| Biography
Four Men & a Dog made a name for themselves with their eclectic
and vivacious blend of traditional Irish music with a wide spectrum
of other genres, including rap, Southern rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass,
polka, country swing, and even salsa.
Four Men and a Dog made their debut performance as a band in 'Murphy's
Bar', Dungiven, County Derry, in 1990 before going on to steal the
show at the Belfast Folk Festival later that year, with a high-energy
approach that combines furious traditional dance tunes with irreverant
new music and inimitatible covers.
Barking Mad, their debut album from Cross Border Media, snagged
an award for Album of the Year from Folk Roots magazine in 1991,
marking the first time that an Irish group had ever won the prize.
Four Men & a Dog's music is enthusiastic and infectious.
During live shows it is also spontaneous, since band members do
not rehearse. The group emerged in 1990 with a high-energy performance
during the Belfast Folk Festival. Its name stems from the nickname
of its original vocalist, Mick "the Black Dog" Daly.
Other original members included percussionist Gino Lupari, accordionist
Donal Murphy, mandolinist and banjoist Brian McGrath, and fiddler
Cathal Hayden. Kevin Doherty later replaced Daly as lead singer.
Around the same time, the group added James Blennerhassit on bass
and Rod McVeigh on piano. Early in 1992,Conor Keane took over for
Murphy on the accordion. By the following year, Gerry O'Connor stepped
in for McGrath on banjo.
A later lineup consisted of guitarist Arty McGlynn, Doherty, Lupari,
Hayden, O'Connor, and Keane. McGlynn, who produced the group's first
album, formerly played with Patrick Street, the Clancy Brothers,
and Planxty. Kean hails from the group Arcady, while O'Connor previously
played with Skylark.
In 1993, Shifting Gravel, the group's second album, was not greeted
by critics as enthusiastically as the band's debut. Objections arose
over the pop-rock undertones injected by singer/songwriter Doherty.
He pulled back a bit for the following album, Doctor A's Secret
Remedies from Castle Communications in 1995, and added more narrative
structure to the songs rather than his previous stream-of-consciousness
stylings.
Castle Communications issued the group's next album, Long Roads,
in 1996. Aaron Hurwitz, producer for the Band, engineered the recording
at a studio run by Levon Helm in Woodstock, NY. Featured on the
release are the Band's Rick Danko?, Randy Ciarlante, Garth Hudson,
and Richard Bell. - Linda Seida
Cathal Hayden
| |
Cathal comes from Pomeroy in County Tyrone, an area steeped
in traditional Irish music. From an early age, the young Hayden
learned and played music with his father and other musicians
in the area.
His first instrument was the tenor banjo and with this he
went on to win All-Ireland championships at all age levels.
Cathal then turned to the fiddle and within a year of starting
he became the All-Ireland champion on the instrument. During
these formative years Cathal spent a lot of time with Arty
McGlynn and this led him to record his first solo album about
12 years ago.
Handed Down featured the music that had been passed down
to him and demonstrated his unique trademark style of playing
to the full. In September 1991, Cathal was the catalyst in
the formation of Four Men and a Dog, a group that has since
gone on to establish themselves as one of the top Irish traditional
bands of all time.
|
Four Men recorded four albums before 1996, each of which still
sells well today.
A recent Belfast reunion concert heralded many calls for their
reformation, and who knows what the future might hold. Cathal recorded
his second solo album during the early months of 1999, and saw the
new millennium in with its launch on his own label Hook Record.
Demand has already outstripped supply and this excellent recording,
accompanied by the likes of Arty McGlynn, Brian McGrath, Donal Murphy,
Liam Bradley, Rod McVey and Seamus Begley helped it to top the best
selling charts at the end of 2000.
Gino Lupari
| |
Gino Lupari from Magherafelt in County Derry has been described
as the 'god of the bodhran', which he wields with keen dexterity,
but he is best know as the comic front-man of the band.
Gino also does a share of singing. Gino is the heart and
soul of the of the band and has the dual distinction of being
one of the finest and the largest bodhrán-player. He shines
on all of the group's albums, and even managed a rap song
(Wrap It Up) on their debut album "Barking Mad"; a song that
may be the bodhrán-player's anthem:
Without exaggeration, Gino Lupari is one of the finest bodhran
players around and his style of playing has been a major influence
on some of the great young players.
|
Gino is an experienced session musician. He works regularly with
the top artists in the Irish music scene, sessioning with the likes
of Sinead O’Connor, touring and recording with Beware of the Dog
and The Liz Doherty Band, hosting regular gigs in London and still
finding time to slot in the occasional TV appearance.
Kevin Doherty
| |
Kevin Doherty, from Co. Donegal in Ireland's Northwest corner,
first took up the guitar in his mid-teens. In the subsequent
years Kevin, with a clutch of self penned songs, played with
several local bands and on the periphery of the thriving Donegal
traditional music scene.
The undoubted highlight of Kevin's time with Four Men & A
Dog was a chance meeting in Norway with Levon Helm; singer/drummer
with legendary Dylan sidekicks and legends of American music,
The Band. As a result of a late night laced with songs and
stories an immediate friendship was struck up, and Four Men
& A Dog were invited to Helm's recording studios in Woodstock.
