Irish Cultural Center
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Bill Craig is an Irish entertainer based in Toronto, Canada. Bill has been performing for over 30 years and is an accomplished guitarist and vocalist, performing all over the world. Bill has resumed his solo career after a brief spell as a member of the Irish Rovers and delights audiences with his lively performances. He continues to release collections of songs that capture the spirit of the music and the heart of the listener.

"A man with the heart, voice and spirit to do justice to the songs."
-Valerie Rogers, mother of the late Stan Rogers

Biography

Bill Craig was born and raised in Ireland, and lived in London in 1973. He moved to Toronto, Canada in 1974. He first performed as vocalist for various Rock 'n Roll bands in Ireland in 1967.

In 1969, Bill began playing guitar on stage and has stayed with it as his main instrument ever since. Bill worked with various bands in Canada during the 1970's, including a year as guitarist for Edward Bear. Throughout this period, he maintained an interest in the music of his native Ireland, and would occasionally confuse, and usually please, rock audiences with a solo voice guitar rendition while the rest of the band took a break.

Bill has performed acoustic traditional and contemporary music now since 1977. It was in 1977 he formed Foggy Duo with Canadian multi-instrumentalist, Don Garbutt. They brought their musical energy to some very old material, giving it a much needed lift. This successful partnership lasted through four years and three albums - including Ship in Distress - as the renamed Skyboat. Don Garbutt also worked on Bill's first solo album, On The Left. This album was recorded in Canada and released on the Dutch Pan label in Europe. His next recording, on which he played all instruments, is titled Late Nights.

Bill works regularily, and has performed at venues across Canada, the United States, and in Europe. He has shared the stage at festivals with such performers as Eric Bogle, Andy Irvine, Dougie MacLean, Battlefield Band and Mary Black. In 1987, he performed at the Roskilde fest in Denmark with Van Morrison, Paul Brady and Moving Hearts. Bill has played the Glasgow festival three times, Skagen fest in Denmark twice and Canada's largest fest, Mariposa. In the U.S., Bill has played pubs and clubs in such cities as Buffalo, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and Washington, D.C. At various times he has performed live on PBS radio, including the Cleveland Poetry project, and live from Standing Rock U. (Kent State) He has also performed throughout Holland, Denmark and the U.K. for twenty years.

Bill Craig's performance is relaxed eclectic, thought provoking, goofy and entertaining. His casual attitude is designed to include, not exclude his audience, be it eight or eight hundred people. Bill puts all his energy into his songs and makes a point of having a good time on stage. This usually translates to his audience having a similar experience.

Bill Craig with the Irish Rovers in 1998
Discography

Another Day (2003)
Best of 1981-2002 (2003)
Live Somewhere (2003)
Serious Fun (2003)
Traditional Irish (2003)
Ireland's Greatest Folk Ballads - Cu Chulainn (2002)
Golden Age of Irish Folk - Cu Chulainn (2002)
You Asked for It (2000)
Full of Moon (1999)
High Mountain Range (1996)

Movie Role

Bill appears briefly in the 1999 movie, The Boondock Saints starring Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus and Billy Connolly. Bill has a small role as 'McGerkin', for whom the two lead characters work at a meat packing plant in Boston. Bill had a great time filming this movie and enjoyed spending time with the cast and crew. Billy Connolly provided some unforgettable memories with his ever brilliant humour. In Germany the movie was released under the name Der Blutige Pfad Gottes with different artwork.

www.billcraig.com

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