John "Sean" Byrne

Composer

1947 – 2008

82

Who was John "Sean" Byrne?

John "Sean" Byrne was an Irish-born American musician, best known for his work with the Count Five. He emigrated to San Jose, California and joined his brother's group, which changed its name to the Count Five to capitalize on the British Invasion. John took on the stage name Sean to accentuate the foreign mystique. As guitarist for the group, Byrne wrote the band's one hit wonder song "Psychotic Reaction" in a Health Education class at San Jose City College. The song rose to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1966 and is still one of the top garage band tunes of all time.

Byrne died on December 15, 2008 as a result of a long battle with diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver.

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Born
1947
Also known as
  • Byrne, John "Sean"
Died
Dec 15, 2008

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

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