Members of the Irish showband scene are in shock over the news that singer Ivan Vaughan has drowned in floodwater on his way home from a gig, musician Paddy Cole said.
Vaughan, who performed with the Plattermen under the name Simon Scott, was driving home from a gig in Glaslough, Co Monaghan, when he's believed to have become trapped in a dipped part of a flooded road.
The singer was an integral part of the Plattermen in the 1960s and 1970s. Along with Rob Strong, he moved the band away from country to a more rock and blues sound reminiscent of US group Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Cole, who performed in the Capitol Showband in the 1960s and later formed the Paddy Cole Superstars, said he received the news of Scott’s death on Monday night. “I got a message last night on Facebook, one of the guys sent me a message. I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
He said he knew Scott best from his Plattermen days. “They were a fantastic band and he was a real handsome, tall guy. Very sallow skin but a really good looking guy.
“In those days we knew the band from the road and we’d stay in the same hotels as them and all of that sort of thing. We got to be very friendly with them.”
He said he remembered Scott as a quiet, intelligent guy.
“He was a quiet fellow, a very quiet deep thinking fellow. He had a lovely manner about him. I was always delighted to see him and the guys in the Plattermen because he was a very intelligent guy. You could always have a nice conversation with him.”
He said the Plattermen were “great musicians” and highly popular on the circuit in the 1970s. “They were a very big draw, particularly with certain sections of the people who were into that Blood Sweat & Tears stuff, you know that Pick up the Pieces – they were doing all that sort of stuff. They got their own following doing that stuff. In the cities particularly, Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Limerick – they were very popular.”
He said the news of Scott’s death has come as a shock to those involved in the business. “My phone hasn’t stopped all day today, particularly phone calls from Belfast, from all over the north. It’s a great network, show business. They’re all on straight away, saying ‘Did you hear the news? Did you hear the sad news?’ And sending text messages and all that.
“It’s a terrible shock, particularly as he was coming from a gig. And I’ve been saying to my wife, ‘I hate this weather for the guys, the musicians, because it’s a tough time and they still have to try and get out and go.”