Both of Four Men & A Dog's last two albums, "Dr A's Secret
Remedies" and "Long Roads" were recorded in Woodstock. Kevin's
songwriting abilities meanwhile were not going unnoticed.
Most notably, Mary Black recorded "Donegal Breeze" for her
Circus album of 1996. In the later half of 1997 Kevin decided
it was time to return to the life of a solo performer.
|
A couple of discreet Dublin performances followed and time was
spent writing new material to bring to his own shows. On a trip
to Woodstock in early spring, Doherty met up with old friends The
Band once more, were he provided the song "Don't Wait" and some
backing vocals for their album "Jubilation" which was released in
September 1998.
The climax of 1998 was yet another Woodstock visit for the recording
of the self-funded debut solo album "Strange Weather". With Aaron
Hurwitz on production duties and special guests Levon Helm and Rick
Danko, Strange Weather became a celebration of the rural traditions
of both Ireland and America, set against Donegal's rugged and remote
expanse. The album release drew the following comments: "Doherty
has a finely attuned ear for the modern beat poetry of isolation:
songs such as Embrace Me and Paradise highlight how good the Donegal
man can be when he has the bit between his teeth" - The Sunday Times
Gerry O'Connor
| |
Described by many as the best four-string banjoist in the
history of Irish music, lets creativity take him where it
wants to.
He's been doing this for some time now, and in the process
has collected a great army of admirers not only in Ireland
but also around the world. Described by Irish Music Magazine
as a "banjoist extraordinaire," O'Connor has developed a phenomenal
technique on the tenor banjo, which sometimes gives the impression
that there are perhaps three or four clones of the man all
playing at the same time, as is apparent on "Cam a Lochaigh"
on his latest CD, "Myriad."
In the tradition of the O'Connor family, Gerry was presented
with a fiddle even before he was old enough to hold it properly.
His father and uncles were all fiddle players. "The fiddle
I got was to big for me and I couldn't manage it at all,"
he says, "But there was more to it than that. I wanted to
be a bit different, sure I loved the music but I wanted to
make a sound that was different from the fiddle."
|
It was this desire that lead him to the banjo after hearing a player
from Limerick play at the Barge Inn in Garry Kennedy. O'Connor instantly
fell in love with the bright, rippling sound and had at last discovered
the vehicle that would allow him to make an enormous contribution
to the development of Irish music. Gerry "banjo" O'Connor played
banjo and fiddle with the band Four Men and a Dog during the 1990.
O'Connor's music has been featured on the BBC Series Tacsi and
he has appeared as a guest on over 12 albums by such artists as
Gordon Duncan and Niamh Parsons. Is he satisfied? "Well, I suppose
it is the curse and the joy of the musician and the artist in general.
You're never quite satisfied. I suppose the day I'm satisfied is
the day I'll lay down the banjo for good." Gerry "banjo" O'Connor
has made several tuition videos for musicians who are learning how
to play the banjo.
Maírtín O'Connor
| |
Máirtín began playing the accordion at the age of nine, and
his remarkable career has seen him as a member of many of
traditional music's leading groups including, Midnight Well,
De Dannan, The Boys of the Lough, and Skylark. His first solo
album 'A Connachtman's Rambles' established him as a solo
musician and proved a major critical success. Máirtín's second
solo album 'Perpetual Motion', released in 1990 is one of
the best accordion albums ever produced by an Irish artist
and displays his astounding skill, dexterity and versatility
to the full.
The release in 1993 of his 'Chatterbox' album gave further
evidence of his outstanding technique, imagination and compositional
talent. Máirtín also played on the very prestigious Paris
Mussette (vol 2) as series of records chronicling the history
of the mussette, featuring top French accordion players which
is included in the Phonographic History of French accordion
Music.. As a soloist he has performed with the RTE Concert
Orchestra on Bill Whelan's Seville Suite and in 1995 he played
a major role in Bill's world renowned 'Riverdance' .
|
He has also worked on the music for Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'
featuring Ben Kingsley and written by Shaun Davey, plus Bill Whelan's
'Some Mother's Son'.
Also in 1995 Máirtín became the first recipient of the Allied Irish
Banks, Traditional Musician of the Year award at a ceremony in his
home town of Galway. The award was to acknowledge the tremendous
contribution made by Máirtín to traditional Irish Music and in particular
accordion music.
The Road West' his fourth solo album features thirteen of his most
recent compositions including the title track 'The Road West' Many
of his compositions here draw from his traditional roots and he
enlists the services of some of Irelands' finest and accomplished
musicians, many of whom he has played with over the years and the
result is one of his finest works to date.
Dónal Murphy
| |
Dónal Murphy was born in Birmingham, England,
and moved with his family to Abbeyfeale, Co. Limerick, Ireland,
in 1975. He started playing music at the tender age of eight
years, starting first on the tin whistle. But soon he realised
that he was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps,
and so took up his first accordion. It was a ‘Hohner Black
Dot’, and he says it was the best present that ‘Santa Claus’
ever brought! He progressed rapidly, and before long won several
All-Ireland titles in Accordion, Melodeon and group Competitions.
