Jimmy McShane

James Harry McShane (23 May 1957 – 29 March 1995) was a singer from Northern Ireland, best known as the front-man of Italian band Baltimora, with the hit song "Tarzan Boy".

History[]

McShane was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. He learned at a young age to play bass and guitar. As a teenager, he was allegedly shunned by his family after they learned of his homosexuality. Later as a young man in the late 1970s, McShane left Northern Ireland to study at a stage school in London, where he learned to dance, sing and recite.

Hired as a stage dancer and backing singer, McShane soon went around Europe with Dee D. Jackson and her band. During a visit to Italy with the band, McShane was attracted to the country's underground dance scene, which led to his settling in Milan in 1984.^[1] He told Dick Clark on American Bandstand in 1986 that he fell in love with Italy from that moment. He also learned to speak Italian and acquired Italian citizenship.^[2]

He made his debut playing in small clubs in his hometown without success. In view of this, McShane decided to work as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for the Red Cross until he met Italian record producer & keyboardist Maurizio Bassi, with whom he created Baltimora. The act found success with its most popular single, "Tarzan Boy", released in 1985.

In America, he was overwhelmed with the success of "Tarzan Boy". Some sources state lead vocals were performed by Maurizio Bassi, the group's keyboardist, with McShane actually providing the backing vocals. This still remains uncertain, and McShane lip synched while appearing in the "Tarzan Boy" music video, and not Bassi.^[3][4] Both the music and the lyrics of Baltimora were written mostly by Bassi and Naimy Hackett, though McShane wrote the lyrics to some of their songs, such as the single "Survivor in Love".

Break-up of Baltimora and aftermath[]

After releasing Baltimora’s sophomore album, Survivor in Love in 1987, Bassi disbanded the group, deciding it was time to move onto other projects. Released in only select markets in light of its predecessor's limited success internationally, the album sold poorly and its commercial failure propelled the band's label to drop them from their roster.

The single "Tarzan Boy" bounced back into the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1993 as a remix, climbing to No. 51, at the time of its appearance in a Listerine commercial. The song was also featured in the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) and was then referenced in A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).

In the early 21st century, the Internet's increasing accessibility and the rise of music streaming services has led to renewed interest in Italo disco.^[5] This in turn has allowed Baltimora to reach a much larger audience than they ever enjoyed during their time as a band.

Illness and death[]

McShane was diagnosed with AIDS in Milan during 1994.^[6] A few months later he returned to Northern Ireland to spend his final year, and died in his native Derry on 29 March 1995 at the age of 37.^[7] A family spokesman issued the following statement after his death: "He faced his illness with courage and died with great dignity." In the centre of Derry, a commemorative plaque was bestowed upon the grave of McShane and his father, who had died three years prior.^[8]

References[]

External links[]

• Jimmy McShane at Find a Grave