jet Harris also played bass guitar.

When Cliff Richard's backing band was rearranged in 1958 , the two met again as members of the Shadows . Although these were one of the most successful bands in England at the time, Meehan always had other interests besides music, such as vaudeville or psychology.

Tony Meehan was known throughout his life to have his own mind. This was also reflected in his behavior before, during and after the performances of the Shadows. His escapades ranged from being late to leaving the stage during a performance. After he overslept the start of the presentation concert shortly after the recordings for the number 1 hit "Kon-Tiki" in the spring of 1961 and then began dismantling his drums when the hall was sold out before the concert (FBI and Apache), his band membership was canceled in the concert hall. This can be read in great detail in Bruce Welch's memoir "Rock and Roll - I gave you the best years of my life".

In 1961 he used an offer from Decca Records to switch to the producer side. When Jet Harris left the Shadows shortly afterwards, he helped him to a recording contract and eventually formed a successful instrumental duo with him (for their hits see Jet Harris ).

After the tragic accident of Harris, he put together a Tony Meehan combo for a short time , which had a top 40 hit in England with the Song of Mexico , but finally he continued to work successfully in the background as a producer (including from PP Arnold ), Songwriter and drummer.

Regardless of the inglorious departure from the Shadows, he remained in the formation as a temporary drummer and was always ready to replace his successor Brian Bennett as a sickness replacement.

Meehan died at the age of 62 in a hospital in Paddington / London of head injuries sustained in a fall. Bruce Welch announced the news of Meehan's death in a BBC interview.

Tony Meehan left behind his wife (Sue Ellen) and two sons who were only born in the 90s.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Meehan, Tony
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Meehan, Daniel Joseph Anthony (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British drummer and producer
DATE OF BIRTH March 2, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH London , England
DATE OF DEATH November 28, 2005
Place of death London , England