Requiem for Tony 
Rob Bradford 12 December 2005

I was privileged to attend Tony Meehan’s funeral this afternoon at the Church Of Our Lady, situated on the junction of Lisson Grove and Lodge Road. The church was a few minutes’ walk from Marylebone station and a short distance from Tony’s North London home. As well as Tony’s wife, Sue Ellen, and children – many other members of the Meehan family were in attendance. Other attendees included long – standing family friends and neighbour’s from Tony’s apartment block. This last group included an elderly gentleman who’d known Tony since he was young boy. David Martin and Ralph Gowling were also there. Naturally, most of the other mourners were fellow Shadows and musician friends from the 60s. Amongst the people known to me were the following (apologies if I missed anyone): Sir Cliff Richard, Bruce Welch, Brian Bennett, Jet Harris, Warren Bennett, Claudine Lordan, Clem Cattini, Norman Sheffield (the Hunters & old school chum of Sir Cliff!), Bob Henrit (the Roulettes, Argent), Mo Foster, Peter Vince, Billie Davis, Colin Pryce-Jones, Janet Pryce-Jones and Howard Gillespie.

As I walked up Lisson Grove on the way to the church I passed a group of down and outs and beggars; a minute later, a group of tipsy office workers on their lunch break, some chattering away inanely on mobile phones. Two different groups, completely unaware of the late, great Tony Meehan. Around the next bend I stopped short. Pulled into a small lay-by was a gleaming black hearse. I was passing Tony’s hearse. Blinking back hot tears on a bitterly cold afternoon, I quickened my pace. Five minutes later, as I approached the Church Of Our Lady, the hearse was just pulling up at the church doors. Already people were trying to put a brave face on things, but many were already fighting back the tears. Jet looked positively haggard with grief. Standing within touching distance was Cliff Richard. As ever, with some aspects of funerals, an air of unreality and surrealism temporarily prevailed. Someone mentioned how difficult it must be for someone as famous as Cliff to live a normal life. “At least here, today,” I replied, “he can just be himself – with no-one pestering him.” I have to say that Bruce, Brian, Cliff and Jet drew enormous mutual support from each other. They were also helped by having family and friends there. "Tony's family wanted it to be fairly intimate", said Bruce. "Every single person who is here today - either knew Tony personally or really understands. Every single person who is here today really counts. That's quite something." Tony was borne into the church in what can only be described as like being a large hamper (no disrespect meant, but that is the only way I can describe it). “Tony had some humanist views, you see,” said Bruce, “he didn’t want an elaborate casket.”

As the Requiem Mass began (Tony was of the Catholic faith) his ‘coffin’ was draped with a white cloth, which is also symbolic of the baptismal service too, hence the cycle of life from birth to death was completed. I noticed then that there were several large photographs of Tony (from all eras of his life and career) at the front of the church near the altar. The full Requiem Mass is highly structured and was quite heavy going at times complete with much intoning and several (to Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists and even atheists) largely unfamiliar hymns. The Lord’s My Shepherd (Crimond) and Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace being notable exceptions. It was a dignified and serious ceremony and the feeling of grief and the cruel tragedy of Tony’s premature demise was palpable. Richard DiLello gave the first eulogy. A native of Los Angeles, he first met Tony whilst working for the Beatles at Apple Corps, London in 1968. It was a moving tribute and revealed numerous facts about Tony unknown to many of us. By the end of his speech he was choking with emotion. A second eulogy came from the endearing elderly academic Dan McCudden who regaled us with tales of Tony’s undoubted intellect and interest in drummers and jazzers from the swing era. How sad it was that Tony was so close to completing his studies in psychology, psychiatry and psychoanalysis. Both speakers reiterated Tony’s liking for good food, good wine and stimulating conversation. Finally the service was over and Tony was carried out of the church to commence his final journey. Tony was fiercely proud of his Irish origins and regarded his being born in London as an unfortunate accident (Geographically speaking!!). He will be interred at Carlingford in Northern Ireland. All that was left for the mourners to do was to sign a book of memory/condolence and to commiserate with each other. Many tears were shed. Many mourners later gathered with the Meehan family at the Riveux restaurant complex in St.John’s Wood High Street (of which more later).

