“Hurricane” JJ Maguire On His Book “My Life In Heaven Town,” Writing Top Wrestling Themes, His Love Of BTS, Movie Plans & More

Watched by many millions of Americans each week, professional wrestling is seen each week on a variety of television networks, including Fox, TNT, AXS TV and the USA Network. When you get down to it, the wrestling itself is only a smart part of that weekly television programming, as the entrances of the wrestlers is often just as important as the in-ring action. And generally speaking, what is a good professional wrestling entrance without a memorable, character-enhancing theme song?

“Hurricane” JJ Maguire — along with frequent collaborator Jimmy Hart — is responsible for well over 100 wrestling ring entrance songs. Among his compositions were songs used by Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Dusty Rhodes, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, Sgt. Slaughter, Big Boss Man, Demolition and The Legion Of Doom. In other words, not only did Maguire write music for some of wrestling’s all-time most popular performers, but his music continues to be used regularly on television well over 30 years after crafting his first theme for WWE.

Prior to finding success in the wrestling world, Maguire — along with Jimmy Hart — was a member of the world-touring band known as The Gentrys. He had also been part of the group The Rage, which opened for Van Halen in the 1970s. The bottom line is that Maguire is a seasoned multi-instrumentalist and his credits as a performer and songwriter go well beyond his wrestling-related work. He is the winner of a SESAC Millenium Venue Licensing Award. The extensive career of Maguire is well-documented within his 2019 memoir My Life In Heaven Town, as penned with John Cosper.

On October 15, 2020 and October 22, 2020, I had the pleasure of speaking with “Hurricane” JJ Maguire; the Zoom recording of our October 22nd conversation is embedded below for your viewing pleasure. We talked about the My Life In Heaven Town book, how he wound up in the wrestling world, what both he and Jimmy Hart bring to the table as songwriters, his in-the-works project with Evan Ginzburg, his appreciation of Korean pop stars BTS, and plenty more. Maguire’s memoir can be purchased via Amazon and other fine online retailers, while Maguire himself is on Facebook.

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Tags: BTS, Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart, JJ Maguire, WCW, Wrestling, WWE, WWF

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."