By Basant El-Faramawy
British drummer Clem Cattini, who played on more UK number-one singles than any other British drummer, has died at the age of 89. He lived in Hertfordshire.
Founding the Tornados
Cattini co-founded the instrumental group the Tornados in 1961. Their track "Telstar" spent five weeks at the top of the UK chart in 1962 and became the first British group to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Session work and hit records
As a session musician, Cattini performed on chart-topping singles 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 credits also include Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me," Love Affair's "Everlasting Love," and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over."
Collaborations with major artists
He recorded with Paul Weller, the Kinks, the Wombles, and played on all 11 tracks of "Thrillington," an instrumental version of Paul and Linda McCartney's album "Ram" released under the pseudonym Percy "Thrills" Thrillington. Cattini toured with Cliff Richard and Roy Orbison and performed with the Top of the Pops orchestra.
Tributes from fellow musicians
Tony Christie described Cattini as "a world class musician but also a world class gentleman," noting he played on more number-one records than any other British drummer. Carl Palmer, drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Asia, said drummers across the UK owed Cattini for opening doors. The band the Equals called him "a true powerhouse of percussion and one of the most prolific drummers in British recording history."
Cattini was portrayed by James Corden in the 2008 film "Telstar," which focused on Tornados producer Joe Meek.