He has always felt a deep grá for the music and
style of the locality in which he lives, and has kept his
‘musical ear’ firmly tuned to the two primary influences on
his life of music – his chosen instrument, the accordion,
and the musical heritage of ‘Sliabh Luachra’. Dónal is one
of the foremost and most dazzling exponents of the great style
of music from this region. |
It wasn’t long before Dónal was in demand for concerts at home
and abroad. He toured Ireland, England, America, Sardinia, Seville
and Japan with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. On one of these trips,
he became acquainted with Cathal Hayden (fiddle) and Brian McGrath
(banjo) – together in August 1990, they formed the now renowned
‘Four Men & a Dog’. Their album, ‘Barking Mad’, which was released
in 1990, was voted Best Folk Album of the year in Hot Press Magazine.
Dónal left ‘the Dogs’ in1993 because of family and other commitments.
He remained very much involved in music locally, and soon teamed
up with Matt Cranitch (fiddle) and Tommy O Sullivan (guitarist/vocalist).
The trio gelled, and a new entity was born. They recorded ‘Sliabh
Notes’ in 1995, and soon the album title became the band name. A
defining feature of this band is their powerful playing of polkas
and slides, a thing deeply rooted in musicians from southwest of
Ireland. Sliabh Notes have played most of the biggest Irish festivals
in the world, namely Milwaukee, North Texas Irish Festival, Copenhagen,
Torino Italy, as well as many more around Ireland. The band went
on to record two more albums; ‘Gleanntán (1999) and ‘Along Blackwaters
Banks’ (2002).
One of the highlights of Dónal’s musical career came in the summer
of 1998 when Michael Flatley invited him to play in the Premiere
of “Feet of Flames” in Hyde Park, London.
Dónal kept in touch with his friends from ‘Four Men and a Dog’,
and eventually through massive public demand, a new album was in
the pipeline. In March 2003, the lads were back in the studio recording
a new album, ‘Maybe Tonight’. Following the release of this album,
the band toured Ireland and many of the major festivals in Europe
and Canada, gaining massive interest on their quest to play music
in every corner of the globe!
Dónal Murphy has rightly established himself as one of the foremost
and exciting accordion players of this generation. His knowledge
and experience of Irish traditional music is something that is special,
and you are never to be disappointed when this guy is in full flight!
Alhough very busy touring with his musical ensembles, he still longs
for the more informal powerhouse sessions in Abbeyfeale, Milltown
Malbay etc!
Arty McGlynn
| |
Arty is without doubt the finest and most sought after guitar
player in Ireland with a unique understanding of music he
performs. Born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, is family were steeped
in traditional music, but when his mother bought him his first
guitar at the age of eleven, it was the great jazz guitar
masters that he studied, and by the age of fifteen, he was
already playing professionally.
The late sixties saw him move further afield, trips to UK
and USA, moving from band to band and adding the pedal steel
guitar to his musical arsenal along the way. But by the mid
seventies the endless run of one nighters had begun to lose
their appeal and Arty was beginning to look for something
more real, something that would excite him again. Towards
the end of the seventies, Arty revived his interest in Irish
traditional music and his first solo album, "McGlynn's Fancy",
was released in 1979 to great critical acclaim.
|
This is the first recording ever in which the guitar is played
in an authentic traditional style, and as such has been hailed as
a classic in the traditional music world. Arty subsequently became
one of the most sought after musicians in the country, playing and
recording with the likes of Christy Moore, Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn.
He played as a member of such prestigious groups as Planxty, Patrick
Street, De Danann and The Van Morrison Band.
Arty is equally in demand as a live performer, recording artist
and producer. The album "Barking Mad" by the group Four Men & A
Dog, which Arty produced, was voted Folk Album of the year by Folk
Roots Magazine. He produced Christy Hennessy's album, "The Rehearsal",
which remained in the Irish charts continuously for eighteen months,
he also collaborated with Frances Black on her first two solo albums,
"Talk to Me" and "The Sky Road", both of which have topped the charts
in Ireland and have been critically received in the UK and America.
Jim Higgins
| |
Jim Higgins was born into a musical family in
Renmore, County Galway. He went to study music in University
College Cork where he specialised in ethnic percussion, particularly
the bodhrán (the Irish frame drum). During his time in Cork,
Jim performed, recorded and toured with the internationally
renowned rock band “The Stunning”, with whom he played keyboards
and trumpet as well as percussion. His first love however has
always been Irish traditional music and Jim has recorded with
such traditional stalwarts as: Four Men and a Dog, Altan, Paul
Brady, Lúnasa and Máirtín O’Connor. |
Jim also plays kit drums with the Irish band “The Sawdoctors”.
He has also toured and performed extensively for four years as percussionist
with the Riverdance show in the: UK, US, Europe and Australia. He
now lives in the West of Ireland, where he is married to another
musician – whistle/fiddler Breda Smyth.
|