Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard (born 13 May 1954), better known by his stage name Johnny Logan, is an Irish singer and composer. He is known as being the only performer to have won the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
twice, in
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
and
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
. He also composed the winning song in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
.
Logan first won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980, with the song "
What's Another Year
"What's Another Year" was Irish singer and composer Johnny Logan's first Eurovision Song Contest winning song, achieving success in the 1980 edition of the contest, as well as 's second Eurovision victory. Composed by Shay Healy (who also wr ...
" written by
Shay Healy
Shay Healy (29 March 1943 – 9 April 2021) was an Irish songwriter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for his role as host of ''Nighthawks'', a RTÉ Television chat show of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for composing "What's An ...
. In
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, Logan composed the song "
Terminal 3" which placed second at Eurovision, performed by
Linda Martin
Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...
. He won the contest for a second time in 1987 with "
Hold Me Now", which he also wrote himself. His third win came in 1992, as composer of Linda Martin's winning entry "
Why Me?".
Early life
Johnny Logan was born Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard on 13 May 1954 in
Frankston, near
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Logan's father, Charles Alphonsus Sherrard, was a
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
-born Irish
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
known by the artistic name
Patrick O'Hagan, and he was touring Australia at the time of Logan's birth.
The family moved back to Ireland when Logan was three years old. He learnt the guitar and began composing his own songs by the age of thirteen. On leaving school he apprenticed as an electrician, while performing in pubs and cabaret. His earliest claim to fame was starring as "Adam" in the 1977 Irish musical ''Adam and Eve'' and Joseph in ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' (often colloquially known as ''Joseph'') is a sung-through musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. Thi ...
''.
Career
1978–1986: First Eurovision win
Logan adopted the stage name Johnny Logan after the
main character
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the film ''
Johnny Guitar
''Johnny Guitar'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Ernest Borgnine and Scott Brady. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. The screen ...
'' and released his first single in 1978. He first attempted to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979, when he placed third in the Irish National Final with the song "Angie". Readers of ''
The Connaught Telegraph
''The Connaught Telegraph'' is a weekly local newspaper published in Castlebar, County Mayo in Ireland. The paper is in compact format (six columns), and published every Tuesday.
Frederick Cavendish founded ''The Connaught Telegraph'' or ''May ...
'' in Ireland voted Logan as Best New Male Artist.
In 1980, Logan again entered the Irish National selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the
Shay Healy
Shay Healy (29 March 1943 – 9 April 2021) was an Irish songwriter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for his role as host of ''Nighthawks'', a RTÉ Television chat show of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for composing "What's An ...
song "
What's Another Year
"What's Another Year" was Irish singer and composer Johnny Logan's first Eurovision Song Contest winning song, achieving success in the 1980 edition of the contest, as well as 's second Eurovision victory. Composed by Shay Healy (who also wr ...
", winning the Irish final on 9 March in Dublin. Representing Ireland in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, Logan won the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
on 19 April. The song became a hit all over Europe and reached number one in the UK.
"
In London" was released in June and "Save Me" shortly after. With confusion by radio stations over which to play, both singles flopped. Another single released in late 1980, a cover of a recent
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
song, "Give A Little Bit More" was a more concerted effort and although it narrowly missed the chart. Logan blames his lack of success in the UK on poor management and his inexperience.
In early 1983, Logan attempted a comeback in the UK with the song "Becoming Electric" with a new sound and image and promotional push, but the song failed to chart. In 1985, Logan released his third studio album ''Straight From The Heart'' which failed to chart.
He also collaborated on the chart topping charity single "
You'll Never Walk Alone
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and enco ...
" in aid of the
Bradford City Disaster Fund.
In 1986, Logan rebranded himself as ''Logan'' with the song "Stab in the Back", which also failed to chart.
1987–1991: Second Eurovision win
In 1987, Logan made another attempt at Eurovision and with his self-penned song, "
Hold Me Now", he represented Ireland at the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The song won the contest and Logan became the first person to win the contest twice. "Hold Me Now" became a major European hit and reached number two in the UK. Logan released a cover of the
10cc
10cc are an English rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The group featured t ...
song "
I'm Not in Love", produced by
Paul Hardcastle
Paul Louis Hardcastle (born 10 December 1957) is a British composer, musician, producer, songwriter, radio presenter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his song " 19", which went to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1985.
Early l ...
as a follow-up, and an album ''Hold Me Now''. In 1988, Logan released "Heartland" which became a hit in the Irish charts and from then on, concentrated on his career in Ireland and Europe.
