The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem

Subject: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: ositojuanito
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 07:14 AM

One of my first loves from the sixties was a group a very famous group of brothers and one other from Ireland called of course The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. I was a big fan I bought all the albums and went to the shows. There is a story that in one particular year in America they outsold The Beatles in album sales. Bob Dylan was a big fan, and as usual a big thief, (stolen melodies on request). Today in the 21st century as I wander around the music stores there is little or nothing by the Clancys available. I find this very surprising and not a little irritating as they made some very good albums. Of course they were criticised for being commercial, they tended to rewrite songs whenever they felt the need for it, but all in all, they brought Folk and particularly Irish Folk to a world market and I respect them for that.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 07:26 AM

Don't see them much in the UK stores, but still available in the US last time I looked. They were I think more popular in the US than in the UK anyway!
Giok

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 08:07 AM

I love(ed) the Clancy Bro.s, but don't much listen to them anymore. Like Pete Seeger, they were "gateway" artists for me. By that, I mean that they were the artists that I listened to when I was transitioning from pop/rock to traditional music. These days, I'm much more likely to listen to local artists or "collected" songs from Lomax, et al. I recall from those days trying to listen to collected songs, and being unable to appreciate them because they weren't as polished as the commercial music I was used to. The Clancys, Pete & the Weavers presented the material in a form palatable to my mass-market conditioned ear. Later, I was able to appreciate the "hardcore" roots, which I hadn't before.

I have heard Rev (you there, Rev?) saying that he "blames" Pete Seeger for the dillution (I forget his exact formulation) of folk music, and I understand where he's comming from, but I have to disagree. Without Pete and similar artists, people like me would never have come to any kind of appreciation of the music.

So here's to the Clancys and Tommy Makem; God love 'em.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Leadfingers
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 08:20 AM

A lot of the groups who were responsible for getting 'Folk' to a mass market have had 'bad press' from purist folkies over the years - The
Clancys , the Spinners , even the Weavers have been accused of diluting the music , while ignoring the thousands of people who would never have got involved in Folk at all without them !

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: number 6
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 08:34 AM

"They were I think more popular in the US than in the UK anyway"

Wouldn't this be due to the fact they were "American" (1950's onward) and basically found fame there have something to do with this?

sIx

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 08:45 AM

I used to be one of the Clancy Brothers ' knockers ' but not now due to the thousands of people they turned on to folk music.

eric

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: number 6
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 08:53 AM

Years ago I used to knock the Kingston Trio .. Aghast ( I was very young and thought they were too mainstream) ... until I woke up and realized their contribution and inspiration to 'folk' music.

I think we maybe sailing into stormy waters with this thread.

sIx

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Maryrrf
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 08:58 AM

I love to listen to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (and, dare I say it - The Corries too!). I can also appreciate other, more "pure" folk music but it really depends on what I'm in the mood for. Both of these groups sang with such gusto that to me it would be difficult not to enjoy their singing. And they were in large part responsible for the revival of interest in traditional Irish and Scots songs. Yes, they are sometimes a little rough around the edges but many a long drive for me has been made into a fun occasion by popping one of their CD's into my car stereo.   And when I perform in pubs, as I do occasionally, I very often play their arrangements of songs. They're crowd pleasers, and there's nothing wrong with that. Nice to find an Irishman who doesn't "dis" them. By the way, welcome to Mudcat. I am guessing from your name that your name is John and you play the bones????

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: artbrooks
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 09:01 AM

Little John Bear: try Amazon.com. Many/most of their vinyl albums have been reissued as CDs and are available. Just check the content carefully; one of the things they (and their various producers) were known for was putting the same cuts of the same songs on multiple albums (and they were not the only offenders by any means). Especially, anything called Greatest Hits and Best Of should be approached very carefully. BTW, Amazon ships free if you spend $25, and there is an Amazon portal here at Mudcat so, if you go there from here, our glorious leader gets a small cut...which helps keep this place up and running.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Maryrrf
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 10:45 AM

Hmm...Osito (I think I was confusing the French "Os" which is bones and the Spanish "hueso". So you are Little John Bear. Nice nickname.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Big Mick
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 11:05 AM

I get tired of the purists. Half the time they are just windbags who have no knowledge of what real trad is. For example: those that decry the instrumentation of today. They complain that the guitar, bouzouki, and bodhran aren't traditional instruments. I ask them what is trad? 50 to 60 years ago trad bands would have played a piano, fiddle and flute. A hundred years before that it would have been something different. The tradition in Irish Music is that it will evolve and change. Same can be said for the singers. Were it not for the Clancy's and Makem, it is very possible that the Irish revival would not have occurred, and it certainly wouldn't have had the vibrancy which has led to 40 years of exploration and evolution. These are the things which keep a tradition from becoming a hide bound relic of the past. There are many others now whom I listen to more than these lads, but the debt which we owe them is not to be diminished. Ours is a living tradition, as it has always been. The Irish have lived, died, and chronicled their traditions and history in their music since the beginning. Thanks to these lads, we continue to do so.

