Jim McCarty
James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English drummer, best known as a member of the Yardbirds and Renaissance.[1] McCarty has performed and recorded as a drummer and occasional singer with the Yardbirds, Together, Renaissance, Shoot,[2] 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.[3][4] Since 1992 he has been playing with the reformed Yardbirds. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only founding member to still tour in the band.[6] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds.[7] 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.[8] McCarty has contributed to four Yardbird books: Yardbirds (1983.) / Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up (1997.) / The Yardbirds (2002.) / Nobody Told Me: My Life with the Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories (2018.).
Jim McCarty

Marc Lacaze · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Full name
- James Stanley McCarty.
- Born
- 1943. · Liverpool.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Occupation
- musician, drummer, songwriter and composer.
- Fields
- blues rock.
- Education
- Hampton School.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English drummer, best known as a member of the Yardbirds and Renaissance.[1] McCarty has performed and recorded as a drummer and occasional singer with the Yardbirds, Together, Renaissance, Shoot,[2] 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.[3][4] Since 1992 he has been playing with the reformed Yardbirds. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only founding member to still tour in the band.[6] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of the Yardbirds.[7] 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.[8] McCarty has contributed to four Yardbird books: Yardbirds (1983.) / Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up (1997.) / The Yardbirds (2002.) / Nobody Told Me: My Life with the Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories (2018.).
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Jim McCarty (born 1943) is a composer, drummer and musician, among other activities, of British nationality. The composer was born James Stanley McCarty in Liverpool. Jim McCarty was educated at Hampton School.
The work spans blues rock. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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wikidata · Q923915 · wikipedia · Jim McCarty
In this article
Life and career
Life and career
James Stanley McCarty was born at Walton Hospital in Liverpool, England on 25 July 1943.[10] 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. When playing with the early Yardbirds, he worked as a clerk for the stockbroking firm Phillips & Drew in the City of London.[12][13] McCarty admitted that addiction to LSD in the 1960s negatively affected his mental health. 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]
Identity
Identity
Jim McCarty is recorded as musician, drummer, songwriter and composer. Recorded at birth as James Stanley McCarty.
The Yardbirds, at Langueux (France). From left to right: John Idan, Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja.
Corentin Lamy
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
References ==== External links
References ==== External links
* • Jim McCarty's website
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Biography: Jim McCarty. AllMusic.
- 2.FEATURE: Ex-Yardbirds drummer McCarty on the Shoot story . Singsong Music Marketing. 2022-11-24.
- 3.Interview with JIM McCARTY (THE YARDBIRDS) – Part 1. DMME.net.
- 4.Cooper, Kevin. INTERVIEW: Jim McCarty Welcome to UK Music Reviews.
- 5.Albums ‹ Jim McCarty, The Yardbirds and Renaissance. www.jamesmccarty.com.
- 6.Howie, Guy. Every musician who was ever in The Yardbirds. faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2024-07-07.
- 7.The Yardbirds. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- 8.petefeenstra. Book review: JIM McCARTY with DAVE THOMPSON – Nobody Told Me: My Life With The Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories. Get Ready to ROCK!.
- 9.Jim McCarty Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More. AllMusic.
- 10.Colin Larkin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Guinness Publishing. 1550. 1992. 0-85112-939-0.
- 11.Mike Pachelli. The Yardbirds Interview With Jim McCarty by Mike Pachelli. 2023-02-18.
- 12.Lulu. Nobody Told Me: My Life with the Yardbirds, Renaissance and Other Stories. 43. 5 Feb 2018. 9780244966508.
- 13.David French. Heart Full of Soul: Keith Relf of the Yardbirds. McFarland. 15. 29 May 2020. 9781476640464.
- 14.Posted by Music Network by Michael Limnios on January 24, 2021 at 10:30am. Q&A with founding member of the Yardbirds, Jim McCarty - his innovative drumming style which he introduced into music in the '60s. blues.gr.
- 15.Hill, Dave. JIM McCARTY: 'Breath of the Wind' exclusive DL single from The Yardbirds drummer & singer-songwriter. tenacitypr. 2023-08-25.
- 16.Jim McCarty Interview. North Coast Music.
- 17.Gaudiosi, Jeff. A Conversation with Yardbirds Drummer Jim McCarty. MisplacedStraws. 2021-11-19.
- 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.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q923915: Jim McCartyWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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