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Johnny McEvoy
Born in Banagher, County Offaly, Ireland on the 24th April 1945, Johnny McEvoy initially performed folk music in Dublin pubs and hotels with the duo Ramblers Two before leaving his job in advertising to pursue music full-time.
He was not initially successful, and even applied for a visa to emigrate to the USA. While waiting for the visa to come through, he was persuaded by his manager to make a recording of "Mursheen Durkin" (a traditional song and favourite of his mother) which promptly shot to Number 1 in Ireland. Following this, he proceeded to release a string of popular tracks, including "The Boston Burglar" and "Nora", and toured internationally, performing at New York City's Carnegie Hall in 1967.
In the 1970s, he adapted to the era's showband culture by forming his own band and hosting his own television series on RTΙ. Transitioning into a prolific songwriter, he earned his fourth number-one Irish chart hit in 1976 with "Long Before Your Time", a track he wrote himself alongside other enduring standards like "Michael".
He remained active in the Irish music scene for decades, releasing collaborative projects such as a 2010 re-recording of "Muirsheen Durkin" with Sharon Shannon alongside a documentary detailing his life.
Johnny McEvoy died on the 8th of November 2026 in Greystones, Co Wicklow, Ireland at the age of 81, from undisclosed causes.
Clem Cattini
Born Clemente Anselmo Agustino Cattini in Stoke Newington, London on the 28th of August 1937, Clem Cattini left Saint Ignatius grammar school in Tottenham at the age of 15 to start work in his Dad's Italian restaurant. However, he was also playing with a skiffle group while learning to play the drums, and having been fired by his Dad for persistent lateness folllowing more than a few all-night sessions, decided to make music his career.
Having become resident drummer at the legendary "2i's Coffee Bar" at 59 Old Compton Street in Soho, Clem found himself backing such early UK stars as Terry Dene, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, John Leyton and Don Charles, before he joined the upcoming Johnny Kidd & the Pirates - performing on their classic hit "Shaking All Over". In 1961, he formed his own band The Tornadoes and almost immediately scored an international hit with the Joe Meek composition "Telstar", which became the first single by a British group to reach Nunber 1 in the USA.
Four years later, tiring of the constant touring amd personnel changes, Clem decided to try his hand at becoming a session musician. He was an almost instant success, and in a career that spanned more than six decades, ended up playing on thousands of songs, resulting in hundreds of hit records including an amazing 43 Number 1 singles.
He was without doubt, the most successful session drummer of all time.
Clem's work featured for example on such classics as "Tears" by Ken Dodd, "Two Little Boys" by Rolf Harris, "Grandad" by Clive Dunn, "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" by Benny Hill, "Whispering Grass" by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle, "Welcome Home" by Peters and Lee, "The Sun Aint Gonna Shine (Anymore)" by the Walker Brothers, "You Dont Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield, "Barbados" by Typically Tropical, "No Charge" by J.J. Barrie, "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" by Middle of the Road, "Save Your Love" by Renιe and Renato, "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" by Tony Christie, "Green, Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones, "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman, "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)", by Edison Lighthouse, "Id Like to Teach the World to Sing" by the New Seekers, "When Will I See You Again" by the Three Degrees, "So You Win Again" by Hot Chocolate (1977) and "Everlasting Love" by Love Affair.
He usually worked three (occasionally four) three-hour sessions a day, criss-crossing London's recording studios with his drums loaded onto the taxi seat beside him. Eventually, he had to hire a roadie who would transport him and his drum-kit to the first session of the day, then carry a second identical drum-kit to whichever session was next, set it up for him and return to pick up Clem (and his drums) for the next booking.
He once admitted that often he did not get to know the titles of the songs he had just drummed on - nor the name of the act he had just backed! Indeed he was so much in demand that he famously missed several appointments with manager Peter Grant who (unknownst to Clem) was looking for a drummer for the newly-formed superband Led Zeppelin!
It should have been a life under pressure but Clem never faltered, being blessed with a wonderful sense of humour which enlivened many late-night sessions and while he may have missed out on Led Zep, he did get to work with the Kinks, the Yardbirds, the Bee Gees, Paul Weller, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney, the Hollies and Lou Reed, and even appeared on stage and television as a Womble having played on every single Womble recording for producer-songwriter Mike Batt. Indeed Mike refused to use any drummer but Clem and would insist on re-scheduling a recording session if Clem was not going to be available.
Clem Cattini died at his home on the 2nd of November 2026 in London, UK at the age of 89, following a fall.
© Jim Liddane
ISA International Songwriters Association (1967)
internationalsongwriters@gmail.com
The Small Print
This International Songwriters Association 1967 site is a non-profit non-commercial re-creation of portions of the full site originally published by the International Songwriters Association Limited, and will introduce you to the world of songwriting. It will explain music business terms and help you understand the business concepts that you should be familiar with, thus enabling you to ask more pertinent questions when you meet with your accountant/CPA or solicitor/lawyer.
However, although this website includes general information about legal issues and legal developments as well as accounting issues and accounting developments, it is not meant to be a replacement for professional advice. Such materials are for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current legal/accounting developments.
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