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All About The Johnny Flynn Showband (1940's - 1972)

Photo Gallery - Band Lineups - Discography - Audio samples - Where Are They Now?

The Story

Article by John Baird and Gerry Gallagher

The town of Tuam in Co. Galway, has earned a reputation as “the Showband capital of Ireland” because at one time in the early 60's, no less than six top class showbands called the well known market town home. The best known of these was the Johnny Flynn Showband, a musical combination with its roots firmly in the tradition of the Tuam Brass Band. This is not surprising as Tuam's bandmaster, Danny Kelly (senior) was a member of the original Johnny Flynn Dance band. 

The band's story starts long before the era of the showbands. Back in the 1940's, The Johnny Flynn Dance Band traveled the length and breadth of the West of Ireland. With Johnny on accordion, the band could play the standard dance tunes of the day, as well as a wide variety of ceili, dixieland and country music. This is one of the distinctions that allowed them to provide what dancers wanted, a trait the band would carry for the rest if its history. The band's reputation was second to none and it was a natural that when the showband boom hit, Johnny would be right there in the thick of things.        

In 1958, Johnny cast aside the music stands and put together his first fully fledged "showband." The original lineup was: Johnny Flynn (organ/accordion), brothers Brendan Flynn (sax/clarinet) and Francie Flynn (bass), Danny Kelly (Jr.-trombone), Billy Potter (guitar), Frankie Hannon (drums), Ollie Maloney (trumpet) and Gerry Cronin (vocals).

The band was an immediate success and even out drew the top bands in the West of Ireland.  The band became one of the first five showbands to touer the United States in 1963. They toured America during the Lenten season, and while over there recorded a single featuring Gerry Cronin entitled You Took Her Off My Hands. It was never released here as the hole in the middle of the record was too large  for a standard record player. You Took Her Off My Hands (Now Please Take Her Off My Mind) / Hoots Mon Twist on Headline records. in New York, catalog number 1016.

In the early 60's, Ollie Maloney, Gerry Cronin and Billy Potter left to form the Ohio Showband. The Johnny Flynn Band continued to travel countrywide and had a huge following up here in the Nort-west. More tours of the USA and trips to the UK were undertaken, and they took part in the New York St. Patricks Day parade in 1963.

As like other bands there were many personnel changes  but the line up that made the most impression on the recording scene was : Johnny and Francie Flynn, Frankie Hannon, Jim Dalton, Danny Kelly, Roy Donnelly, Joe McIntyre (Sax) , Billy Kelly (Trumpet), Pete Creighton (Guitar) and vocalist Pat Smyth who had a No. 1 hit with “The Black and Tan Gun” in 1966. This fine line up also recorded many singles and an album entitled “The Magnificent 7” which covered much of the band,s varied stage repertoire

Like all the Tuam bands The Flynn Band  featured many brass arrangements, this being their trademark and their varied dancing programme of pop, dixieland, country, and ballads was well received by appreciative dancers. They had in their enigmatic drummer Frankie “Flash” Hannon a superb drummer and showman and his rendering of Fats Domino numbers were showstoppers to say the least.

In the early 1970,s the end of the traditional showband line up was in sight, but Johnny Flynn continued on as The Johnny Flynn Sound until the end of 1972. This great showband has left us with a host of memories and will never be forgotten. They were great musicians all: names like Mickey Eagleton, Mickey Devaney, Billy Mc Glinchey, Patsy Haugh, Angelina Mc Donagh, Martin Murphy, and others were a part of this famous Showband.

Sadly Johnny Flynn died in 1996 preceded by Brendan Flynn, Billy Kelly, Frankie Hannon, Gerry Cronin, Ollie Maloney and more recently by Jim Dalton.  May all the deceased band members Rest in Peace.

Photo Gallery

Click on thumbnails for full images

Johnny Flynn Band - 1956 (JB) Johnny Flynn Showband (JB) Johnny Flynn Showband (LR) Johnny Flynn Showband (BK) Johnny Flynn Showband (LR)
Johnny Flynn Showband (BK) Johnny Flynn Showband (BS) Johnny Flynn Showband (JB) Johnny Flynn Showband (PB) Johnny Flynn Showband (JB)
Johnny Flynn Sound (JB) Johnny Flynn Sound (JB) Pat Smith (RM) Johnny Flynn Showband (RM) Johnny Flynn Showband (RM)
Johnny Flynn Showband (RM) Johnny Flynn Showband (RM) Johnny Flynn Showband (RM) Johnny Flynn Showband (RM) Johnny Flynn Showband (RM)
   
