Joe Heaney in Australia 1978 Concert

Subject: Joe Heaney in Australia 1978 Concert
From: GUEST,Warren Fahey's Australian Folklore Unit
Date: 06 Mar 10 - 06:46 PM

see below

ANNOUNCING TWO VERY SIGNIFICANT CONCERTS FROM THE ARCHIVES – available free on the Australian Folklore Unit website.

SONGS OF STRUGGLE – Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger.

http://warrenfahey.com/songs-of-struggle.htm

In 1976 I produced the first Australian concert tour of Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger, a tour sponsored by the mighty AMWU. As part of the national tour there was a unique concert on Songs of Struggle. This was not just a program of political songs for it was truly an exploration of why people wrote them, where they sang them and how. As far as I know this is the only such concert of Ewan and Peggy performing this type of concert. The concert is in three sections: I sing some Australian songs of struggle to open and then Ewan & Peggy perform in two sections. Some on-stage chat is evident and adds to the 'live' archival spirit of the concert. Warren Fahey

Peggy comments on the concert:
"I remember that concert well. It was pelting down outside with a summer storm. Downpour. Like being under a waterfall. When the audience came in the room was steaming. As i remember they matched the sound of the rain when they sang the choruses ... But i don't believe the recording does justice to their contribution. It was a rare occasion for us: a chance to sing so many political songs at one go. We went on and on and on ... Was it too long? I hope not. It's been such a pleasure for me to listen to it again, reminding me of the welcome we got from the unions and the comrades, of the struggle that also goes on and on and on .." Peggy. 2010
LIKE A TRUE BORN IRISHMAN – Joe Heaney.
http://warrenfahey.com/concert-joe-heaney.htm
In the late 1970s the traditional Irish singer and storyteller Joe Heaney visited Australia to perform at one of the Larrikin Folklife Festivals. It was the first and only time the folklife festival filled the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.
Imagine that - an unaccompanied Irish singer and storyteller filling the Opera House. I first came across Joe Heaney through a recording on the Topic Record label and was struck by his clarity of singing and his repertoire of songs. This LP only skimmed the surface of Joe's unbelievably extensive repertoire. I wanted to have Joe in the festival because he represented the true traditional singer. On arrival I arranged for the Sydney Morning Herald to feature a smiling photograph of Joe on the front page of the morning paper - and it worked. The telephones went crazy with bookings. When Joe walked out on the stage the audience erupted and when he finished he received a standing ovation. It was a rare opportunity to hear the tradition in action.
Listen to the concert and enjoy one of the world's great folk singers.
I am eternally grateful to Davis Mulhallen, my producer associate at the ABC for many years, for his editing of the concert and for saving it for posterity. Warren Fahey

Subject: RE: Joe Heaney in Australia 1978 Concert
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 06 Mar 10 - 07:47 PM

Joe Heaney at the Sidney Opera House