As Tony was carried back to the hearse (the pall-bearers included his sons) “See You In My Drums” was played. There was a restrained, numbed silence to begin with and then the tears flowed for many of us accompanied by stifled sobs. Talking about drum solos later with Colin Pryce – Jones, Clem Cattini, Norman Sheffield and Warren Bennett – the experts mentioned that Tony’s drum solos were so beautifully constructed that they could actually be sung. How apt then, that “See You In My Drums” did indeed become a metaphor for Tony’s life. After the introduction – Tony crashes in and announces himself to the world in the first part of the solo (Genesis – birth). This part ends – almost abruptly (life ends – too soon). Then, a relentless, repetitive tattoo. A Dies Irae in miniature – death calls us to God. This section ends. The next solo crashes back in – vibrant, full of energy and life. A re-birth. Resurrection. And finally, Tony’s drums fade, fade and ebb away. Into the distance – into infinity. A timeless echo of eternity. Farewell Tony. “See You In My Drums”. We always will, always.

After the funeral service Tony's widow Sue Ellen had arranged for friends and family to gather in an upper room of the Riveux restaurant in St.John's Wood High Street. I thought that this would be a private affair and I was already leaving the churchyard when I was called back by Bruce. He assured me that it would be fine for me to go along with several others. David Martin declined the invitation. Jet had to attend to some pre-arranged business and he drove off with Billie Davis and Ralph Gowling. Cliff, who had apparently flown back from Europe, also had to depart promptly. He said his farewells and then left in his burgundy coloured chauffeur driven Bentley. Bruce informed several people that the venue was 'only a short walk, folks... .’ and he set off at route march pace. Our little band consisted of; Bruce, Colin & Janet Pryce - Jones, Clem Cattini, a gentlemen who had been a cutting engineer for Pye Records, Norman Sheffield (the Hunters drummer who I'd met several times at "Pipeline" conventions) and myself. Bruce was setting a brisk pace. "Oi, Welch!" quipped Clem "Can you slow down a bit - only I'm 68 now and I don't want another heart attack!!" Bruce just laughed and said that he was going slowly and would Clem like some help crossing the road!

Brian Bennett, Warren Bennett and Mo Foster were already at the Riveux when we arrived. Otherwise I didn't know anyone apart from people who I'd seen at the church. I was introduced to Sue Ellen. What a lovely, friendly lady she was. Finding Tony lying at the foot of the stairs a fortnight previously must have been truly horrifying. On this particular day - she was the perfect hostess. She displayed great courage and dignity in the face of such tragic circumstances. Perhaps in making it her aim to look after everyone it helped to take her mind off those awful moments. Naturally people were genuinely fulsome in their praise of Tony. I'm sure that this at least offered some crumb of solace for her. She also mentioned (as I only spoke to her briefly) that she and her family had been both touched and moved by the many comments that had reached them via messages left on various websites and the special tribute site set up in Tony's honour.

By now most people had formed little knots and cluster groups for conversations and reminiscences. There were drinks and light refreshments circulating. There was a sort of bar area with tables centred around the top of the stairwell as well as another room separated by glass doors - most of which had been opened out. Tony's sons rigged up a PA system and many Shadows and Jet/Tony items were played during the course of the next two hours or so. People were mingling to some extent but mostly (inevitably) stayed with people who they knew. My own little group consisted of Colin Pryce-Jones, Warren Bennett, Mo Foster, Clem Cattini and Norman Sheffield. The next two hours flew by as stories and anecdotes about the Shadows in general and Tony in particular poured forth. I spent most of the time just listening to these great musicians talking!! Occasionally things got a little ribald and one or two items were definitely off the record!! Bruce and Brian occasionally wandered past and chipped in - but they were mostly off talking to other people. Warren himself was genuinely interested to listen to Clem Cattini and Norman Sheffield regaling everyone with stories about the 2Is - where they'd both known Tony in 1957!! "He was a good drummer even then," said Norman Sheffield, "and he looked so young. No wonder - he was only fourteen!! It's a miracle he managed to talk himself into the place!!" Clem, Colin and Warren all agreed that Tony's drum solos all required real technique in several disciplines. Not only that - they were so perfectly constructed that they could literally be 'sung'. Warren recalled that when he'd last met Tony he'd had one of those 'special moments'. "I'd been working on a session for some film music at Abbey Road. I was completely lost in my own thoughts as I left and hurried across the road outside. I bumped into someone coming the other way. I was just about to apologise when he said 'Hello - what on earth are you doing here?' it was Tony Meehan! I just suddenly thought to myself. Here I am in the middle of THAT zebra crossing with the Shadows original drummer! Whoa…!"

