Shane opening for Max T Barnes in Cork Opera House

Well it is my own blog so might as well advertise my good news this week.

On March 19th I get to open for the legendary country songwriters Max T Barnes & Craig Curtis on the Cork Opera House stage. Max T, who has written countless hits for many of my idols,(Collin Raye,George Jones,Gene Watson,Randy Travis,Diamond Rio,Joe Diffee, Jodee Messina,Trace Atkins & so many others) has had nine number 1's in the USA.

Max has been a staff writer and producer in Nashville for nearly thirty  years. Working under contract for Sony, Warner Brothers, Polygram, MCA, Island Bound, Curb And Ray Stevens. Early on however he also played lead guitar. Touring with Bobby Bare,  Shelly West,  Joe Sun, Linda Davis and Tanya Tucker to name a few. He did tours with Reba, Garth Brooks, The Judds, Merle Haggard, George Jones and too many more to mention.

Tommy Flemming

Tommy Fleming has many times been described as the “Voice of Ireland” and is one of Ireland’s top entertainers. I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with Tommy before his up coming concert in Youghal on Saturday April the 13th 2013.

Tommy, who was born in Aclare Co. Sligo, Ireland in 1971 and was the youngest of six children, started singing while still at school. While fronting his own local band, a chance encounter with Phil Coulter at a charity function near his home lead to a big break onto the world stage where Tommy appeared as a guest singer on Phil’s USA tour. This then lead to the singer entering into the music business as a solo artist.

Sharon Shannon

Today, I got the chance to interview on of my hero's in the music world, Sharon Shannon, before her forth-coming gig in "The Grainstore" in Ballymaloe on Sunday night March 31st. Sharon best known for her work with the accordion, also plays the tin whistle and melodeon as well as the fiddle. Her 1991 album, Sharon Shannon, is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released on Ireland. Beginning with Irish folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences, including reggae, cajun music, Portuguese music, and French Canadian music. She is an avid supporter of animal welfare groups MADRA and Animal Health Animal Rescue. She won the lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Meteor Awards.

Maria Butterley

This week I had the chance to chat on the phone with Maria Butterly, the Irish Songstress, has returned to Ireland from Los Angeles where she has resided for several years. With two independently released albums ‘Its Just Me’ & ‘Nashvillain Days’s, Maria has teamed up with Bill Shanley who has produced her upcoming album, to be released later this year 2013. Her new single ‘Angel’ awaiting release, produced by Bill, speaks volumes of what to expect from this diversified artist. Ireland AM (TV3) cited her as “One of Ireland’s most talented Singer – Songwriters. Multi-instrumentalist, self taught on Guitar, Mandolin & Piano. Her original style of music draws on influences from the Celtic/Irish Folk genre, American Country genre winning her accolade audiences around the country.

Ilse de Ziah

Ilse de Ziah was born in Connecticut USA, where she started music theory classes and sat for hours under the piano listening to her mother play Chopin and Bach. From 7 she grew up in Sydney, Australia where over the years she had lessons in Piano, Cello, Pipe Organ, Harpsichord, Recorder and Violin. With sisters and father all musicians too, there was rarely a moment where music was not being played. Ilse’s great-grandmother, a Jewish Hungarian pianist living in Vienna used to sit on Brahms’ knee as a 3yr old, her father being his ear nose and throat specialist and an accomplished violinist. Her Austrian grandfather was a cellist and escaped from Vienna just before WW2 Her Czeck grandmother a pianist with a gypsy background, escaped with him. Her English grandfather was an accomplished violinist and was known to socialize with Jasha Heifez and Fritz Kreizler on their trips to Australia where he moved at 12yrs.

Pierre Bensusan

Today it was a privilage to chat with world renowned guitarist Pierre Bensusan before his upcoming gig in The grainstore Ballymaloe Co Cork. If “World Music” is music that pays tribute to the spirit of a collection of human beings through distinct rhythms, traditional instruments and harmonic colors,

French-Algerian guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan can be recognized as one of the most eloquent and diverse world musicians of our time. Born in Oran, French-Algeria, in 1957, when France was decolonizing its Empire, Pierre Bensusan's family moved to Paris when he was 4.

