Ruth Leon recommends… The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem and Val Doonican
Ruth Leon recommendsThe Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem and Val Doonican
This is a bit of fun for a time when fun is somewhat thin on the ground. Val Doonican was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening, and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed style as well as his comfortable sweaters and Irish twinkle. He was a huge but unlikely star in Britain in the 1960s, with one of the most popular programmes on BBC television.
Tommy Makem was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers although he came from a distinguished Irish folk music family and had a long solo career in the United States. He was known as “The Bard of Armagh” (taken from a traditional song of the same name) and “The Godfather of Irish Music”. Here, Tommy Makem and The Clancy Brothers team up with Val Doonican for, what else?, a traditional Irish song.
unlike today’s plastic pop they are all natural … and those sweaters 😉 I want one now 😉
That was terrific.
My granny loved Val Doonican. My very earliest musical memories are of aforementioned ancient relative bashing her way through Val Doonican favourites on the piano, accompanied by a juvenile moi singing Walk Tall, Paddy McGinty’s goat, etc That’s after we had destroyed Ken Dodd’s Greatest hits and Englebert Humperdink Last Waltz. Thanks Gran….Happy days. (I am now a professional classical musician)
Vlad Loonican songs Brian Ferneyhough will always be my forever go-to classic TV performance on Songs of Praise!
I absolutely love The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem at Carnegie Hall. When they released the two CD set all cleaned up with liner notes and extra tracks it was heaven. My lord the between song banter was glorious.