‘I thought his name was Paddy Ceoil’- tribute
Paddy Cole embodied the heydays of Irish showbusiness and the big band era. Millions witnessed the supreme saxophonist perform, either in his thrilling live shows or frequent radio and television appearances over his illustrious career spanning more than 70 years. He celebrated his 85th birthday on December 17 last.
A native of Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, Cole, was introduced to the music business by his father, a postman who supplemented his wages by playing in local dance bands. First taking to the stage aged 12 years, by 15 he had joined his first band, touring with the Capitol, the first showband to play the BBC’s Sunday Night at the Palladium. The band also scored three number ones in a row between 1964 and 1965 with 'Down Came the Rain', 'Born to Be with You' and 'Walking the Streets in the Rain'.
Sax and clarinet player Gene Bannon knew Cole from the early '60s. He first set eyes on the “marvellous musician with a distinctive style of play” in the Embassy in Castleblayney. Soon after, he was hand-picked to be a member of the Capitol.
“This was the early '60s and I was playing with a local band in Monaghan, The Pat Campbell Band,” recalls the Cootehill musician who also played with The Times showband, which recorded an album in Abbey Road studios using the same engineer as The Beatles. His involvement with Dusty Springfield’s band in the late '60s, with The Swarbriggs and also with a popular showband called The Millionaires is equally recognised.
‘He did it different’
“I played the same instruments as he played, but he did it different,” admits Gene.”[Cole had] played with Maurice Lynch's band, his father played with them in the '50s and Paddy came into the band, and worked with him until he was offered a job with the Capitol. They turned out to be an excellent band. The bandleader came from Galway, and they got groomed into a really fabulous outfit. Paddy joined and it's history from then on.”
Gene, who ran a pub in Cootehill and regularly plays with the Cavan Big Band, described Cole as “a lovely fella” who had a “great personality”.
He added: “I knew him very well. We'd be in constant contact. If it wasn't texts, it'd be conversations over the phone.”
News of Cole's death, despite his illness - lung cancer diagnosed in 2022 and for which he was receiving hospice care at the time of his death - still came as a shock.
“He was very gentle to everyone he'd meet, help anyone he could in the music business. He always kept ties. We played [in the Cavan Big Band], a few theatres as well. Paddy was Paddy. If you met him, you'd never forget him. Always pleasant with everybody. I never seen him in bad humour. Every way you couldn't beat Paddy.
“I'd a pub in Cootehill and he'd visit regularly for a jazz session we'd have on. Paddy'd drop in, maybe on his way up to 'Blayney for a visit passing through. He was a great character.”
For a time Cole owned a bar and restaurant in his hometown of Castleblayney with wife, Helen, but had resided in Dublin for many years. Locals will remember Cole for his support for the Joe Parker Trust Fund, set up in the '90s by Virginia Rugby Club in aid of an injured player; for his numerous performances with The Paddy Cole Superstars, which he set up after returning from playing in Las Vegas in the '70s with the legendary Big 8 - so good that even the 'King of Rock and Roll' Elvis himself came to watch.
Cole was awarded Showbiz Personality of the Year and, in 1998, the National Hall of Fame Award. He won a PPI award for his radio show every Sunday on Sunshine 106.8fm and, in 2019, the town of Castleblayney unveiled a mural in Cole's honour.
Daire O'Reilly, saxophone player and band leader with the Cavan Big Band, is proud to have had the opportunity to share a stage with Cole. Their playing days together goes back to the The Gathering in 2013 when there was a coming together of Reilly/O'Reilly clans, and Cole was booked to play.
“He was a huge influence on me as a kid. I remember thinking his name was 'Paddy Ceoil', the Irish for music. I took up the sax really because I saw this guy on TV playing.”
The pair also bonded over their love for American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader Louis Prima, known for voicing the orangutan 'King Louie' in the 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book. Daire tells how Cole, however, would often skip the post Big 8 show shenanigans in order to catch the end of Prima's performances at a venue nearby.
“You'd do anything to have that experience,” says Daire. “[Cole] had some incredible stories like that to tell.”
Cole would soon become a fond collaborator with Daire and the Cavan Big Band, playing a series of gigs around various theatres like the Ramor, as well as the Circus Tent at the Electric Picnic music and arts festival in Stradbally.
“The thing I remember most about him playing with us is he'd walk into a room and maybe meet someone he'd never met before, but make them feel as if they'd known each other years. He had that way about him, that old showband mentality of just making everyone feel included. He loved what he was at. And was always up for chats.”
Daire considers Cole's passing as very much the “end of an era”.
“He did the job pretty much to the end. I know he was sick for a few years but he was gigging right up to the end and loving every minute, out meeting people, being on stage. And he had his radio show on Sunshine FM, he loved that too. He was all about bringing music to people. The music he played was fun music too. It was about entertainment as well as good music. Jazz is a wide and varied genre, and Paddy tapped into the fun side of it. That's what I feel he'll be remembered most for.”
Live on
Cole's son Pat confirmed the music star died on Wednesday afternoon, January 22. In a statement, he said: 'Paddy’s legacy will live on through the music he created and the joy he shared with the world'.
Cole is survived by his wife Helen and three children, Pat, Pearse and Karen.
President Michael D. Higgins said what Cole did for music and for jazz “will be remembered across generations”. He noted that the significance of the showband era is perhaps one of the “insufficiently recognised” aspects of Irish music history.
“There are places that became famous because of the artists they produced. Castleblayney, always known as 'Blayney', is one such place for producing Paddy,” the president wrote.
Monaghan Sinn Féin TD, Matt Carthy said in his tribute said the renowned singer, saxophonist and clarinet player was a musical legend and proud Monaghan man.
“He will sadly be missed.”