Jimmy McLaughlin
performer; commercial recordings exist
b. New York City June 12, 1908
d. after 1942
From the Tom Busby collection of photographs at Na Píobairí Uilleann. This photo was cut from a poster advertising a dance for the Glenamaddy Men's Association in Manhattan, Nov. 12, 1921.
James W. McLaughlin, often referred to as Jimmy, was born 1908 into an extended family, several of whom were active in Irish music and dance in New York City for decades. "They all came over from dear old Roscommon...." His father Myles was a piper. Jimmy had seven brothers and sisters. At least one brother played pipes, and sister May was well-known as a dancer. On his father's side, seven aunts and uncles, including "Miss Reda McLoughlin, the star accordeonist," later known as Reedy Johnson. Also cousins and more distant relatives. Margaret McLaughlin, a highly thought of "girl dancing wonder:" was she an aunt or a cousin? I would leave it to others to make sense of this thicket of family relationships.
Jimmy McLaughlin was a child prodigy, or close to it. The "marvelous boy piper, Master James McLaughlin" played at an Irish Music and Dance Festival in Manhattan in 1921, his age about 11 or 12. The next year he came "a close second" in an Irish Piper's Contest at Keith's Prospect Theatre, Brooklyn. Michael McDonough was the first prize winner.
He recorded a couple of sides in January 1924, released later that year as a 78rpm on Gennett Records. He was perhaps 15 years old. To piano accompaniment, decent piping with some use of the regulators. Years later dance-hall proprietor Michael Donovan, in the NY Advocate, recalled McLaughlin as a "talented pupil and protege of Tom Ennis."
McLaughlin was active publicly from 1921 until about 1934. He played for dances, concerts, excursions; no one type of gig seemed to predominate. He played for radio programs many times and at least once in later years was described in promotional material as a "radio performer."
He did not describe himself as a professional musician. Here are the occupations he gave - or at least were noted down - for the following censuses:
NY 1925 clerk in Yellow Taxi
US 1930 Checker Railroad
US 1940 Agent Subway
McLaughlin's father died in the 1930s. In 1940 he was living with his mother, Rose McLaughlin, and six brothers and sisters in Manhattan on West 176th Street. McLaughlin married Veronica Kelleher in July 1941; she died in July 1942. He enlisted in the US Army in August. In World War II Jimmy was in the US Army Air Corps, stationed in New Jersey in 1943. This is the last contemporary reference to Jimmy McLaughlin I have found.
Selected References
- Representative recording:
"Judy Hynes, Sullivan's Jig" with Frederic D. Wood, piano, Gennett 5356, 1924
https://archive.org/details/JimmieMcLaughlinJudyHynesSullivansJig
"Big Event at Durkin's Hall on July 4th" [Margaret McLaughlin] NY Advocate June 29, 1918 p. 2 column 2
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1916-1918 - 1121.pdf
"Celtic Social Club's Popular Affair" [dancer May McLaughlin, Reda McLaughlin] NY Advocate Dec. 7, 1918 p. 7 column 4
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1916-1918 - 1319.pdf
"Deen Rover's Comments" [Remembrance of Michael (Mike) Donovan proprietor of Donovan's Halls.] NY Advocate Oct. 18, 1941 p. 3 column 6
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1940-1942 - 0809.pdf
"Evening Post's Radio Time-Table Saturday, April 4 [1931] New York Evening Post April 4, 1931 p. F11 column 4
New York NY Evening Post 1931 Grayscale - 2402.pdf
Fealey, Bill "With the Fighting Irish Somewhere on the Pacific" [in the Air Corps] NY Advocate Aug 21, 1943 p. 3 column 7
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1943-1945 - 0310.pdf
Hayden, James A. "News, Notes & Comments Novel Advertising." [describes poster for the Glenmaddy Men's Association ball which has photos of pipers Tom Ennis, Jimmy McLaughlin, and of Myles McLoughlin and Thomas O'Leary.]
NY Advocate Oct. 22, 1921 p. 3 column 3
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1919-1921 - 1263.pdf
"Irish Music and Dance Festival" NY Advocate Nov. 12, 1921 p. 3 column 3
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1919-1921 - 1292.pdf
Kelly, Michael "The Cloonfad Piper (Part 2) The musical McLoughlin clan" An Píobaire vol. 13 no. 2 April 2017 pp. 20-1
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1138&mediaId=27290
"The McLaughlins' Big Blowout" [aunts and uncles; Roscommon] NY Advocate May 7, 1919 p. 4? column 5
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1919-1921 - 0182.pdf
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1919-1921 - 0182.pdf
Spottswood, Richard K. Ethnic Music on Records: a discography of ethnic recordings produced in the United States, 1892 to 1942 University of Illinois Press 1990 Vol. 5 p. 2813 with Federic D. Wood, piano, recorded in New York Jan. 5, 1924. Gennett # 5356, matrix #s 8691-A and 8692-A
Nick Whitmer
August 2018 additions Sep. 2021, Feb. 2023