Tommy Tiernan

Tommy Tiernan October 2012 World Tour of Cork
Shakespeare once wrote "All the worlds a stage and we are merely players", well in Oct 2011 the county of Cork will be the stage for the peerless Tommy Tiernan as the multi award winning comic embarks on his ‘World Tour Of Cork 2011’.
(Scrol down to bottom of page to listen to interview)

11/10 DOUGLAS Rochestown Park Hotel – SOLD OUT
12/10 YOUGHAL Walter Raleigh Hotel
13/10 MITCHELSTOWN Firgrove Hotel – SOLD OUT
17/10 BALLINCOLLIG Oriel House Hotel – SOLD OUT
18/10 BALLYMALOE The Grainstore – SOLD OUT
20/10 CHARLEVILLE Charleville Park Hotel

Fearless, inspiring and armed with a breath of comic abilities rivalled by no one in stand-up today, Tommy is able to expertly write and perform jokes born from every corner of the mind, politics, sex, family relationships, international observations, religion and drugs, it’s all there.

Brendan Shine

Music was in Brendan’s family from an early age. His father, the late Paddy Shine, had his own Country Band, with whom Brendan made his musical debut, playing twice a week, at an open air dance called the Maypole in Summerhill. Whilst still at secondary school, it became clear that Brendan had a unique singing voice, and was a very talented musician, and it was only a matter of time before he was to become one of the biggest stars Ireland has ever produced.

Brendan joined “Kieran Kelly’s Ceili Band” along with school friend, Johnny Dawson, (who, to this day, is still playing drums with Brendan, in the “Brendan Shine Band”). He stayed with the ceili band for six years. By day, Brendan ran a successful market garden farm, and had a tremendous name as a carrot producer. Brendan later made his own traditional song, “Carrots”. By night, the van became his first tour bus. He then formed his own band, which included Johnny and Brendan’s younger brother, the late Owen Shine on keyboards. Playing pubs and clubs around his hometown of Althlone most nights of the week, it was time then to move on from the farming job to concentrate on his musical career.

Art Supple

Art Supple didn’t grow up with the ambition to be a professional singer. He was quite content to work on his father’s farm in the East Cork village of Gortroe, Art started life singing in the local village hall with a local talent group called The Barony Aces and as he grew a little older he started singing with a semi professional group led by local musician Pat Irwin. He might have continued to do this for a few more years but a new professional band called The Victors were starting. Acting on a tip from a local ballroom owner the Victors manager Terry Louge decided to ask Art to join as lead vocalist. Art & the Victors first hit single was a number called “Showbands on Parade” and it was the biggest selling single on the Irish Decca label Rex in 1965. It was a also year which saw Art voted in the top 10 Showband Singers of the Year, top ten personalities of the year and The Victors were listed as one of the top ten Favourite recording show bands in The New Spotlight Music Magazine.

Linda Welby

Linda Welby a native of Loughrea in Co Galway, Linda, is many things, singer, songwriter, radio presenter but first and foremost a mother of eight children. Her first album 'A Story to Tell' as the title suggested was a collection of self penned songs which she sang herself, Due to the success of the first album she went on to record her second 'The Best of Times' a collection of contemporary songs and music again, written and composed by herself. On meeting Linda she is very quite, almost shy, very unassuming, and very much un aware of her gift in writing songs. When you hear Linda sing there is no pretence, she sings with a natural voice, her native Galway accent strong. She has no airs or graces and sings from the heart. One of the reasons why she has become so popular over the last few years and one of the reasons why she has travelled to so many countries singing her own songs in her own style.

The Hard Ground

Speaking to Marlene Enright, singer with the Hard Ground, this week we discussed their debut studio album, Broken Conversations, which was released on Friday the 13th of July, we talked about the band and how things are progressing in recent times. She said that “Thank fully the national stations have play listed some of their songs and all the local stations are playing their songs as well. She went onto say that part of the reason for this was their video Pawn which was filmed and edited by Maurice Supple from Blue Shed Productions, got a fantastic response on Youtube from many of the people involved in those stations.

Gene Stuart

Gene Stuart - A welcome return to Co Waterford.

