Swallows Band Feature (1970-1974)
(Magic Band - 1974-1981)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
The Swallows hold an interesting place in the
career of its founder, trumpeter Johnny Carroll. His first band was
the Premier Aces, one of the top showbands of the 1960's. His last
band was The Magic Band which was formed out of the Swallows. The
Swallows were Johnny's "middle" band, around which his career on the
band scene started and ended.
In late 1969, the Premier Aces had reached
their end and four members, Johnny Carroll (trumpet), Jimmy O'Neill
(keyboards), Sonny Ward (sax) and Bob Madden (guitar) decided to try something completely
different. The country and western scene had started to take off in
Ireland with the success of bands like the Cotton Mill Boys and the Hoot'nanny's. Johnny saw the opportunity to reinvent themselves and
the boys teamed up with manager Liam Donnelly and put the Swallows
on the road by adding Mickey Belton (drums), and Tipperary man, Jim
Nash, on lead vocals.
Joe O'Neill was a major backer of the band
(being Jimmy's brother) and the band was launched in late 1969, and
six months later, they had a major advertising splash in Spotlight
which included a 4 page spread. The original lineup was: Bob Madden
(guitar), Mickey Belton (drums), Johnny Carroll (trumpet), Jimmy
O'Neill (keyboards), Murty Finn (bass), Sonny Ward (sax) and Jim
Nash (vocals).
After a very short time, the boys decided a
female lead vocalist was what they needed and they recruited a young
girl, Margaret Murphy, who hailed from Glenamaddy, Co. Galway.
Margaret had been playing around the pubs in Co. Galway with her two
brothers Martin and Oliver when Joe O'Neil "discovered" her. Not
only did Margaret (who used the stage name, Murphy) sing, but she
also played bass. With Murphy out front, the band were an immediate
success on the country dance scene and they
had four records in the Irish top twenty.
In 1974, after several years of success on the
country circuit, bandleader Johnny Carroll decided it was time for a
change and the band was reformed as magic and the Swallows, bringing
in young Dublin singer Kevin Walsh (brother of the Nevada's Willie
Walsh) top don the Magic light up suit. Also new to the band were
Gerry Gallagher (guitar), John McKenna (bass - ex Silver Pennies),
Frank Clancy (keyboards - ex Ohio) and Joe Bernie (sax - ex
Leaders). Only Mickey Belton (drums) and Johnny Carroll (trumpet)
remained from the original Swallows. Murphy left the showband
circuit and formed a group called Murphy and Friends, playing in
local cabaret spots.
More to come.....
(Our thanks to Sean and
Margaret Gorham for information contributed to this feature)
click on thumbnails for full image
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Johnny Carroll:
After the breakup of magic,
Johnny went on the road as the Man With The Golden Trumpet
and never looked back. Having started in 1958 at the age of
13, in 2008 Johnny will celebrate 50 years of continuous
entertaining in and around Ireland and has seen it all! He
still plays regularly, although he has cut back a little on
his touring. He play often outside the country these days
having recently been playing in Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong,
and Spain.
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Sonny Ward: Unknown - if you have info please email us |
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Jimmy O'Neill: Jimmy
retied from the road after the Swallows made the switch to
the Magic Band, where he was the road manager for many
years. He also ran dances, working with his brother Joe
O'Neill. Today, Jimmy lives in Galway and still plays
occasionally, although he never went band "on the road"
after the Swallows. |
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Mickey Belton: Mickey
was one of two musicians (along with Johnny) who made the
transition to The Magic Band in 1974. He played with Magic
until the early 80's when he retired from the road. However,
in the intervening years, Mickey became one of Galway's best
know jazz drummers and he
still plays regularly in Galway with a variety of bands. He
does some session work, but we understand his main gig is with the Black
Magic Band.
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Jim Nash: Unknown - if you have info please email us |
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Margaret Murphy:
Margaret married drummer Sean Gorham in 1975 and the couple
emigrated to London, where they played the clubs and pubs
for 15 years. They returned to Co. Galway in 1989, where
they live today. Although Margaret no longer sings in
public, she still maintains a very keen interest in the
Irish music scene. |
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Bob Madden: Unknown - if you have info please email us |
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Murty Finn: Unknown - if you have info please email us |
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Band Member: Unknown - if you have info please email us |
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Band Member: Unknown - if you have info please email us |
