Johnny McEvoy

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

The Story

Born in Banagher, Co. Offaly on the 24th of April, 1945, Johnny and his family moved to Dublin when was six years old (1951) where his father was a bus driver. The third youngest of four children, he went to school in Inchicore and eventually enrolled in a commercial arts course in Rathmines. Early on, Johnny wanted to become a commercial artist, but had trouble landing a job without experience. After finishing the course, he landed a job with an advertising agency and his parents were delighted.

As a hobby, Johnny started singing with Mike Crotty and the pair called themselves the Ramblers Two. They had spent their time listening to bands like the Clancys. Folk music had just made a big comeback in Ireland courtesy of acts like the Dubliners, Ludlows, Wolfe Tones and Johnstons. "Folk was just happening in the pubs and hotels and we got a lot of work," said Johnny in a 1966 Spotlight interview. Although the duo had some success, their time together was relatively short. "After a time, Mike and I decided to quit the double act, said Johnny, "there were no hard feelings, but I just wanted to try it alone."

The year was 1966 and Johnny had to decide whether to concentrate on the agency business, or pursue a career in music. "Actually, it was an easy choice and money played a major part in my decision," said Johnny. "I was getting £8 a week in advertising after two years. As a solo singer I was a able to make that much in one night. If it didn't click, there was always America." Against his parents wishes, Johnny quit the day job and became a full time entertainer. His first single release, Love Minus Zero failed to make an impression.

As was popular at the time, Johnny was singing a mixture of Irish ballads and American folk. He wasn't doing so well and decided to try his luck in America and wrote to his sister who was already living in Kansas. In the meantime, he got a job singing with Maureen Potter's Gaels of Laughter show at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Although he had filled out all the forms and was waiting for his visa to come through, his manager, Tom Costello convinced him to give Ireland one more try. He decided to record Mursheen Durkin and the rest, as they say, is history.

The record went straight to the top of the Irish charts and made Johnny an overnight sensation. Armed with an acoustic guitar, harmonica and boyish good looks, Johnny took the country by storm. Early in 1967, he released his follow up single, Boston Burglar to even greater chart success. Johnny was now firmly established as one of the country's top folk acts. He toured America and played in Carnegie Hall, one of the highlights of his career to this day.

Despite the success, Johnny continued to experiment and in a 1967 interview said, "It's no use becoming accepted as a country and western singer or a pop-folk artist. I want to be classed as an entertainer." During this period, the big money was in the Irish ballrooms, which Johnny played on a regular basis, one of the few solo acts to do so. He toured American in the summer of 1967 and went from strength to strength. He also recorded material for his first album, using the rhythm section of the Cadets Showband in the studio.  

1967 saw Johnny change direction slightly as he moved away from guitar backed ballads to a more electric country sound. He signed a deal with John Keogh's Greenbeats showband to back him in the ballrooms and his album, For The Poor and For The Gentry, featured ballads along with country music. It also featured Johnny's first self penned effort, Reflections-Take One. This move was further fueled by Johnny's own feeling that "the traditional scene is getting a bit tired." (Spotlight interview, 19th July, 1967). In his own story published in Spotlight in November, he said, "I have done all I can do in Ireland."   

Johnny scored another number one in early 1968 with Nora. However, the next few years were a time of transition for Johnny and many other Irish artists. The real money was still in the ballrooms, even though their heyday was drawing to a close. Many groups and folk artists all faced the same dilemma: to make it in the ballrooms, you had to have a band and play dance music.

In an interview with B.P. Fallon in the October 26, 1968 issue of Spotlight, Johnny complained about the ballroom scene. "In a ballroom each night, a bit of your incentive dies," he reflected, " A concert is a challenge because people are better able to watch and criticise...ballrooms are so drab and and so cold."  

It would be three years before Johnny would once again hit the Irish charts. In March, 1970, Spotlight carried a major article outlining the formation of Johnny's new country band. When the Cadets broke up in early 1970, Gregory Donaghy went to Maisie McDaniel's new band, the Ramblers (strangely enough the original name Johnny used when he was paired with Mick Crotty). At the same time, several of remaining members formed the basis of Johnny's new country band. The members of his band, in 1970, were Brendan O'Connell (guitar), Noel McGann (bass), Michael Keane from the Gamblers (keyboards), Alan Loughnane (fiddle), Jimmy Greely (drums) and Tim Corbet (guitar). 

