Johnny
Logan (real name Sean Patrick Michael Sherrard) was born in
Frankston near Melbourne, Australia, on 13 May 1954 but lives
in Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland. His father was a very
well known Irish tenor, Patrick O'Hagen, who performed three
times at The White House, for John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson,
and Richard Nixon. The family moved back to Ireland when Johnny
was aged three. 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 folk and blues clubs.
His earliest claim to fame was starring as Adam in the 1977
Irish musical "Adam and Eve".
Johnny
Logan has helped to win the Eurovision Song Contest three
times for Ireland. "What's Another Year?", composed
by Shay Healy and sung by Johnny, won in the Netherlands in
1980; "Hold Me Now", which he both wrote and sang,
won in 1987 in Brussels; and in 1992 in Sweden he was the
composer of the winning song "Why Me?", sung by
Linda Martin.
It
could very easily have been four wins, as an earlier collaboration
with Linda Martin, "Terminal 3" - which he admitted
had been so named because he happened to be sitting in Terminal
3 of Heathrow Airport when he wrote it - had finished runner-up
to the winning Swedish song "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley"
in 1984.
As
it is, 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. [1]
He
is sometimes referred to as "Mister Eurovision"
by fans of the contest and the media at large. "Hold
Me Now" has been adopted by fans of Bohemian FC as their
very own "You'll Never Walk Alone" and is sung primarily
at away games.
"Hold
Me Now" was voted as the 3rd most popular song in Eurovision
history at the 50th anniversary concert in Copenhagen, Denmark
in October 2005. "What's Another Year?" was also
nominated amongst the 14 finalists. It has sold over 3 million
copies. "Hold Me Now" is also a million-seller.
Throughout
his career, which spans four decades, Logan has issued no
less than 40 singles and 19 albums. He has continued his love
of participating in the musical, having toured Norway with
Which Witch, an operamusical originating in that country.
Other
than the Eurovision songs, well-known numbers performed and
recorded by Johnny Logan include:
"Stay"
(also composed by him)
"When Your Woman Cries" (Bugatti/Musker)
"Heartbroken Man" (composed by him with Trevor Knight)
"Living a Lie" (composed by him with Shay Healy)
"Such a Lady" (also composed by him)
His performing and songwriting career continues. He is also
featured on the new advertisement for McDonald's Eurosaver
menu in his native Ireland, as well as having provided the
song "A State of Happiness", used in the advertising
campaign for Center Parcs, The Netherlands in 2006.
He
has a medical condition where he is unable to raise his arms
above his head.
