The drum break in “Shakin’ All Over” was a mistake. The producer agreed to leave it in, and Clem Cattini’s first recording became a U.K. No. 1 in 1960.
Beat Magazine reported Cattini’s death at 89, saying a fall preceded it in London on Nov. 2, 2026. Donovan and Carl Palmer were among the musicians paying tribute.
From Soho coffee bars to “Telstar”
Born to Italian parents in Stoke Newington, London, in 1937, Cattini first worked in his father’s restaurant. Drumming took him into Soho’s coffee bars and then into the studio with Johnny Kidd & the Pirates.
Two years after “Shakin’ All Over,” he helped make “Telstar” as a founding member of the Tornados. No British group had previously topped the Billboard Hot 100; the instrumental changed that. Cattini said its galloping rhythm had been his idea.
His career soon moved away from the spotlight attached to a single band. From 1965, he became one of Britain’s busiest session drummers despite being unable to read music. Producers wanted his playing, not a certificate on the wall.
At least 42 chart-toppers
His U.K. No. 1 credits total at least 42 singles. They crossed generations and styles, from Cliff Richard and Lou Reed to the Bee Gees, the Walker Brothers and The Kinks.
Richard’s “Devil Woman,” with Cattini behind the kit, became the singer’s biggest American hit. John Paul Jones also confirmed that Cattini played on Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” resolving a long-running question about that session.
The drummer described himself in less grand terms: “a musical navvy.” The phrase, using British slang for a labourer, suited a working musician whose name was often less familiar than the records he helped drive.
The bands he did not join
Cattini was shortlisted for the group that would become Led Zeppelin. Session commitments kept him so busy that he never met manager Peter Grant. His verdict later was simple: “There’s no point regretting anything.”
He also declined Paul McCartney’s invitation to join Wings. Touring had lost its appeal after years on the road. “I’d done enough work on the road,” he told The Strange Brew in 2019.
Those choices left him in the studios where his career had flourished. The resulting catalogue stretches from the accidental break on his first recording to dozens of hits by other performers.
Anna, his wife, and their family survive Cattini.
Sources
- Legendary ’60s Drummer Dies in London After a Fall; He Was 89
- Legendary Stardust Cowboy
- Legendary Singer and Last Surviving Founding Member of ’60s Icons The Lettermen Is Dead; He Was 87 – AOL
- Molly Hatchet Roar Down "Dixie Highway" Toward Abbey Road Magic On 'Lost Horizon' – That Eric Alper
- METALLICA Shares Pro-Shot Video Of 'Sad But True' Performance From Fifth Show Of Las Vegas Sphere Residency
Photo: marktristan at Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