Country singer Gene Stuart hit the Irish music scene over thirty five years ago. In his first band Gene sang the country songs with ‘The Dynamic Sounds’ a talented local pop group. Because of the lack of work in Ireland Gene traveled to England and spent some time on the construction Sites in Birmingham. He stayed for awhile but returned home where he found work with Ken Kennedy’s band from Monaghan, He then moved onto the Mc Geogh brother’s band before securing his big break.

John Hogan

Sometimes known as 'Ireland's Prince of Country Music', John Hogan celebrates his 25th year of success within Ireland's music scene this year, as well as an ambassador to Ireland and Irish Country Music around the world. John Hogan is one of very few singers that can claim to have had a hit record before ever performing at a gig. Although music was a big part of his life growing up, he secured a good job with Board-Na-Mona. However he often took his guitar to work and entertained his workmates with his singing. He was eventually persuaded to record a single, and chose his mother's favourite song, 'Brown Eyes'. Radio West presenter Don Allen gave the song great airplay, and the single took off from there. It soon went up to the top-ten charts.

Nathan Carter

Nathan Carter is the brightest young singing star to hit Ireland for many years.  Nathan was born in the City of Liverpool. At the age of four he found his love for music and was given a piano accordion, which he quickly mastered.  At seven, Nathan started to enter Fleadh Ceoil Competitions in Accordion and Singing.  At 15, he won the All Ireland Title for Traditional Singing.   Nathan was determined to seek a career in the Music Industry, and at the tender age of 16 years, decided to leave school and follow his dream. 

Jimmy Crowley’s Cork Folk Club:

Jimmy Crowley & John Spillane

Oh what a night. The launch of Jimmy Crowley's Cork Folk Club was absolutely amazing, you couldn't have asked for a more perfect night. Now where would you find two extraordinary artists such as Jimmy Crowley and John Spillane raising the roof to the Boys of Fairhill?. Well the answer is quite simple “only in Cork Boi” live at the Windsor Inn Lv Bar. For music enthusiasts it was great to see two of Cork’s greatest songwriters engrossed in the gig, and sing along to classic favourites like the Boys of Fairhill, Salonika, Oro se do bheatha bhaile, Dunnes Stores Girl, Cherrytree and many more favorite songs.

The Champions

Gina, Dale Hayes & the Champions,

The original lineup of Gina on vocals , Jerdie Mackey known as Dale Haze on vocals, Mossy Walsh on keyboards, Pat Walsh on guitar, Eddie Fitzgerald on bass and Tony Hornibrook on drums, hit the road as the Herdsmen in early 1973. The band released their first single “Paper Mansions” and was playing the smaller circuit, when they signed with Tony Byrne. When Cork beat Galway in the 1973 All-Ireland Final in Croke Park, they had their new name, The Champions. Their first single recorded as the Champions, Dreams Are Good Friends, climbed to Number 12 in the Irish Charts. The Champions had their first hit and were off and running.

Mark O Sullivan

Mark (Fanta) O Sullivan getting caught on air by Cork Radio.

Louise Morrissey

Louise Morrissey

Louise Morrissey has long been one of Ireland's best loved singers and entertainers.

She has achieved great success, and has brought her easy style of country and folk to many other countries around the world. She has toured extensively in Ireland, Europe, America, Canada and Australia as well as nearly every country in Europe. Louise a former member of The Morrissey’s Folk Group along with her brothers Billy & Norman, toured for many years until 1987

Dirty Vodoo Band

Vocals Colin Lee
Guitar Sean Cudlip
Guitar and vocals David (Dom) Mulcahy
Bass guitar Tommy Collins

David (Dom) Mulcahy is from Ardmore but now lives in Youghal. He has been playing guitar since he was 16. He is mostly self-taught, other than a small amount of lessons from bandmate Sean while he was 18 and still at school.

Robert Mizzell

Robert born on 21st July in Louisiana has made Ireland his home for over 20 years. He served his apprenticeship in Country Music since he first arrived here and is now one of the top Country artists in Ireland, his popularity spreading with extensive airplay into Europe and to such distant territories as Australia. As anyone who ever attended a Robert Mizzell show will testify, Robert with his band The Country Kings put on an energy filled show. Brimming with Country flavour his shows appeal to audiences in Nashville and wherever Country Music is popular.