Top Country Music Promoter In Ireland

Jimmy Johnston

WHEN Lisburn man Jimmy Johnston decided just over half-a-century ago that he would like to carve out a career in the music business, he was not quite prepared for the level of disbelief that his ambition would engender.

“People told me that I was off my head, that I should just concentrate on getting settled in a proper job,” chortles Jimmy.

Yet today Jimmy can not only look back on many years spent immersed in the Showband Boom but on his input as a Top-Flight Promoter spanning the past two decades.

It was as leader, musician and manager with the Jimmy Johnston Showband that this jovial  entrepreneur was to become part of Irish entertainment folklore.

“To have had a role in the showband era was really special for me,” recalls Jimmy, “When I formed my band, I thought we would maybe just play locally but before long we found ourselves heading to places like Killarney, Waterford, Cork and Galway and, do you know, we loved every minute of it. There was a wonderful camaraderie then – you would meet another band on a lonely road in the middle of the night and get out to have the craic. You weren’t too fussy when you got home!”

In tandem with Maurice Beckett, Jimmy shepherded his band up among the front runners and when singer Merve Allen recorded ‘My son calls another man daddy’ the outfit acquired further popularity.

“We played places like the Top Hat in Lisburn, Caproni’s in Bangor and the Strand in Portstewart and like all bands we thought we were God’s gift to music. We enjoyed ourselves, made a few bob and  loved the lifestyle but we knew it wasn’t going to last forever,” says Jimmy.

When the band put their instruments away for the last time, Jimmy embarked on a new phase of his career in the music industry – that of promoter.

And today he is regarded as the Top Country Music Promoter In Ireland as a whole, supervising an operation that caters for thousands of dancers every week-end.

“I have always been a believer that the dancing culture in Ireland would remain strong. Sure, the showbands had their day and then we had a Folk and Ballad boom for a while. But people just love to dance and they relish the opportunity of meeting friends and making new friends at dances. We tapped into this market and it has been a case of so far, so good,” explains Jimmy.

In the process, he has helped to spawn a new breed of Irish Stars. Instead of Dickie Rock, Brendan Bowyer, Eileen Reid and Joe Dolan strutting their stuff every week-end in places like Ballymena, Newry, Omagh, Moira, Moy and Coleraine, it’s Jimmy Buckley, Mike Denver, Declan Nerney, Robert Mizzell, Patrick Feeney, Gary Gamble, Kirean McGilligan, Shawn Cuddy, John McNicholl, and others who are wooing the crowds with their slick professionalism.

“There are some excellent Irish country bands who are drawing huge crowds on a regular basis. The demand to see them is quite unbelievable – it is not unusual for folk to travel upwards on 100 miles to a venue to dance to a particular band. The fact too that the venues are now comfortable, spacious and warm as opposed to the big, airy ballrooms we had in the old days adds to the appeal of dancing,” points out Jimmy.

And the quality of records being released, too, is a major factor, he feels, in underpinning the business. “Singers like Jimmy Buckley and Mike Denver are releasing material that would compare favourably with the best that American singers can offer, there’s no doubt about that. Also, there is a great consistency in the leve of performance that these bands offer – that certainly helps to sustain both them and the venues,” maintains Jimmy.

Even when the Troubles tended to blight social life in the North, Jimmy rigidly adhered to his policy of trying to bring the best artistes here. It was not all plain sailing, of course – in many instances, he shipped heavy financial losses while exercising patience as venues took time to become popular.

“Obviously the peace process is a wonderful boost for us all and with more and more people going out dancing, there is a great  feelgood factor prevalent. Nowhere is this more evident than at country dances where people of all creeds and classes mingle freely united by their love of country music,” asserts Jimmy.

And does he envisage that country dances will continue to be an integral part of social life here?

“Yes, I do,” he affirms, “But obviously it’s getting tougher – like most businesses, in fact. People have more recreational outlets nowadays, travel is more popular and many folk prefer to enjoy home entertainment. But I think there will always be a demand to enjoy good music and to make new friends – perhaps meet a new husband, wife or partner  - in a warm, friendly environment.”