James Harry McShane (23 May 1957 – 29 March 1995) was a singer from Northern Ireland, best known as the front-man of Italian band

Baltimora Baltimora was an Italian music project from Milan, active from 1984 to 1987. They are best known for their 1985 single " Tarzan Boy" and are often considered a one-hit wonder in the United Kingdom and the United States. In other European countri ...

, with the hit song "

Tarzan Boy "Tarzan Boy" is the debut single by Italian-based act Baltimora. The song was written by Maurizio Bassi and Naimy Hackett, and released in 1985 as the lead single from Baltimora's debut album '' Living in the Background''. The song was re-rec ...

History

McShane was born in

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 ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

. Hired as a stage dancer and backing singer, he soon went around Europe with

Dee D. Jackson Dee D. Jackson (born Deirdre Elaine Cozier, 15 July 1954, Oxford, England) is an English singer and musician. In the 1970s, she worked as a film producer in Munich, Germany, before moving into music, working with Giorgio Moroder, Jimmy McShane ...

and her band. During a visit to Italy with the band, McShane was attracted to the country's underground dance scene, which led to his settling in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

in 1984. He told

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

'' in 1986 that he fell in love with Italy from that moment. He also learned to speak

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and acquired Italian citizenship. He made his debut playing in small clubs in his hometown without success. In view of this, McShane decided to work as an

Emergency Medical Technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...

for the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

until he met Italian record producer & keyboardist Maurizio Bassi, with whom he created

. The act found success with its most popular single, "

", released in 1985. In America, he was overwhelmed with the success of "Tarzan Boy". Some sources state lead vocals were performed by Maurizio Bassi, the group's keyboardist, with McShane actually providing the backing vocals. This still remains uncertain, and McShane lip synced while appearing in the "Tarzan Boy" music video, and not Bassi.

Illness and death

McShane was diagnosed with

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

in Milan during 1994. A few months later he returned to Northern Ireland to spend his final year, and died in his native Derry on 29 March 1995 at the age of 37. A family spokesman issued the following statement after his death: "He faced his illness with courage and died with great dignity." In the centre of Derry, a commemorative plaque was bestowed upon the grave of McShane and his father, who had died three years prior.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McShane, Jimmy 1957 births 1995 deaths Gay singers Gay musicians from Northern Ireland LGBT singers from Northern Ireland AIDS-related deaths in Northern Ireland 20th-century male singers from Northern Ireland Musicians from Derry (city) British emigrants to Italy British Italo disco musicians 20th-century LGBT people