The Powermen Feature (1973-1975)

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

The Story (our thanks to Seamus McLoughlin for his help in writing this story)

Sligo-based showband, the Powermen had their start as a local group called the Lincoln Express which featured singer Damien "Dee" Leydon. Originally, the band was a two or three piece pub group which started in late 1970 and played local pubs, functions and dances around the county, but especially in the local rugby club. The originally line-up included Dee Leydon (vocals) and Willie McWhirter (guitar) and a short time later Billy Kelly was added on drums.

The band changed line-ups several times over the next year, adding Joe Foley on bass with future Powermen member Phillip Lynch on drums. Eventually by late 1971, the band was a five piece and had a new line-up with a former member of  Frankie Carroll's Ranchers, Francie Lenehan, on guitar, his brother, John, on bass, John McLoughlin on rhythm guitar and Billy Kelly back on drums.

In November, 1972, Francie, John and Billy were enticed away by a new showband being formed by former Mighty Avons' member Ronnie Griffiths and a new line-up was recruited with Tony O'Donnell (guitar) Joe McDonagh (bass) and Tommy Conlon (drums) joining Dee and the band was once again a four piece. This line-up would provide the impetus for the band deciding to make the move to the showband circuit.

In late 1973, Mighty Avons leader Jimmy Smith is reported to have attended a dinner dance in Sligo where he heard the boys playing and suggested they hit the road as a fully fledged showband. A report in Spotlight in September, 1973 said the band Jimmy's brother, Paddy, was forming the band which would be known as Dee Leyden and the Power Five. At the time, he was running Velvet Records and he agreed to record the band. Local musicians Vinnie Somers (sax - ex Plainsmen), Sean Scanlon (RIP-trumpet - ex Clouds) and Gerry Feeney (keyboards) were added to the line-up making them a seven piece showband.

The band released a record immediately, which was meant to be on the Velvet label, but after the label folded in late 1973, it was released on the Hawk label. The song, The Best Is Yet to Come, had been previously recorded by Val Doonican. Although it received its fair share of airplay, it did not make the charts. The B-side was Get Some Lovin' Done. The band played mostly country music and with Jimmy's brother, Paddy Smith, managing their bookings, they were quickly up and running and began to expand outside the northwest region. The first mention of them playing we can find is in September, 1973 in Bundoran.

Despite hitting the road with much promise, within a few months the band had changed their line-up again. Seamus McLaughlin joined on rhythm guitar replacing Gerry Feeney and former member Phillip Lynch rejoined the band on drums again. Vinnie Somers would leave the band a few months later, making them a six piece.

In February, they were voted as the fourth best new band by readers of the Longford Leader, coincidentally two places behind American Pie, which had snapped up their entire rhythm section just a few months earlier.

In May, 1974, the band brought out their second record, A Little Bit Further Down the Line, once again on the Hawk label. The B-side included an instrumental version of Brahms' Lullaby featuring Dee on the harmonica. Although they were playing regularly, they never seemed to hit their stride on a national basis and with their new record out, they undertook their first tour of the UK which went very well for them. By August, the band underwent line-up changes again when Sean Scanlon left and they added Garrett O'Dowd (ex-Philosophers - trumpet) and John Collins (ex-Dickie's Band - sax).

The last advertisement for the band we could find was in September, 1974 when they played the Rainbow Ballroom in Glenfarne (see below). In October 1974 it was reported in the Evening Herald that the band was on a tour on England with a new single ready to be released upon their return called Behind The Footlights which was written by Garrett O'Dowd. 

However, this would never happen. Apparently John Collins did not stay very long, and by October, 1974 the decision had been made to relocate the band to the UK permanently. By this time, the band was down to a four piece which was Dee, Phillip, Joe and Seamus as Tony O'Donnell had dropped out and would soon join his brothers in a new band in Sligo called The O'Donnell's. The Powermen would travel to the UK and augment their line-up with various local musicians in England. Not long after arriving in the UK, Paddy Smith pulled out of managing the band, however they decided to stay on to find their own gigs and would eventually take up a residency in the Loughborough Hotel in Brixton.

By early 1975, the band had broken up with Seamus and Joe going to Birmingham and Phillip going to Wales. Eventually they would all return to Sligo (although Seamus would return in August of that year and stay on for several years). By 1976, Dee had returned to Sligo and formed a cabaret act with former Smokey Mountain Ramblers' drummer, Bernie Fallon, which they called Stardust, he would use this name on and off for the next five years with the last line-up of Stardust put together in 1979 featuring former drummer Phillip Terry Lenehan (guitar - who was a brother of Francie and John) and Gerry Cox on bass. 

Sadly Phillip Lynch and Sean Scanlon have passed away. Dee now lives in Co. Roscommon after many years of entertaining fans in the northwest as well as running several businesses. Seamus McLaughlin still lives in the Sligo area and has retired after a long career as a publican and local businessman.      

More to come....

Photo Gallery

click on thumbnails for full image

Discography

The Best Is Yet to Come / Get Some Lovin' Done
Hawk Records - HASP 332 - November, 1973
Little Bit Later Down the Line //  Woman Without A Home / Brahms Lullaby (Dee on Harmonica)
Hawk Records - HASP 338 - May, 1974

Audio Clips

None available

Where Are They Now?