Links and Bio's
About Irish Music Forever
Recent Album: Irish Influence
"Christened by The New York Times as "Irish America's Native Son, " Andy Cooney has taken the Irish-American music scene by storm. His outstanding voice and dynamic stage presence makes him a favorite with audiences as he renders songs ranging from all-time favorites like "Galway
Bay" and "Danny Boy" to his hit records "The Irish Wedding Song", "Boston Rose" and "Shannon River ". Andy's talent and versatility provide the ability to deliver a song directly to the hearts of his listeners.
His professional career began at the young age of 17, when he began appearing in many of the well-known Irish establishments in the Long Island, New York area entertaining audiences with his piano playing and singing. In 1986, the well-known lrish bandleader, Paddy Noonan, asked
Andy to tour with his show. This he did for the next several years while gaining national exposure for his talent and winning a place in the hearts of all those who heard him from coast to coast. In 1994, Andy struck out on his own and hasn't looked back.
...Andy currently has seven solo releases on the market including an album recorded with the world-famous Phil Coulter. Andy's current release "The Prodigal Son" takes Andy's talent in a new direction. It is a collection of Christian songs
performed in a contemporary Celtic style. Andy's original composition "Soul Mates", a song dedicated to the memory of John and Carolyn Kennedy, has become very popular since "The Prodigal Son's" release in January 2000. (From the Biography section of Andy Cooney's official web
site)
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Recent Album: Talk On Corners
FORMED: 1991
Comprising three sisters and one brother of the Corr family -- vocalist Andrea, drummer Caroline, violinist Sharon and guitarist/keyboard player Jim -- the Corrs blend the music of their Irish background with contemporary pop/rock and occasional use of synthesizers. The quartet
formed in 1991, and was confined to regional popularity in Ireland until 1994, when the American ambassador to the country invited the Corrs to perform at the 1994 World Cup in Boston. The attraction led to a support slot on Celine Dion's 1996 tour, which the group joined just after
an appearance at that year's Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Corrs' debut album Forgiven, Not Forgotten (released on Lava/Atlantic in America) became internationally popular, but nowhere more so than their homeland, where the LP's four-times-platinum status made it one of the most
popular debuts by an Irish group. Talk on Corners followed in 1998, and was reissued in expanded form early the following year. Andrea Corr, who had made a small appearance in the 1991 film The Commitments, returned to acting five years later with a role in Evita. ~ John Bush,
All-Music Guide (From the CD-NOW Biography)
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Irish Music Net Article
Link #3
Recent Album: Highland Cathedral
BORN: February 1942, Derry, Northern Ireland
Composer, producer and performer Phil Coulter was the reigning king of contemporary Celtic music, becoming the best-selling Irish artist of his generation. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1942, Coulter began his career while studying music at Belfast's Queens University,
writing the Capitol Showband's 1963 hit "Foolin' Time" and later penning the ensemble's 1965 Eurovision Song Contest entry "Walking the Streets in the Rain." Other notable compositions of the era include Twinkle's 1964 smash "Terry" and Them's oft-covered garage-rock classic "I Can
Only Give You Everything." Still, Coulter enjoyed his greatest success as a writer after teaming up with collaborator Bill Martin; together they authored some of the biggest pop hits of the period, including Sandie Shaw's Eurovision-winning "Puppet on a String" and Cliff
Richard's "Congratulations." Despite his pop success, he remained drawn to the Irish folk of his youth, working with acts including the Dubliners, Planxty and the Furey Brothers while concurrently writing a
series of hits for the Bay City Rollers. After his partnership with Martin ended during the late 1970s, Coulter turned increasingly to performing, and in 1983 issued his solo debut Classic Tranquility; its meditative, lushly-orchestrated renditions of traditional Celtic favorites
immediately scored with Irish audiences, and on the strength of subsequent efforts including 1984's Sea of Tranquility and 1985's Phil Coulter's Ireland, he emerged as the country's best-selling artist. Later material including 1990's Words and Music, 1993's Recollections and 1996's
Celtic Horizons introduced Coulter to a growing international audience as well. ~ Raymond McKinney, All-Music Guide (From CD-NOW Biography)
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Official Web Site
Recent Album: Bury The Hatchet (Explicit)
FORMED: 1990
Combining the melodic jangle of post-Smiths indie-guitar-pop with the lilting, trance-inducing sonic textures of late '80s dream-pop and adding a slight Celtic tint, the Cranberries became one of the more successful groups to emerge from the pre-Britpop UK indie scene of the
early '90s. Led by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, whose keening, powerful voice is the most distinctive element of the group's sound, the group initially made little impact in the United Kingdom. It wasn't until the lush ballad "Linger" became an American hit in 1993 that the band also
achieved mass success in the UK. Following the success of "Linger," the Cranberries quickly became international stars, as both their 1993 debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We and its 1994 follow-up, No Need to Argue, sold millions of copies and produced a
string of hit singles. By the time of their third album, 1996's To the Faithful Departed, the group had added distorted guitars to its sonic pallete and attempted to make more socially significant music, which resulted in a downturn in the band's commercial fortunes.