I mentioned previously that Tony had many relatives - several of his brothers were present at this gathering of the Meehan clan. Several people mentioned that the extended Meehan family was very large. We were introduced briefly to Tony's younger brother. Despite the tragic circumstances he was quite philosophical about the turn of events - although he wasn't above cursing the vagaries of fate. He told us a little bit more about Tony's zealous pride in his Irish roots and how proud he was too of his older brother - "The only one of us that ever amounted to anything", he said. As brothers will know, such acknowledgement is often grudging and not universal. But he was fiercely proud of Tony. He offered us a glimpse of life in Carlingford c.1959/60. "We were just ordinary folks," he recalled, "ordinary folks. We lived in this tiny village in Ireland. Many people there had just one decent pair of shoes and one decent suit. You only wore them on Sunday - because they had to last for years. Now, when Tony became famous with Cliff Richard and then the Shadows…well. Let me tell you something. If you think that he was famous or well - known in London - that was nothing compared to Carlingford. We'd never known anything like it. He was more than a celebrity there - he was almost a god! He was world famous - but he never forgot his roots - he was one of us. He loved fine clothes - never mind a Sunday best suit - he could easily afford a different suit for every day of the week!! They were magical times. Special days. Happy days!" We were also introduced (again albeit briefly) to an elderly gentleman - I believe that he was 87 - who'd known Tony since the age of 10. He was a close neighbour and family friend of the Meehans. It was pity that we didn't have longer to speak to him. However he did reveal that he kept a set of drums in his apartment ('I've played the drums since I was a small child'). He knew that Tony was reluctant to play the drums in public ever again. "But," the kindly gent informed us," every now and again he'd call in at my flat and have a really good workout on the drums. Not regularly - but every now and again. Once a year, twice a year sometimes and so on. The last time that he played the drums like that was in 2004."

I discussed with Warren Tony's obvious delight but also his bemusement when he was besieged by so many fans at the Shadowmanias that he attended. Warren said that he felt that he understood that to some extent. He related it to his time in Glass Ties. "It would be a little bit like someone coming up to me after all that time (laughs) and gushing on about that era and telling me that they really loved it. I mean, I'd be pleased - but quite puzzled - because I've done much more, so much more since then. But - with the Shadows - it was bigger, very big. I'm sure that Tony - because even the others don't sometimes - just couldn't understand or didn't realise just how important the Shadows were, or indeed are, to people's lives. Incredibly important - it's something that's really profound. I agree with the fans that it's a pity that he didn't play the drums at Shadowmania. Even it was only just one number - quite honestly it wouldn't have mattered if it was awful. Well, not to the fans - I understand that. To the performer it's different, especially when you've been at the top of your profession. If Tony felt that he could no longer play to his own exacting standards - then he wouldn't - and I can understand that side of it too. But then - it would have probably been enough if he'd just sat behind the kit and hit a single flam! He could have done that. Or even just stood near the drumkit with Jet. I'm sure that he had his reasons. It's such a pity that he didn't do something like that - because now it never can happen." All too soon it was time to leave. Clem Cattini is the doyen of 50s/60s drummers - having played with the Tornados, having backed Billy Fury as well as playing on literally thousands of sessions and in excess of forty No. 1 hits. I asked him how did he rate Tony Meehan as a drummer. "Outstanding. Outstanding. Tony was a great talent. A great talent. There's no question. Like all of us he studied and he practised. But he had that one thing that no -one can teach you. Natural ability - he had that in spades. He was superb - really dynamic and so precocious. When you think about - all of those great hits with Cliff - "Living Doll", "Please Don't Tease", "Gee Whiz It's You", "The Young Ones" and those classic Shadows numbers "Apache", "Man Of Mystery", "Kon - Tiki", "The Savage", "FBI", "Wonderful Land" - and that's just a few. I mean, he recorded all of those and more when he was just sixteen or seventeen! I was six years older than Tony. I was an old man by comparison!! Now he's gone - but what a fabulous musical legacy he's left behind for us. He was one of the originals of that era. One of the greats - and a genuinely nice guy too. I'll miss him - we all will. But we won't ever forget him, will we? A talent like his will endure - forever."

