Three Irishmen Who Changed Folk Music
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In this blog post, we’ll be discussing three Irishmen who changed folk music as we know it. These men are credited with helping to bring Irish music to a wider audience and influencing other artists.
The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an Irish folk group, who performed together professionally for over fifty years. They were influential in the folk music scene in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. The brothers were born into a musical family in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland.
Their musical style
The Clancy Brothers’ musical style was influenced by the vibrant folk music scene of Ireland and the United States. In America, they were influenced by artists such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. In Ireland, they were influenced by Irish traditional music and rebel songs. The brothers often blended these influences in their music. Their style was also shaped by their close harmony singing, which was inspired by gospel music.
Their influence
The Clancy Brothers were a hugely influential force in the folk music revival of the 60s. Along with acts like Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary, they popularized traditional songs for a new generation and inspired many young people to pick up acoustic instruments and start playing.
The brothers – Liam, Paddy, and Tom – were all born in Co. Tipperary, Ireland, and came to America in the early 50s. They started out playing in nightclubs and bars in New York City, but soon began appearing on TV and radio shows, which helped them gain a wider audience. In 1961 they released their first album, The Rising of the Moon, which was followed by numerous other records over the next few years.
One of the things that made The Clancy Brothers so popular was their engaging stage presence. They were known for their lively banter and jokes between songs, which made their concerts more like a party than a traditional folk music performance. They also had a great sense of harmony, which can be heard on many of their recordings.
The Clancy Brothers’ impact goes beyond their commercial success; they were also an important part of the social and political climate of the 60s. Their support for the civil rights movement – including playing at several benefits for Martin Luther King Jr. – endeared them to many young people who were looking for role models to stand up against injustice. And their commitment to celebrating Irish culture helped to foster pride inIrish-Americans at a time when discrimination against ethnic minorities was still widespread.
The Clancy Brothers may no longer be with us, but their music continues to live on – both through their own recordings and through the countless artists who have been influenced by them over the years.
The Dubliners
The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962. The band’s original lineup consisted of Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ronnie Drew, Ciaran Bourke, and John Sheahan. The Dubliners became one of the most influential Irish folk bands of all time. They were one of the first Irish folk bands to become popular in the United States and Europe. The Dubliners helped to popularize Irish folk music and bring it to a wider audience.
Their musical style
The Dubliners’ musical style was rooted in traditional Irish music, with some influences from the English and Scottish traditions, as well as American country music and Celtic folk rock. They occasionally wrote their own songs, but their repertoire was mainly composed of Irish folk songs, along with a few British, American and Australian traditional ballads.
The band’s primary vocalists were Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew, who also played banjo and guitar, respectively. Drew occasionally played other stringed instruments, including mandolin and bouzouki. Other members of the group included Barney McKenna on banjo, bouzouki and melodeon; Ciarán Bourke on tin whistle and concertina; John Sheahan on fiddle; Paddy Moloney on uilleann pipes and tin whistle; Sean Cannon on vocals and guitar; and Eamonn Campbell on guitar, mandolin and bouzouki.
The Dubliners were strongly identified with the city of Dublin and Ireland’s capital city’s working class roots. They popularized Irish music in Europe and Australia during the 1960s folk revival. In doing so they brought together native Irish musicians such as Drew (from Dublin’s working class north inner city) with semi-professional musicians such as Kelly (a trained musician who worked as a bricklayer), who together sang in a traditional style that was marketed to appeal to a wide audience beyond Ireland.
Their influence
The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in 1962. The band originally consisted of Luke Kelly, Barney McKenna, Ciaran Bourke, and Ronnie Drew. They were one of the most influential bands of their time, and helped to revive interest in Irish folk music.
The Dubliners were known for their catchy tunes and witty lyrics, and for their signature sound, which was a blend of folk, Traditional Irish music, and country. They were also known for their political activism, and for their support of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
The Dubliners released over 30 albums, and had numerous hit songs, including “Seven Drunken Nights”, “The Wild Rover”, “Whiskey in the Jar”, and “Dirty Old Town”. They toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States, and Australia.
The Dubliners were inducted into the Folk Hall of Fame in 2002, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2005. Luke Kelly died in 1984, but the band continued to tour and record without him. Barney McKenna died in 2012, but the remaining members continue to perform as The Dublin Legends.
Planxty
Planxty was an Irish folk music band formed in the early 1970s, by Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, and Liam O’Flynn. The band is widely credited with popularising Irish traditional music and bringing it to a wider audience.
Their musical style
Each of the four members of Planxty contributed his own distinctively different musical style to the group. Andy most prominently played the bouzouki, a long-necked Greek instrument closely associated with Irish music, but he was also an accomplished mandolin and guitar player. Donal’s primary instrument was the uilleann pipes, which are related to both the Scottish Highland Bagpipe and the Irish Warpipes, but are softer in tone and more plaintive in character. Christy’s main instrument was the tin whistle, but he was also a fine flutist. Lastly, Liam played the guitar and sang lead vocals on many of their songs.
Their influence
Planxty was an Irish folk music group formed in the 1970s by Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Liam O’Flynn and Andy Irvine. The group is widely credited with popularizing traditional Irish music and helping to revive the genre in the country.
Their influence can be heard in many of today’s leading Irish folk musicians, including Glen Hansard, The Pogues and The Elders. They have also been credited with inspiring a new generation of traditionalists, such as Solas and At First Light.
Planxty’s success helped to pave the way for a renewed interest in traditional Irish music in the country, and their music continues to be enjoyed by fans all over the world.
