Jimmy McShane

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Jimmy McShane
Jimmy McShane Baltimora Promotional Photo 1987.jpg
Frontman Jimmy McShane of Baltimora
Background information
Born (1957-05-23)23 May 1957
Origin Derry, Northern Ireland
Died 29 March 1995(1995-03-29) (aged 37)
Derry, Northern Ireland
Genres New wave, synthpop, dance, Italo disco
Years active 1984–1995
Labels EMI Italiana
Associated acts Carrara, Baltimora

James "Jimmy" McShane (23 May 1957 – 29 March 1995) was a Northern Irish singer, known as the front-man of Italian band Baltimora.


McShane was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. He learned at a young age to play bass and guitar, and showed talent for dancing at seven years old. Later as a young man in the late seventies, McShane left Northern Ireland to study at a stage school in London, where he learned to dance, sing and recite.

Hired as a stage dancer and backing singer, McShane soon went around Europe with Dee D. Jackson and her band. During a visit to Italy with the band, McShane was attracted to the country's underground dance scene, which led to him settling in Milan in 1984.[1] He told Dick Clark on American Bandstand in 1986 that he fell in love with Italy from that moment. He also learned the Italian language.[2]

He made his debut playing in small clubs in his hometown and was presented to various audiences, without success. In view of his low artistic success, McShane decided to work as an emergency medical technician for the Red Cross in Ireland until he met Bassi with whom he created Baltimora. The band found success with its most popular single, Tarzan Boy, 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 Jimmy actually providing the backing vocals. This still remains uncertain, but would include lead vocals on their biggest hit Tarzan Boy, despite the fact that McShane lip synched while appearing in the Tarzan Boy music video, and not Bassi.[3][4] Both the music and the lyrics of Baltimora were written mostly by Bassi and Naimy Hackett, though McShane wrote the lyrics to some of their songs, such as the single Survivor in Love.

However, their inability to provide a successful follow-up led Bassi to disband Baltimora. This drove McShane away from the music scene.

Illness and death[edit]

McShane was diagnosed with AIDS in Milan during 1994.[5] 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, McShane and his father received a commemorative plaque.[6]


  1. ^ Knocking on Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries – Nick Talevski. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 2012-06-23. 
  2. ^ "Dick Clark Interviews – American Bandstand 1986". YouTube. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 2012-06-23. 
  3. ^ "One Hit Wonder Baltimora: Tarzan Boy" (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. Retrieved 2010-12-04. 
  4. ^ See "Epilogue" section. euro-flash.com, 2004.
  5. ^ Knocking on Heaven's Door: Rock Obituaries - Nick Talevski - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-23. 
  6. ^ Jimmy McShane death notice