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All of 45 years have flown by since a young John Glenn took over one of the biggest jobs in Irish country music in 1975. Big Tom had just departed the legendary Mainliners to front a new band, The Travellers.
Speculation was rife as to who would secure the replacement lead singer with The Mainliners and when the news emerged that it was a young lad in his 20s from nearby Crossmaglen, it made national news in The Evening Press and The Evening Herald.
Val Joyce from RTÉ was among the first to play Sunnyside of the Mountain, the debut single from John Glenn and The Mainliners. It raced up the Irish charts, peaking at number five, and spending 13 weeks in the top 20. John Glenn (whose real name is Hanratty) had, in the space of a few weeks, been catapulted to country stardom in Ireland.
A few years earlier, John joined his first local band. “We called ourselves The Four Tracks and the other three were brothers PJ and Mickey Reilly from Annalitten near Castleblayney and Johnny Comiskey from my home area of Crossmaglen.
“After that I joined The Gamblers and we played as a relief band to many of the big bands of the era in places like the Nuremore in Carrickmacross, the Embassy in Castleblayney, the Pavilion in Blackrock (Louth), the Astoria in Bundoran and many other places. We also did the regular dinner dances which were very popular in those times.
Our first trip abroad was a weekend in Glasgow
“I was known as JJ when I fronted The Revivals which was a six-piece band and we did a lot of work over in Donegal. Our manager was Petie Lynch, a brother of bandleader Maurice Lynch from Castleblayney.
“Our first trip abroad was a weekend in Glasgow and we later did 10 nights in England which was a huge novelty for young lads from our area back then,” reflects John.
New venture
Soon, things would take a dramatic turn for the man from Crossmaglen. He had not gone unnoticed by some shrewd observers around ‘Blayney and Paddy McMahon, a brother of Henry and Seamus of The Mainliners, recommended John for the top job after Big Tom departed for his own new band.
“Henry came looking for me one evening. He said they were looking for a new singer and that his brother Paddy, God rest him, had said ‘get that young Hanratty over in Crossmaglen, he suits ye’re style’.
The lads liked what they heard and I was given the job there and then
“I did the audition after Big Tom and the band had concluded a gig in The Maple in Rockcorry on an Easter Monday night. Earlier I was singing with Fintan Callan over in a pub in Crossmaglen. I did three songs and the only one I can recall is Wagon Load of Love which I later recorded with The Mainliners.
“The lads liked what they heard and I was given the job there and then. It was Big Tom who suggested the stage name of John Glenn, maybe because I was from Crossmaglen and because it was a well known name on account of the famous American astronaut of that time.”
The weeks that followed were remarkable for John as he married Yvonne O’Rourke from nearby Newtownhamilton on 3 May 1975, and launched his career with The Mainliners a few days later down in Bunclody.
The long journey down to Bunclody and the response from the dancers was magic
“All of that happened in the same week so it was just a whirlwind of excitement around the area.
“The long journey down to Bunclody and the response from the dancers was magic and we got the same reaction the following night at Annaghdown Carnival in Galway. The Mainliners beat was the exact same as Henry and Seamus (McMahon), John Beattie, Ronnie Duffy, Ginger McMahon and Cyril McKevitt were still all on stage. The dates came one after another with Dundrum, Carrickmore and Newcastle West next in line.
“The following week saw us play Ballykelly, Nenagh, Ballybofey, Camross, the Nuremore in Carrickmacross, and Castlerea. I still remember how people were unable to get into the Nuremore in Carrickmacross, such was the excitement at the time. Sunnyside of the Mountain was blazing a new trail for us.”
Going global
Three years and four albums later, John and The Mainliners parted company in 1978 and he fronted a new band, The Wranglers. Tony Loughman from ‘Blayney, who at the time managed several bands as well as running a chain of dancehalls, took over the diary.
“We played dates all over Ireland as well as tours in England and Scotland. We also went to New York, Boston and Philadelphia for three years in a row in the 1980s. Mayo man, Tom Brogan, who ran the Archway Tavern in Jerome Ave, The Bronx, was our main contact over there.
We did regular shows in England with people like Jimmy Heneghan from Mayo
“When the big slump in the halls came in the mid to late 1980s, I cut back and for a good many years we were a four piece with Harry Conlon, Thomas Kernan and Cha Lynch. We did regular shows in England with people like Jimmy Heneghan from Mayo who ran the Lord Nelson in London as well as doing some gigs in Scotland.
“Pat and Wendy Leonard signed me up for their record label in Glasgow and helped out a lot with promotion. Pat is a native of Limerick.”
The life and times of John Glenn has been inextricably intertwined with Big Tom over the decades. “Big Tom was my idol as a young fella before I joined any group. He was the ultimate legend. When Tom died I was approached some weeks later and asked to consider fronting The Mainliners for a select number of dates.
We also have a brand new album ready for release when things settle down after the coronavirus
“Henry McMahon and Kevin McCooey arranged some dates and I went back with The Mainliners for the first time in 40 years in July 2018. We recorded Roses In The Snow which found great favour with country followers. We also have a brand new album ready for release when things settle down after the coronavirus. It was recorded and produced by Dessie Sheerin at Shed Studios in Westmeath.”
Among John’s influences from the American country scene are Merle Haggard, Stonewall Jackson, Porter Wagoner, Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Tom T Hall, Charley Pride and Don Williams. “My heart has always been in traditional country music. It is what I love and do best.”
The response has been amazing
John has been doing Facebook Live performance in recent weeks. “The response has been amazing. It’s all new to me. My daughter Niamh (John and Yvonne have a family of four, two daughters and two sons) is my engineer and producer and she is enjoying it all.”
But, like all the other singers and musicians, he can’t wait to get back on the road again. “That is where we all want to be and, please God, the scene will return and flourish again sooner than many expect.” And so say all of us!
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