Jim McCarty

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For the guitarist, see Jim McCarty (guitarist).

Jim McCarty
McCarty c. early 1966
McCarty c. early 1966
Background information
Birth nameJames Stanley McCarty
Born (1943-07-25) 25 July 1943 (age 82)
Walton, Liverpool, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Drums
  • vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active1960s–present
Member ofThe Yardbirds
Formerly of

James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943)[1] is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance.[2] McCarty has performed and recorded as a drummer and occasional singer with the Yardbirds, Together, Renaissance, Shoot[3], Illusion, Box of Frogs, the British Invasion All-Stars, and Pilgrim. He was also a keyboardist for Stairway and, under his own name, a guitarist in the Jim McCarty Band.[1][4][5][6]

Since 1992 he has been playing with the reformed Yardbirds.[5] Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only founding member to still tour in the band.[7] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds.[8] McCarty has released three solo albums : Out of the Dark (1994), Sitting on the Top of Time (2009), and Walking in the Wild Land (2018) as well as two books.[9][10][6]

McCarty has contributed to four Yardbird books: Yardbirds (1983. ISBN 0-283-98982-3) / Yardbirds : The Ultimate Rave-Up (1997. ISBN 0-9648157-8-8) / The Yardbirds (2002. ISBN 0-87930-724-2) / Nobody Told Me: My Life with the Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories (2018. ISBN 0244966508).[5][9]

Personal life

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James Stanley McCarty was born at Walton Hospital in Liverpool, England,[1] but his family moved to Teddington, London when he was two years old.[11] He attended Hampton School in Hampton where Paul Samwell-Smith was a fellow pupil. The first record McCarty bought was either "Bad Penny Blues" by Humphrey Lyttelton or "Born Too Late" by The Poni-Tails.[5]

When playing with the early Yardbirds, he worked as a clerk for the stockbroking firm Phillips & Drew in the City of London.[12][13][14] McCarty admited that addiction to LSD in the 1960s messed with his mental health.[5] McCarty's wife, Elisabeth, died from cancer on 7 June 2020,[15] which got McCarty interested in Mediumship.[16][17] McCarty released a book, She Walks In Beauty, which his wife suggested him to do just before her death.[18][19][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1550. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography: Jim McCarty". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  3. ^ "FEATURE: Ex-Yardbirds drummer McCarty on the Shoot story ..." Singsong Music Marketing. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Interview with JIM McCARTY (THE YARDBIRDS) – Part 1". DMME.net. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e Cooper, Kevin. "INTERVIEW: Jim McCarty | Welcome to UK Music Reviews". Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Albums ‹ Jim McCarty, The Yardbirds and Renaissance". www.jamesmccarty.com. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  7. ^ Howie, Guy (7 July 2024). "Every musician who was ever in The Yardbirds". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  8. ^ "The Yardbirds". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  9. ^ a b petefeenstra. "Book review: JIM McCARTY with DAVE THOMPSON – Nobody Told Me: My Life With The Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories". Get Ready to ROCK!. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Jim McCarty Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More..." AllMusic. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  11. ^ Mike Pachelli (18 February 2023). The Yardbirds Interview With Jim McCarty by Mike Pachelli. Retrieved 16 August 2025 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Jim McCarty; Dave Thompson (5 February 2018). Nobody Told Me: My Life with the Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories. Lulu. p. 43. ISBN 9780244966508.
  13. ^ David French (29 May 2020). Heart Full of Soul: Keith Relf of the Yardbirds. McFarland. p. 15. ISBN 9781476640464.
  14. ^ Posted by Music Network by Michael Limnios on January 24, 2021 at 10:30am; Blog, View. "Q&A with founding member of the Yardbirds, Jim McCarty - his innovative drumming style which he introduced into music in the '60s". blues.gr. Retrieved 14 August 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Hill, Dave (25 August 2023). "JIM McCARTY: 'Breath of the Wind' exclusive DL single from The Yardbirds drummer & singer-songwriter". tenacitypr. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Jim McCarty Interview". North Coast Music. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  17. ^ a b Gaudiosi, Jeff (19 November 2021). "A Conversation with Yardbirds Drummer Jim McCarty". MisplacedStraws. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  18. ^ 2021 interview with Edmonton Journal
  19. ^ ""Breath of the Wind": Musician, Author & Yardbirds Drummer Jim McCarty's Voyage Through Loss & Love". Christy Alexander Hallberg. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
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