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Tributes paid to drummer with dozens of number ones
Clem Cattini, the drummer who performed on numerous UK number one singles, has died aged 89. He co-founded the Tornados, whose instrumental hit “Telstar” topped the UK chart for five weeks in 1962 and made them the first British group to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Cattini was also a prolific session musician, playing on hits including Tom Jones’s “Green, Green Grass of Home”, Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and Tony Christie’s “(Is This the Way to) Amarillo?”. His other work included recordings with Paul McCartney, Paul Weller and The Kinks, touring with Cliff Richard and Roy Orbison, and playing on every track of the instrumental album *Thrillington*. Musicians and groups paid tribute to his playing and influence.
In short
- Clem Cattini has died aged 89.
- He co-founded the Tornados, whose “Telstar” topped charts in 1962.
- He played on many major British hits as a session drummer.
Explained simply
Clem Cattini was an English drummer whose career spanned the rise of British pop and rock music in the 1960s and beyond. He co-founded the Tornados, an instrumental group whose best-known recording, “Telstar”, became a major hit in Britain and the United States.
Cattini also worked as a session musician, recording with singers and bands across several decades. Session musicians are hired to play on recordings or tours, often without being part of the main act, so their work can be heard on many different artists’ songs. His playing featured on records by Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks and others.
His career shows how musicians behind the scenes helped shape familiar pop recordings as well as performing in their own groups. The tributes reflect the regard in which fellow musicians held his playing and influence.