Johnny Logan (singer)

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For other persons of the same name, see John Logan.

Johnny Logan (real name Seán Patrick Michael Sherrard) is an Irish singer and composer.

He 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 learned 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 Witch Which, 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.