Rob Bradford December 2005

The following article was written in 2004
Tony Meehan
by Ian Couper

Tony Meehan was one of the founder members of the Shadows along with Jet Harris, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch. Tony played drums on all the early Cliff Richard and the Shadows hits and also played on the early hits the Shadows had as an instrumental group.

As part of the original Shadows line-up, Tony performed two evening shows at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth on Sunday 13 August 1961. The programme running order was Wilf Todd and his Trio, Johnny Laycock, Maureen Evans and Al Saxon. There was then an interval followed by the Shadows performance. The following is taken from the program notes for that 1961 concert:

‘Tony Meehan was born in Hampstead on 2 March 1943. He was only ten years old when he became interested in playing the drums. By the time he was 13, Tony had his first job with a band playing in a dance hall at Willesden, London. He also played tympanis with the London Youth Orchestra. When he was 15, Tony was set on becoming a lawyer and did not want to leave school for another three years but he was offered a job at Ł25 per week in a touring show. He asked for and was given six months holiday. The tour never materialised but Tony did not go back to school. Unlike the other members of the Shadows he was never short of work, playing cabaret at places like Churchill's and the Stork Club. He also played with Jet Harris in The Vipers. Tony is interested in arranging which he studies and besides drums also plays guitar and bass. His hobbies include psychology and psychiatry.’

Tony left the Shadows in 1961 and went to work at Decca Records. He subsequently teamed up again with Jet Harris and as a duo had great success with Jet playing guitar and Tony on drums. Tony and Jet performed as part of the All Stars ’63 Tour which had two evening shows at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth on Saturday 18 May 1963. Star billing was given to John Leyton, Mike Sarne, Mike Berry and The Innocents, and Billy Davis. Jet and Tony were billed as ‘Special Guest Stars’. Also appearing on the bill were Duffy Power, Grazina, Billy Boyle, Don ‘Fireball’ Spencer and Bick Ford. Tickets were priced at 6/6 (i.e. 32 pence) up to 10/6 (i.e. 52 pence!!) and the shows started at 6 pm and 8.30 pm. The following is adapted from the program notes for that All Stars ‘63 show:

‘Tony left the Shadows in 1961 and signed an independent production deal with Decca. Among his first records was the Louise Cordet hit "I’m Just a Baby". He worked hard behind the scenes and to the public seemed to have lost his incentive to go back on the stage. As a session man, Tony played on records by John Leyton, Frank Ifield and Billy Fury. Once away from The Shadows, Tony’s drum studies continued and his interest in composing developed.

Maybe this is how things would have remained but a call to Tony from Jet Harris who was in Scotland at the time changed all that. Jet had been thinking of recording with Tony and one day the urge to call him became too strong, he did just that and so the team was back in business.

First came a recording session for "Just for Fun" and then came "Diamonds". Tony produced that session as well as playing drums. He also wrote the B-side, "Foot Stomp" where he took it in turns with Jet to do vocal duets. "Diamonds" went to Number 1 in just three weeks. Jet and Tony then followed "Diamonds" with "Scarlet O’Hara" which was also a resounding hit’.

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Last Updated 06 March 2006