In 1990, Logan recorded a country version of "
Miss You Nights
"Miss You Nights" is a song written by Dave Townsend and made famous worldwide by Cliff Richard. The song has been recorded by numerous other artists, most notably Westlife, who released it as the second track on a double A-side single in 2003 ...
" with
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
's backing band The Jordanaires.
He also wrote and sung the theme song Angels Don't Hide for the German television show Blue Blood.
1992–2000: Third Eurovision win
Having composed the Irish
Eurovision Song Contest 1984
The Eurovision Song Contest 1984, the 29th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, following the country's victory at the with the song "Si la vie est cadeau" by Corinne Hermes. Organised by t ...
entry for
Linda Martin
Linda Martin (born 27 March 1952) is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known as the winner of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest during which she represented Ireland with the song " Why Me?". She is also known within Irelan ...
, "
Terminal 3" (which finished in second place), Logan repeated the collaboration in
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
when he gave Martin another of his songs, "
Why Me Why Me or Why Me? may refer to:
Music
* Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song), "Why Me" (Kris Kristofferson song), 1973
* Why Me (Styx song), "Why Me" (Styx song), 1979
* Why Me? (Irene Cara song), "Why Me?" (Irene Cara song), 1983
* Why Me? (Linda Mart ...
". The song became the Irish entry at the finals in Sweden. The song took the title and cemented Logan as the most successful artist in Eurovision history with three wins.
["Eurovision Song Contest 1992"](_blank)
Eurovision Song Contest – Belgrade 2008.
Author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in his book ''The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History'' that Logan is the only lead singer to have sung two winning entries and one of only five authors/composers (all men) to have written/composed two winning songs.
On 16 April 1997 Logan left his handprints in concrete on the Walk of Fame in Rotterdam; The largest Star Boulevard in Europe.
2000–present: Recent career
Logan continues to perform and write songs. He is sometimes referred to as "Mister Eurovision" by fans of the contest and the media at large.
''The Baltics Today''. He has continued his love of participating in musical theatre, having toured Norway with ''Which Witch'', an opera-musical originating in that country.
In October 2005, "Hold Me Now" was voted as the third most popular song in Eurovision history at the 50th anniversary concert in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark. "What's Another Year" was also nominated amongst the 14 finalists. Logan has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. "Hold Me Now" is also a global million-seller.
Logan has continued to have success, particularly in the Scandinavian countries. His 2007 album, ''
The Irish Connection'' went platinum in Denmark, twice platinum in Norway and gold in Sweden.
In 2009 and 2010, he performed in the Celtic rock opera ''
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
'', and continued to do so in 2011.
Logan was one of the recording artists that appeared in the Irish TV series
''The Hit'' going against
Duke Special
Duke Special (born Peter Wilson; 4 January 1971) is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he was previously known for his distinctiv ...
. He shortlisted the song "
Prayin'" by Alan Earls and Jamie Wilson's "Rain" from the pitching rooms. He chose to release "
Prayin'" for the chart battle against Special who chose a song called "1969" by Aaron Hackett. Logan won the chart battle with his song charting at number three in the charts while Special's charted at number five. Logan returned for the final where he performed "Prayin" with the
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full-time professional radio orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestr ...
and was runner-up to
Finbar Furey
Finbar Furey (born 28 September 1946) is a multi-instrumental Irish folk musician, best known for his band of brothers, The Fureys. The Fureys were formed in Ballyfermot, Dublin, where they grew up.
Early life
Finbar Furey was born on 28 Septe ...
.
In popular culture
In 2002, he took part in the UK television quiz show ''
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hoste ...
'' as a team panelist in a Eurovision-special.
"Hold Me Now" has been adopted by fans of
Bohemian F.C.
Bohemian Football Club ( ga, an Cumann Peile Bóihéamach), more commonly referred to as Bohemians or Bohs, is a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland, and are the ...
(Bohemians) as their anthem and it is played in
Dalymount and sung with gusto at both home and away matches.
In 2007, Logan advertised
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
Eurosaver menu in Ireland. In 2007, he sang "A State of Happiness", advertising the Dutch
Center Parcs Center Parcs may refer to:
* Center Parcs UK and Ireland
Center Parcs UK and Ireland (formerly Center Parcs UK) is a short-break holiday company that operates six holiday villages in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, with each cover ...
.
