Johnny Logan

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST WINNER - TWICE !

Johnny Logan leapt into the international spotlight with a hands-down victory for Ireland in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest, after which his winning song, What’s Another Year?, quickly shot to number one in the UK chart, and sold three million copies.
At the time, many people assumed that he was Irish, but in fact he was born in Frankstown, near Melbourne, Australia, 13th May 1954.

A MUSICAL FAMILY
His real name is Sean Patrick Michael Sherrard, and his father, the renowned Irish Tenor, Patrick O’Hagen, once sang for President Kennedy in the White House.   

The family moved to Ireland when Johnny was aged three, and by the time he was thirteen, he had learned to play guitar, and was writing songs. One of his earliest musical influences was The Dubliners, an immensely popular Irish traditional band.

1977- MALE TITLE ROLE

After working as an apprentice electrician, and performing in folk and blues clubs for a time, in 1977 he successfully auditioned for the male title role in the Irish musical, Adam and Eve.   

1979 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
Two years later, he wrote a song that came third in the National Song Contest.

1980 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
The composer Shay Healy heard his song and asked Logan to sing his What’s Another Year? in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest.

TOURING

After his sensational win, Logan suffered the burdens that success often brings.
Different management and record companies argued over his services and he worked himself into the ground for a year and a half, touring constantly, before taking six months off to re-charge his batteries.

1984 and 1987 EUROVISION SONG CONTESTS

In 1984, he wrote the runner-up in the Eurovision Song Contest, Terminal 3 sung by Linda Martin and in 1987 Johnny made a triumphant personal comeback to the competition when he won for the second time, (no one else had ever won it twice as a performer).
He sang his own composition, Hold Me Now, which also rose to number two in the UK chart.

ROYAL VARIETY PEFORMANCE

In the same year, he was in the best-sellers again with I’m Not In Love, and also appeared in The Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.

1992 - SOLO ALBUM

In 1992, Logan completed a hat trick of European successes when he wrote Linda Martin’s winning song for Ireland, Why Me?
He also released a new solo-album Endless Emotion.   

OPERAS and MUSICALS

In the following year, he toured Norway in a concert version of  Which Witch.
This Operamusical originally emanated from that country, but had flopped in the West End of London in late 1992.
Logan played the leading role of Catholic Bishop Daniel in what turned out to be an immensely successful enterprise.
Most of the performances were held at suitable outdoor places, such as historical buildings and sites, culminating in two concerts underneath the giant Holmenkollen ski slope in Oslo, which attracted more than 20,000 people.

THE VATICAN

Since then, Logan has continued to sing all over the world, and has even performed to an appreciative audience in the Vatican in Rome.

1996 ONWARDS - NEW ALBUMS

In 1996, Johnny finally released a new album, Reach Out. One of his strongest albums ever!

Johnny recently released a new album called Love Is All.
Jack White produced the album and included Johnny’s own version of the old classic McCartney song Silly Love Songs as well as a new dance-version of Johnny’s breakthrough song from 1980, What’s Another Year?

(Some Information Taken From ‘The Best Of J.L’ Inlay, Written By John Martland)