Derry music legend Johnny Quigley turns 90

Amongst a sea of adoring family, Derry music legend, Johnny Quigley, sits in the sun enjoying his fry, shades on, and not looking a day over 75. He shakes my hand as I'm offered copious amounts of tea and food from his children. 

The family are well underway with their preparations for Johnny's 90th birthday party this Friday ahead of his birthday on Saturday. Family and friends are slowly but surely arriving from near and far this week to celebrate Johnny and the incredible life he continues to lead.

Presents and cards arrive as I sit with him; messages of love and well wishes from the other side of the Atlantic. His home is filled not only with love- and that morning, the glorious smell of fresh sausage baps- but photographs spanning a lifetime and before.

His mother and father are poised on the fireplace as a sibling snapshot captures his mother surrounded by Johnny and his siblings. His beautiful late wife Atlantica, the first of her name, who sadly passed away in 2005, smiles graciously next to his sax as music memorabilia fills the room. 

Johnny and his beloved wife Atlantica

Johnny only retired ten years ago at 80 years old after he admitted to me, he "just doesn't have the energy for the sax and the voice isn't as strong." His retirement didn't come before gracing the music scene all over the world for more than 60 years.

Johnny and his bands toured Ireland and the UK. With the bars and lounges closing for Lent, they travelled to Scotland to play and were the first Irish band to perform at the Edinburgh Festival. 

In the 1960s, they toured America playing in cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Virginia and San Francisco. They even travelled as far as South Africa, "We played all over the place, all over the world," Johnny explains. "I can't remember them all now, there were so many different gigs, we just loved playing our music to make a few bob."

Johnny started out by gracing Derry's bars and lounges at the tender age of 10 in the 1940s with his siblings, first cousin and other good friends in the concert and marching band. Ever since an old clarinet was placed into his hands at St Columb's, Johnny had found his calling. 

Johnny graced the music scene for six decades 

Johnny took a break from music at 13 to be a teenager. It was not to last. It only took less than a year and he was once again besotted with music. The hiatus ended after Johnny heard saxophonist Bill Ball at the Derry West End Hall. 

"I heard Bill play the saxophone and I knew I wanted to learn how to play. There was one for sale in the window of Phillip's on Shipquay Street and my parents, bless them, they went into all sorts of debt to buy me it, they were always making sacrifices for us kids," Johnny said. "I was working at the bakery at the time but I was coming home and practicing every night." 

Johnny was one of 12 children and reminisces fondly of his "genius" mother who he explains never saw any of the family go without despite being a one income household and his father earning £5 a week at the time.

Johnny managed to perfect the sax and soon began picking up gigs at parties and at the West End Hall before starting his own band, The Johnny Quigley Casino All-Stars, later becoming The Johnny Quigley Showband.  

The line-up of Johnny’s first band included Leonora Fiorentini on piano, Liam Griffiths on drums, Dennis Fisher on trombone, Johnny Quigley singing vocals, Mike Quigley tenor and baritone sax and vocals, Edmund Quigley on alto sax and bass, Joe Quigley on trumpet and vocals with Johnny on tenor sax and clarinet. 

Neil Gill from Letterkenny was the band’s first manager then Johnny’s brother-in-law later returned from America and took over management.  

Quigley’s band quickly became a fan favourite in Ireland. People travelled from all over to hear them play on Derry's music scene, "This was at a time when there were 32 proffessional bands in Derry, large bands," continued Johnny. "That's a lot for this small place."

Johnny's eldest son, Joe, added: "This was also a time where bands and people were filling the bars, the Derry streets were filled with good music. Meanwhile the place was basically up in flames. It was a crazy time."

Johnny with his sons Joe and Gary

The group packed capacity crowds into venues such as Derry's Guildhall and Belfast's Orpheus and Floral Hall as well as ballrooms in Dublin, Waterford, Tralee, Limerick and Galway. They achieved incredible touring success, however, the Johnny Quigley All-Stars never released a record.  

Over the years, some incredible musicians accompanied the much loved Derry band. The likes of drummer Tommy McMenamin, who Johnny tells me was also a great drawer. He shows me a portrait Tommy drew of Johnny and the resemblance is uncanny. 

The late great Gay McIntyre also played alongside the band on occasion. Gay was a very close friend of Johnny's, who, you can see from the sudden rush of emotion on his face, he dearly misses. "Gay was such a talent, he was fantastic. When I first heard him play, I was amazed. He was a great man and a great musician. His son now plays and he has definitely got the musical genes."

Johnny's seven children are also all involved in the music scene in some way as Johnny adds, "Music is in their blood, they all have their own amazing talent and skill." Johnny continued to play with his children until he was in his 70s in a family band, a time he remembers fondly.                                                    

It was in the 1960s, with his wife at home with their seven children that Johnny Quigley made the decision to stop touring. They decided to open a small family-run hotel on Derry’s Foyle Street, "It was a 12 room hotel," Johnny continues, "There was a bar and a lounge. It's now a Chinese would you believe?"

The family later sold the hotel and opened up another bar and lounge in Bridgend which now stands as a casino. His sons Joe and John have fond memories of both lounges being filled with guests and good music.

After taking his band off the road, Johnny also spent the next twenty years as a teacher for the Western Education and Library Board, "I enjoyed it. It was worth it when you had a child who wanted to learn. That was great but not all the kids were interested in playing." 

Johnny now resides in his home with his sister visiting from the USA for three months of the year. The home is never empty with visits from his children and many grandchildren. 

Johnny's children continue his legacy as they still fill the Derry nightlife with their music, mostly their love of Jazz. Johnny added; "I still go out and watch them all. We are a very musical family and music never leaves you."

Johnny's sax sits beside him with a small sheet over it, not often played, but with a lifetime of memories on its keys.