Tony Carr obit

Tony Carr, Maltese jazz drummer to the stars, dies aged 98

Carr was the session percussionist on the original recording of You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate 

He was not on the list.

Tony Carr, the prolific Maltese drummer and percussionist, died on Friday morning at the age of 98.

Carr, born George Caruana in 1927, was a respected musician whose career began in the bars of Valletta’s Strada Stretta and eventually saw him perform with musical giants including Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney, Dizzy Gillespie, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, and many others.

He played a pivotal role in laying the foundations for Malta’s jazz scene, while also carving out a remarkable career in the UK, where he became a session drummer for some of the biggest names in music history.

Paying tribute to her father, Sonia Carr said she was "truly touched that he is so well remembered in his beloved Malta".

"I am so proud of my father and everything he achieved. As a session musician he was often uncredited on the biggest tracks, but his sound was unmistakable. It’s a beautiful thing to know that his memory will live on for generations through his music," she said.

Carr’s career took off under the shadow of the bombs during World War II, when music served as a welcome respite from the hardships of the time. During this period, he was mentored by African-American jazz musicians touring Europe and became a member of one of Malta’s first jazz trios.

Like many of his generation, Carr left Malta in 1952 in search of better opportunities. He moved to London with the ambition of becoming a professional percussionist.

His early years in the UK were not easy. He faced long periods without work, was denied opportunities, and experienced bouts of deep homesickness, especially when recording Mary Rose Mallia’s album Songs from Malta in London.

Despite these challenges, Carr persevered. With time and determination, he became a well-respected figure in the British music scene.

He toured with the influential American bandleader and singer Billy Eckstine, who described Carr as “the best drum accompanist I’ve heard in Britain.” Carr also earned praise from the BBC, where a reporter once described him as one of “the best rhythm men in this country [UK].”

One of the highlights of his career was being called to Abbey Road Studios to record alongside John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Denny Laine of Wings and John Bonham, also of Led Zeppelin, as part of Paul McCartney’s Rockestra supergroup.

Carr was also the session percussionist on the original recording of You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate.

In recent years, his legacy returned to public attention in Malta with the release of Strait Street to Abbey Road, a documentary by Cedric Vella based on Carr’s biography by Ġużè Camilleri.

Camilleri, a respected percussionist in his own right, described Carr as a key figure in Maltese music and culture.

“He lived contemporary music from the beginning, starting with jazz, and continued to explore new styles as they developed in the 60s and 70s. He always adapted and welcomed change, yet his contribution to contemporary music still deserves greater recognition in Malta,” Camilleri said.

“I am grateful to have met him, and he inspired me greatly with his stories.”

Renowned British composer, arranger and conductor John Cameron also paid tribute, telling Times of Malta that Carr was “a powerhouse in more than one sense.”

“Tony Carr was already a powerhouse in the British jazz scene, playing with such luminaries as Ronnie Ross, Bill le Sage and Spike Heatley, when I first met him in 1965,” Cameron said.

“He soon became one of my ‘indispensables’, touring with Donovan, recording with Hot Chocolate, TV and radio with me on the Julie Felix and Bobbie Gentry shows, playing jazz with me, Harold McNair and Danny Thompson, innumerable movie scores and most notably paired up with drummer Barry Morgan as the ‘engine’ – indeed the ‘powerhouse’ – of CCS.”

He added: “As a musician and a person, he was a force of nature. I’m sad we lost him but I’m so glad I knew him.”