Have you ever wondered who the characters
JOHNNY or JIMMY were inspired by?

Well, here are excerpts from a couple of recent email messages
that I've received, with possible explanations:

JIMMY THE WEED Inside the Quality Street Gang My Life in the Manchester Underworld by Jimmy Donnelly JIMMY DONNELLY IS an underworld legend. Known to all as Jimmy the Weed, he has mixed with the most notorious gangsters in Britain and the Costa del Crime in a criminal career spanning five decades. He has been arrested on suspicion of serious crimes including murder, drug supply, violence and fraud, has faced numerous court trials – and walked free from them all. Most infamously, Jimmy was a key figure in the Quality Street Gang, a mysterious group of ex-fighters, car dealers, scrap merchants and businessmen. They socialised with the city's elite, from footballers to rock stars and inspired the hit song, 'The Boys Are Back In Town.' They were also targeted by Greater Manchester Police who suspected them of involvement in major crime. In the mid-eighties they became embroiled in the sensational Stalker Affair, which led to a national political scandal and ultimately the resignation of the city's deputy chief constable. In this explosive autobiography, Jimmy tells how he rose from humble beginnings to own pubs, clubs, car pitches and massage parlours, how he became the biggest illicit ticket agent in the North, and his great friendship with numerous figures from the worlds of crime, showbiz and sport, including the formidable exboxer Jim Swords, the man the QSG grouped around. He has seen and done it all: and tells it in unvarnished detail. About the author: JIMMY DONNELLY was born in Manchester in 1940 and worked as a youth on Smithfield Market, where he made many of the friends later dubbed the Quality Street Gang. He went on to own numerous pubs, clubs and businesses and to be immortalised in Thin Lizzy's 1976 rock anthem, 'Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed'. Now retired from crime, he lives quietly in the Ancoats area of the city. For more information visit Milo Books

Monday, March 15, 2004 7:30 PM James, the email from Anthony sounds most plausible and i'd like to back it up with a quote from the sleeve of the 'johnny the fox' remastered uk cd written by stuart bailie of the 'new musical express' ... "The resourceful character of Johnny The Fox is reckoned to be Phil himself, but the rival figure on the album has a more interesting history. Jimmy the Weed is a thinly disguised reference to Manchester hood called Jimmy the Weazel. He was associated with the Quality Street Gang, a posse who were fearfully regarded at the time. 'They were nice guys,' a friend of Phil's remembers, 'But they didn't do nice things.' Jimmy the Weazel was last spotted 'enjoying' himself in the Costa Del Sol." hope that can help clear a few things up. cheers, chris

Sunday, February 08, 2004 3:59 PM James, At the moment I am reading a book about the Manchester (England) gangs. It is a book about two certain districts: Cheetham Hill on the North side of the city and Moss Side on the South side of the city. I picked the book up due to the fact that I support Manchester City Football Club (not to be confused with the poor relations man united, small letters intended). City until recently played all the home matches in Moss Side and I thought it would be an interesting read. The book was published in 2003 and has some interesting info. It speaks about the Whalley Range Hotel run by Phillip's mother and states that the track Johnny the Fox meets Jimmy the Weed was named after Jimmy "the weed" Donnelly who was a member of the infamous Quality Street Gang and a regular visitor to the hotel !! Anthony James replies: Interesting possible explanation, although I believe the actual name of the Hotel was the Clifton Grange Hotel, in Manchester.

Mon, 9 Jun 2003 13:46:05 -0700 (PDT) Dear Sirs, Over the years, it has been alleged to me that in the song Johnny the Fox meets Jimmy the Weed, that KSAN dj Richard Gossett was Johnny the Fox and being one of the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils most well known fans that I (David M. Schantz) was Jimmy the Weed. Thanks for your time. Sincerely, David M. Schantz, a.k.a. "Slim Chance"

Can anyone shed any light on this?
If you can I'd love to hear from you. Thanks.

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information, I provide it "as is" for your information only.

If you know of any errors or omissions please contact me via e-mail.