In August, 1972 Johnny added a girl singer to the lineup. At the time, it seems like it was all the rage following the success of female artists like Tina (Real McCoy) and Sandie Jones (Dixies). The new singer was the eldest of nine children from Navan, Gloria Smyth. Her father was Jimmy Smyth, who was with the Arcadians Showband. Gloria had previously released a solo single in 1971, LA International Airport.   

More to come.

Photo Gallery

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Discography (More to come)

Singles:

Love Minus Zero / An Bonnan Bui (as the Rambler)
Pye Records - 7N.17164 - 1966
Mursheen Durkin / Those Brown Eyes (as the Rambler) - #1 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17196 - October, 1966
The Boston Burglar / I Still Miss Someone - #1 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17303 - April, 1967
Funny Man / Was It You - #10 Irish Charts
Pye Records - 7N.17365 - August, 1967
About This Time / Bells Of Christmas Eve / Standing In The Rain / Little Drummer Boy
Pye Records - NEP.24290 - November, 1967
Nora / Tarry Flynn - #1 Irish Charts
Target/Pye Records - 7N.17472 - January, 1968
The Hedgehog Song / Time and Time Again
Target/Pye Records - 7N.17607 - September, 1968
Mary of the Curling Hair / Hickory Wind
Target Records - Unknown - June, 1969
The West's Asleep
Target Records - Unknown - October, 1970
Three Score and Ten / You Win Again - #6 Irish Charts
Target/Pye Records - 7N.45033 - January, 1971
Gentle Annie / Blue Canadian Rockies / Kentucky Woman - #8 Irish Charts
Target/Pye Records - 7N.X7001 - February, 1972
All I Have To Offer You Is Me - #13 Irish Charts
Target/Pye Records - Unknown - November, 1972
Tomorrow Is Forever (with Gloria Smith) - #14 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - Unknown - June, 1973
Rose of Moray - #6 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - Unknown - August, 1974
Christmas Maxi EP
Hawk Records - HASP.2002 - December, 1974
My Eileen / Castle of Dromore - #2 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - HASP.364 - March, 1975
Rose of Allendale - #6 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - HASP.362 - August, 1975
Long Before Your Time - #1 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - Unknown - June, 1976
Nora - #7 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - Unknown - July, 1977
Bound for Botany Bay / All In All - #16 Irish Charts
Hawk Records - Unknown - May, 1978
Just One More Night
Hawk Records - Unknown - November, 1978
The Old Rocking Chair / Lovely Lady
Hawk Records - Unknown - April, 1980
A Rich Man's Garden - #14 Irish Charts
MCA Records - Unknown - December, 1984
Since Maggie Went Away / The Losing Game
MCA Records - MCA.953 - January, 1985
You Seldom Come To See Me Anymore / Lusmagh Fields
Play Records - PLAY.216 - 1987
Staten Island / Big Mansion House on the Hill
Play Records - PLAY.226 - 1988
Michael / Pat Murphy's Meadow
Play Records - PLAY.237 - June, 1989
Round Round Angel - #21 Irish Charts
Play Records - Unknown - June, 1990
Long Way From The Sun / Wheels Go Round
Play Records - PLAY.257 - 1991

Albums:

For The Poor and the Gentry
Pye Records - NPL.18190 - July, 1967
With An Eye To Your Eye
Pye Records - NPL.18264 - January, 1968
All Our Wars Were Merry, All our Songs Are Sad
Target Records - LNR.18324 - January, 1970
Best of Johnny McEvoy
Heritage Records - HSLP.005 - January, 1975
Sounds Like McEvoy
Hawk Records - HALP.117 - Unknown
Where My Eileen Is Waiting
Hawk Records - Unknown - July, 1975
Long Before Your Time
Hawk Records - HALP.150 - 1976
Leaves In The Wind
Hawk Records - HALP.164 - 1977
I'll Spend A Time With You
Hawk Records - HALP.174 - November, 1978
Twenty Greatest Hits
Hawk Records - Unknown - October, 1979
Johnny McEvoy Goes Country
Harp Records - HPE.621 - 1980
Songs Of Ireland
MCA Records - MCF.3327 - 1986

Audio Clips

Coming Soon

Where Are They Now?