Baltimora

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Biography

Baltimora were an Italy|Italian New Wave music|New Wave dance outfit active in the mid to late 1980s. The group comprised Jimmy McShane (frontman/vocals), Maurizio Bassi ( Keyboard instrument|keyboards , vocals ), Giorgio Cocilovo (lead guitar), Claudio Bazzari (rhythm guitar), Pier Michelatti ( bass guitar ) and Gabriele Melotti ( Drum kit|drums ). They are best known for their 1985 hit single " Tarzan Boy ".

Jimmy McShane of Derry|Londonderry , Northern Ireland , was the frontman of the group. Some sources state lead vocals were performed by Maurizio Bassi (with Jimmy actually providing the backing vocals), including lead vocals on their biggest hit "Tarzan Boy" despite the fact that McShane lip synched while appearing in the "Tarzan Boy" music video and not Bassi, who was also the group's keyboardist although this still remains uncertain.One Hit Wonder Baltimora: Tarzan Boy"> euro-flash.com, 2004. Both the music and the lyrics of Baltimora were written mostly by Bassi and Naimy Hackett, though McShane wrote the lyrics to some of their songs, such as the single "Survivor in Love".

Baltimora are often considered a one-hit wonder in the United Kingdom and the United States due to the success they experienced with "Tarzan Boy" compared to their other singles. In other European countries such as Italy , the group had more success.

History

Early years

In early 1984, Maurizio Bassi, a music producer and musician from Italy, was looking for a new art project. He met Jimmy McShane, an emergency medical technician (EMT) who worked for the Red Cross in Ireland.

McShane proposed the project and recorded some voices in order to be the visual leader of the group, due to his emaciated appearance and his talent as a dancer. McShane was characterized by extravagant and loose clothing, and all the group members appeared on stage with various hairstyles and wearing large red-rimmed glasses.

Bassi also recruited other musicians to record songs that would eventually appear on both Baltimora albums Living in the Background (album)|Living in the Background and Survivor in Love .

Success with "Tarzan Boy"

" Tarzan Boy ", released in the summer of 1985, was a huge success, peaking at No.6 on the Italian single chart as well as entering the top-5 in numerous European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Norway. Soon afterwards Baltimora found similar success in the United Kingdom with "Tarzan Boy", where it reached No.3 in August 1985. However, it took a while for the single to enter the Hot 100 single chart in the United States (where it was released on EMI ), it remained on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six months ultimately peaking at No.13 in the early spring of 1986. Baltimora performed on the American TV show Solid Gold (TV series)|Solid Gold , which helped further their success in America. The second single " Woody Boogie ", which also gained notable success, entered the top-20 in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.

Baltimora's first album, Living in the Background (album)|Living in the Background , was released in Europe at the end of 1985, and was released in United States in 1986. Despite the enormous success that Baltimora achieved with the single "Tarzan Boy", Living in the Background only charted moderately entering the Top-20 album charts in only a few countries in Europe including Sweden. The album managed to reach only the position No.49 in US.

Baltimora attempted a comeback in 1987 with a second album, Survivor in Love , but the single " Key Key Karimba " was the only notable track that managed to enter the Top 100 charts in only a few countries.

Break-up and aftermath

After the release of Survivor in Love , with no label support of a follow up album and due to its poor success, Bassi decided it was time to move onto other projects, and Baltimora disbanded.

The single "Tarzan Boy" bounced back into the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1993 as a remix , climbing to No.51, at the time of its appearance in a Listerine commercial. The song was also featured in the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) and Beverly Hills Ninja (1997).

Jimmy McShane

James McShane was born on 23 May 1957, in Derry, Northern Ireland. He learned at a young age to play bass and guitar, and showed talent for dancing. He made his début playing in small clubs in his hometown and was presented to various audiences, without success. In view of his low artistic success, McShane decided to work as an emergency medical technician for the Red Cross in Northern Ireland until he met Bassi with whom he created Baltimora.

In America, he was overwhelmed with the success of "Tarzan Boy", however their inability to provide a successful follow-up led to Bassi to disband Baltimora. This drove McShane away from the music scene. In 1984 he settled in Milan, where years later he was diagnosed with AIDS . A few months later he returned to Northern Ireland, where he decided to spend the last years of his life. He died in his native Derry on 29 March 1995 at the age of 37. A family spokesman issued the following statement after his death: "He faced his illness with courage and died with great dignity." In the centre of Derry, McShane and his father received a commemorative plaque.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Chart positions			sales thresholds )
Year	Album details	SWE	CAN Peak positions for Canada: For "Living in the Background" :	US	sales thresholds )
1985	Living in the Background Released: 4 September 1985 Label: EMI Format: Compact Cassette\|CS , CD , LP album\|LP	18	49	49	Music Canada\|CAN : Gold
1987	Survivor in Love Released: 1987 Label: EMI Format: CD, LP	—	—	—
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Compilation albums

Year	Album details
url=http:/ / www.emimusic.de/ produkt/ 3253892,5099994849325/ baltimora-tarzan_boy_the_world_of_baltimora#1 Release date: 26 November 2010 Label: EMI Format: CD, Music download

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions										Certifications ( List of music recording sales certifications	Album
Year	Single	ITA cite web	AUT cite web	CAN Peak positions for Canada: For "Tarzan Boy" : For "Living in the Background" :	FRA cite web	GER	NDL cite web	SWE cite web	SWI cite web	UK	U.S.		Album
1985	" Tarzan Boy "	6	2	5	1	3	1	2	4	3	13	align=left Canadian Recording Industry Association\|CAN : Gold Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique\|FRA : Gold British Phonographic Industry\|UK : Silver	Living in The Background
	" Woody Boogie "	23	—	—	—	20	32	4	15	—	—	align=left
	Living in the Background "	—	—	96	—	—	—	—	—	—	87	align=left
1986	" Juke Box Boy "	12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	align=left
1987	" Key Key Karimba "	37	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	align=left	Survivor in Love
1987	"Global Love" (with Linda Wesley)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	align=left
1988	"Call Me in the Heart of the Night"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	align=left

Copyright Citations

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1. Tight Fit 2. 1995

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