Johnny Flynn Showband - 1966 (BF) Johnny Flynn (PH) Johnny Flynn Dance Band - 1950's Coming Soon Coming Soon
Year Vocals Vocals II Piano/Gtr Sax/Gtr. Bass Drums Acc/Keybs Sax Trumpet Trombone
1954
0
Phil
Costello
  Danny
Kelly, Sr.
Martin
Costello
Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Johnny
Costello
Tommy
Higgins
 
1956
1
Kevin
Eagleton
  Danny
Kelly, Sr.
Mickey
Devaney
Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Brendan
Flynn
   

2
Mickey
Eagleton
  Billy
Mac
  Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Brendan
Flynn
Olly
Maloney
 

3
Gerry
Cronin
  Billy
Potter
  Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Brendan
Flynn
Olly Maloney Danny
Kelly, Jr.

4
Gerry
Cronin
  Billy
Potter
  Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Brendan
Flynn
Olly Maloney Danny
Kelly, Jr.

5
Gerry
Cronin
  Billy
Potter
  Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Brendan
Flynn
Olly Maloney Danny
Kelly, Jr.

6
    Jim
Dalton
Pete
Creighton
Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Joe
McIntyre
Billy
Kelly
Danny
Kelly, Jr.

7
Pat
Smyth
Jimmy
Harte
Jim
Dalton
Pete
Creighton
Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Joe
McIntyre
Billy
Kelly
Danny
Kelly, Jr.

8-10
Pat
Smyth
Roy
Donnelly
  Pete
Creighton
Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Joe
McIntyre
Billy
Kelly
Danny
Kelly, Jr.

11
Pat
Smyth
Angelina
McDonagh
  Pete
Creighton
Francie
Flynn
Frankie
Hannon
Johnny
Flynn
Patsy Haugh Billy
Kelly
Danny
Kelly, Jr.

12
  Angelina
McDonagh
Unknown   Francie
Flynn
Unknown Johnny
Flynn
    Danny
Kelly, Jr.

Discography (partial list):

Singles:

Who Knows / Afraid to Go  (J. Flynn Showband with Roy Donn)
Decca Records - F.12141 - 1965
Black and Tan Gun  / Your Mother's Prayer
 (J. Flynn Showband with Pat Smyth)
Emerald Records - MD 1033 - 1966
Tell My Little Girl Goodbye / The Fugitive
(J. Flynn Showband)
Emerald Records - MD 1076 - 1967
The Dying Rebel / A Word or Two to Mary
(J. Flynn Showband)
Emerald Records - MD 1129 - 1969
Banna Strand (Peter Creighton) /Heart Break Hill (Frankie Hannon) - J. Flynn Sound
Release Records - RL.554 - 1970
Cartello / Lagan Love / Magic Trumpet - (J. Flynn Showband)
Ruby Records - RUB.129 - 1971
Four Green Fields
/ Wandering Home (J. Flynn Showband with Pat Smyth)
Pye Records - 7N.60010 - 1972
Drowning My Sorrows / Playback - (J. Flynn Sound)
Hawk Records - HASP 318 - 1973
Today Tomorrow and Forever / Burning The Midnight Oil - (J. Flynn Sound with Angela)
IRL Records - IRL.229 - Unknown

Album:

The Magnificent Seven plus two = The Johnny Flynn Sound - (J. Flynn Sound)
EMI Talisman Records - STAL 1025 - 1972

Our thanks to Bob Merchant for assistance with this discography.

Audio Clips

Coming Soon

Where Are They Now?  

  Kevin Eagleton:
  Danny Kelly, Sr.-RIP
  Mickey Devaney:
  Francie Flynn:
  Frankie Hannon: RIP
  Johnny Flynn: RIP
  Brendan Flynn: RIP
  Danny Kelly, Jr.:
  Olly Maloney: RIP
  Phil Costello - RIP:
  Tommy Higgins:
  Johnny Costello:
  Martin Costello:
  Band Member:
  Band Member:
  Band Member:

Pete Creighton
Gerry Cronin
Jim Dalton
Mickey Devaney
Roy Donnelly
Brendan Flynn
Francie Flynn
Johnny Flynn
Frankie Hannon
Jimmy Harte
Billy Kelly
Danny Kelly
Olly Maloney
Joe McIntyre
Billy Potter
Pat Smyth

 

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In Loving Memory of Grant Gallagher: Sept. 21, 1990 - Nov. 18, 2006
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