Meehan was professionally nicknamed "The Baron" by his many admirers and friends within the British pop-rock music industry. He is reckoned to have influenced many thousands of teenage boys and adolescents to take up music as a career, including Mick FleetwoodofFleetwood Mac, as a result of his iconic film performance in Cliff Richard's film The Young Ones.
His drumming style (cf. "Bongo Blues", "Apache") is noticeably different from that of other drummers who the Shadows employed during 1958–2010 such as Brian Bennett, Clem Cattini and Trevor Spencer. In his contribution to the 1961 book The Shadows by Themselves, Meehan gives advice to all would-be drummers on drum-kit care and maintenance.
Meehan was born to Irish Catholic parents at New End Hospital, New End, Hampstead, north eest London, England.[1] He was 10 when he became interested in playing drums. By 13, he had his first job with a band playing in a dance hall in Willesden, London. He also played timpani with the London Youth Orchestra.[citation needed]
Meehan left the Shadows in October 1961 to work as an arranger/producer and session drummer for Joe Meek (John Leyton, Michael Cox: "Young Only Once", Andy Cavell) and from early 1962 at Decca Records. He teamed again with Harris (who had also left the Shadows and moved to Decca) and as a duo had success with the instrumental "Diamonds" which also included Jimmy Pageonacoustic rhythm guitar. "Diamonds" was a number onehit in the UK. Harris and Meehan had two further hit singles together – "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack".[1]
On 1 January 1962, the Beatles were auditioned at Decca by Meehan, performing a selection of covers they had performed in various clubs over the years, interspersed with three Lennon–McCartney originals. The Beatles later found out that their manager Brian Epstein had paid Meehan to produce the recordings made that day in order for the Beatles to retain ownership of the tapes. Decca rejected the Beatles choosing the Tremeloes, who auditioned the same day as the Beatles. After talks with Epstein, Decca did arrange for Meehan to produce the Beatles at Decca if the Beatles manager agreed to cover the expenses of about £100. On 7 February 1962, Epstein met Meehan, who made condescending comments about the Beatles' audition. With the meeting not going well and Epstein not impressed with Meehan, Epstein rejected the Decca offer.[2]
Meehan briefly played with the Shadows some years later when Brian Bennett was in hospital. He quit the music industry in the 1990s for a major career change as a psychologist, as a result of a lifelong hobby/interest. He worked in London at a local college lecturing in psychology until his death. He was a regular churchgoer at his local Roman Catholic church in Maida Vale.[citation needed]
On 29 November 2005, BBC News quoted Bruce Welch as saying that Meehan had died the previous day, as a result of head injuries, following a fall down the main staircase at his London flat in Maida Vale.[1] Meehan died at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.[3]
As the drummer with the Shadows, Tony Meehan helped to lay the foundations for British rock’n’roll, both backing Cliff Richard and on a long string of instrumental hits recorded under the group's own name. John Lennon once claimed that before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music. As the first backing band to emerge as stars in their own right, they were early trailblazers for the beat-group boom that eclipsed them. – Shadows drummer who became an A&R man for Decca – The Times (Obituaries), 30 November 2005.
At his death, Meehan had been twice married and had seven children.
Driftin' with Cliff Richard, by J. Harris, R. Ellis and C. Richard
The Shadows by Themselves by Royston Ellis with The Shadows. Consul Books. 1961. No ISBN.
The Story of the Shadows by Mike Read. 1983. Elm Tree books. ISBN0-241-10861-6
That Sound (From Move It On, The Story of the Magic Sound of The Shadows), by R. Pistolesi, M. Addey and M. Mazzini. Publ: Vanni Lisanti. June 2000. No ISBN.
The Complete Rock Family Rock Trees, by Pete Frame. Omnibus. ISBN0-7119-6879-9
