THE CLANCY BROTHERS + TOMMY MAKEM

Another pick up from the li-to the-brary. Full of that nice breakup/makeup/death/success, Wiki has a full-on twenty chapter book on these lads. Oh and I just found out that Guinness only has 200 calories.

The Clancy Brothers were an Irish folk singing group, popularizing traditional Irish music in the 1960s Greenwich Village scene. Their boisterous performances set them apart, taking placid Irish classics and giving them a boost of energy and spirit. In Ireland, songs were slow, depressing songs full of melancholy. But the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem had completely transformed those songs and made them lively. Nobody had ever sung these songs with such gusto. For generations the songs had been a reminder of the troubles in Ireland and therefore they weren't anything anybody sang proudly. The Clancy Brothers changed all that, and the transformed songs reinvigorated Ireland's pride in her music.

After serving in World War II, oldest brothers Paddy and Tom emigrated from England to Toronto in 1947 on the S.S. Marine Flasher, along with 400 returning G.I. brides. In 1951, they decided to move to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. They didn't get too far, as their car broke down soon after the trip began. They decided to move to Greenwich Village instead. Little thought was given to pursuing as a singing group. They all were busy establishing theatrical careers for themselves. But requests were often demanded for the brothers to sing some of their songs at parties and informal pub settings. On March 12, 1961, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed for 14 groundbreaking minutes in front of a televised audience of 80 million people on The Ed Sullivan Show. After their appearance, the guys were offered a five year contract from Columbia Records with a cash advance of $100,000.

In August 2007 Tommy Makem died after an extended fight with cancer, leaving brother Liam the only surviving member of the original group.

Music // External Link
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The West's Asleep
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The Jug of Punch
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - Johnny, I hardly Knew Ye
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - The Leaving of Liverpool
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem - Irish Rover

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