In 2011, Logan received some publicity over comments perceived as an attack on
Jedward
John and Edward Grimes (born 16 October 1991), collectively known as Jedward (a portmanteau of their first names), are an Irish singing and television presenting duo. They are identical twins who first appeared as John & Edward in the sixth s ...
, that year's Irish Eurovision entry. When the identical twins appeared on ''
The Late Late Show'', presenter
Ryan Tubridy
Ryan Tubridy (born 28 May 1973), nicknamed 'Tubs
' is an Irish broadcaster. He presents ''The Ryan Tubridy Show'' and '' The Late Late Show''.
Tubridy previously presented RTÉ 2fm breakfast radio show ''The Full Irish'', which at its end was ...
asked them how they felt about Logan calling them "an embarrassment to Ireland". Logan later clarified those comments: "What I said was that I find them embarrassing to watch. It's like watching two
Frank Spencers in ''
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC1, created and written by Raymond Allen (scriptwriter), Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for two series, inc ...
''. It's like watching a train crash – you can't look away, but at the same time you don't want to see it".
["Johnny Logan on Jedward, Louis, burgers and Bertie"](_blank)
. Retrieved 12 May 2011. He subsequently refused an interview with RTÉ broadcaster
Derek Mooney
Derek James Mooney (born 4 March 1967) is an Irish radio and television presenter, as well as a radio producer. Until January 2015 he presented a weekday afternoon programme called ''Mooney'' on RTÉ Radio 1. He is the current executive producer ...
as, according to Mooney, "he thought we were going to stitch him up". Logan gave an interview to
Today FM
Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a lic ...
broadcaster
Ray D'Arcy
Raymond Michael D'Arcy (born 1 September 1964) is an Irish television and radio presenter currently on his second stint at state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). He once presented a self-titled weekday morning radio programme on th ...
instead.
On 16 December 2012, Logan appeared as musical guest on Romanian edition of ''
X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''.
In May 2012,
Anmary
Linda Dinsberga (née Amantova; born 3 March 1980), known by her stage name Anmary, is a Latvian singer of Russian origin who won the Latvian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Azerbaijan with the song "Beautiful Song".
...
, the
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
n representative to
2012 Eurovision Song Contest held in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
, Azerbaijan sang "
Beautiful Song
Latvia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Beautiful Song" written by Ivars Makstnieks and Rolans Ūdris. The song was performed by Anmary. The Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija (LTV) organised the national fin ...
" where, in the opening lyrics, she sings: "I was born in distant 1980 / The year that Irish Johnny Logan won / Thirty years or more, they still remember / So dream away, today's the day I'm singing my song" referring to Logan's 1980 Eurovision win "What's Another Year".
In 2020, ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' revealed a movie about the life and career of Logan was in the works - called ''Mr Eurovision''.
Logan performed "What's Another Year" during the ''
Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light'' programme, held on 16 May 2020 as a replacement for the cancelled
Eurovision Song Contest 2020
The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...
. He performed the song with the programme's presenters
Chantal Janzen
Chantal Janzen (; born 15 February 1979) is a Dutch actress, singer and TV presenter. She had parts in '' The Preacher'', ''Full Moon Party'' and '' Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo'' and presented '' Idols''.
She also played Belle in the Dutch mu ...
,
Edsilia Rombley
Edsilia Francisca Rombley (born 13 February 1978) is a Dutch singer and television presenter. She began her career in 1995, as a member of the Dutch girl group Dignity. Rombley began her solo career in 1996, after winning the Dutch talent show ''S ...
and
Jan Smit, alongside a choir of Eurovision fans.
In June of 2021 Logan released a new single "Just one look" with Finnish singer Jannike.
In 2022, he was a contestant in the second season of ''
The Masked Singer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' in Belgium, as 'the red deer'.
Personal life
Logan lives in
Ashbourne, County Meath
Ashbourne, historically called ''Killeglan'' or ''Kildeglan'' (), is a town in County Meath, Ireland. Located about 20 km north of Dublin and close to the M2 motorway, Ashbourne is a commuter town within Greater Dublin. In the 20 years be ...
, Ireland with his wife, Ailis and their three children, Adam, Fionn and Jack. He also has a daughter, Robyn (born in 1988) with
Turkish dancer and actress Burçin Orhon.
He rarely gives media interviews, claiming to have been frequently misquoted.
Discography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Logan, Johnny
1954 births
Living people
Irish pop singers
Irish male singers
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Ireland
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1980
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1987
Eurovision Song Contest winners
Singers from Melbourne
Australian folk-pop singers
Australian emigrants to Ireland
Australian people of Irish descent