Originally, the Cranberries were a band called the Cranberry Saw Us. Brothers Noel and Mike Hogan (guitar and bass, respectively) formed the band in Limerick, Ireland with drummer Fergal Lawler in 1990. Following the departure of the group's original singer Niall, the trio placed
an advertisement for a female singer. Dolores O'Riordan responded to the advertisement and auditioned by writing lyrics and melodies to some of the band's existing demos. When she returned with a rough version of "Linger," the group hired her on the spot. Shortly after she joined,
the band recorded a demo tape which they sold in record stores throughout Ireland. After the original run of 300 copies sold out, the group truncated their name to the Cranberries and sent another demo tape, which featured early version of both "Linger" and "Dreams," to record
companies throughout the UK. The tape was made at Xeric studios, which was run by Pearse Gilmore, who would later become their manager. At the time the tape was made, all of the members were still in their late teens.
The Cranberries' debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, was released in the spring of 1993, followed by a single of "Dreams." Neither the album or the single gained much attention, nor did a second single, "Linger." In the summer and fall of 1993, the band
toured the United States, opening for The The and Suede, respectively; frequently, the Cranberries were given a friendlier reception than either of the headliners. The strong live shows led to MTV putting "Linger" into heavy rotation. By the end of the year, the single was on its
way to becoming a crossover hit. Eventually, the single reached number eight on the US charts, while the album went double platinum. Everybody Else and "Linger" began to take off in Britain in early 1994; the album eventually peaked at number one during the summer.
O'Riordan married the band's tour manager, Don Burton, in a much-publicized ceremony in July of 1994. The marriage, as well as the group's videos, emphasized the singer as the focal point of the band. O'Riordan's position in the group continued to rise with the fall release of
the group's second album, No Need to Argue. Boasting a slightly harder, more streamlined sound, yet still produced by Stephen Street, the record debuted at number six on the US charts and eventually outsold its predecessor; within a year it went triple platinum, spawning the number
one modern rock hit "Zombie" and the number eleven "Ode to My Family."
During the tour for No Need to Argue, rumors began to circulate that O'Riordan was going to leave the band to pursue a solo career, all of which the band vehemently denied. Nevertheless, the rumors persisted until the band began recording their third album with producer Bruce
Fairburn, who had previously worked with Aerosmith. The resulting album, To the Faithful Departed, was a tougher, more rock-oriented album. Upon its spring 1996 release, the album entered the charts at number six, but its first single, "Salvation," failed to become a hit on par with
"Zombie," "Linger" or "Ode to My Family." Consequently, the album slipped down the charts relatively quickly and only went platinum, which was slightly disappointing in light of its two predecessors' multi-platinum status. During the fall of 1996, the group cancelled their
Australian and European tour, sparking another round of rumors of whether O'Riordan was about to lauch a solo career. In 1999, the group released Bury the Hatchet. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide (From CD-NOW Biography)
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Offical Site US
Irish Music Network Article
Recent Album: If Ida Been Here, Ida Been There
Craobh Rua is a band from Northern Ireland who perform stirring music on uillean pipes, fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals. Their greatest success has been in Scotland, where their albums and live shows have been accepted warmly and heartily by both fans and influential musicians.
They could be one of the groups to watch in the future. ~ Steve Winick, All Music Guide
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Name of Performer/Group Page 12
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