Mick

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 12:54 PM

When I was in high school in the late 60's I was frequently invited to parties but told to leave my records at home. I was one of a select few in central New York who appreciated the Corries and The Clancy's.

They were certainly the intoduction I had to not just Scots and Irish folk music but a broader range of music in general. I already liked and enjoyed the Kingston Trio and The Chad Mitchell Trio. Because of the second folk revival they were what was available to 90% of the US at the time. Bluegrass was a regional style as was "Southern Mountain Folk". Because of Top Forty radio we were a nation of people geared to vocal music and not to instrumentals. "Telstar" and "More" being about the only instrumentals I recall as being popular and played on the radio. I was probably 22 before I knew a Reel was a dance as well as fishing impliment.

The Clancy's were the first Irish band I heard followed almost immediately by The Corries. Because of these bands I developed a taste for more "authentic" folk music. (I dare anyone to define authentic.) And not just more folk from the British Isles. I ate up folk music from every English speaking nation.

And if The Clancy's rewrote a few songs to make them relevent I don't mind. Scots dialect is fine if its meaning is understandble so if The Corries Englished up a few tunes thats fine too. Their job was to communicate in an understandable manner.

The Clancy's and The Corries need no defense at all. They were too influential in their time to be dismissed. Their music may be, if this is possible with trad music, dated now. But watch any of their videos if you want to learn what stage craft is. Knowing how to perform is half the battle.

Ask just about any performing folk act who is working today. You can't follow the trail of influence too far back before The Clancys and The Corries begin to show up.

Don

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Northerner
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 01:49 PM

I saw the Clancy's in concert in about the mid sixties, with my parents. They were hugely enjoyable. They were one of my first introductions to Irish music. Maybe I'll even get round to buying one of their CDs someday. Not saying I'd want to listen to them a lot now but they were good at the time.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Rev
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 02:16 PM

I'm sure I did say something of that sort about Pete Seeger, Jim, but that was probably over a decade ago, so I'm going to chalk that up to youth. I think, if I can remember where I was coming from back then, my main complaint about Seeger was that his arrangements often lacked "cajones," or that he made everything sound like a children's song. When I was in my 20's I wanted my folk music to have that raw, gritty energy that I heard on the Smithsonian Anthology of Folk Music, and Seeger, to my ears, sounded a bit too refined and polite, and maybe because I was raised on his music I found it too much like "kiddie music" (I also felt that way about Peter, Paul and Mary). I was also bought in to the whole story of Seeger trying to stop Dylan's electric performance at Newport, and rejected Seeger's purism. Funny how Seeger's purism collided with later generations of purists with a very different concept of authenticity. I don't diss Pete anymore. I generally choose not to use his arrangements, but I agree that he is a figure of immense significance in the history of music and humanity in general. I am particularly fond of what he did with the Almanac Singers, and I really admire his political activism.

Sorry for the thread drift... As for the Clancys, I still see their albums in record stores in the U.S. frequently. I always felt that they were in a different category than some of the other "commercial" folk artists of that era. They always seemed more "authentic" than a lot of the acts, and they certainly had "cajones." I also love their renditions of chanteys. They're kind of corny but always so much fun. I saw Tommy Makem play a couple of years ago at the Mystic chantey fest, and he can still bring the goods. I am also partial to the Clancys' recordings with Louis Killen, which also show up in U.S. record stores from time to time. I agree that we all owe a great debt of gratitude to the Clancys (and to Seeger) for bringing "folk" music back into the popular mainstream in the 50's and 60's.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Scrump
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 02:51 PM

I agree with others that the Clancys and Tommy Makem were important artists for introducing many of us to Irish music in the early 1960s. At that time I didn't know much about Irish music or artists but I enjoyed their style of music and they were one of a handful of artists who inspired me to delve deeper into Irish and other folk music. Later on I realised that they had changed some of the songs to perhaps make them more commercial, but that doesn't alter the fact that they had a huge influence (I assume I was just one of many). I admit I don't listen to them any more though - maybe I should.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Effsee
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 03:22 PM

The Clancy Brother's Re-union Concert 1991, DVD or CD, is widely available from various sources on the net, Amazon etc. It's a cracking Concert.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Mike Miller
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 03:26 PM

I have been using my CD review column to lobby for more trad. I treat singer/songwriters the way Hamen treated his bookkeeper, but I have never dissed an artist who showed respect for musical tradition, even as he/they spruced it up for general entertainment. The trad interpreters have been legion and benificial. Without the Weavers, there would have been no folk revival in the fifties, just as the Kingston Trio was responsible for the 60's Hootenany craze.
I would have been unaware of Joe Heany if I hadn't heard The Clancy Brothers and The Dubliners.
Time is the great leveler. Today, The Weavers are revered but, the fact remains that very few field recordings were arranged and accompanied by Gordon Jenkins. We can accept their slick, for the era, charts because their love and reverence for the songs and the cultures were obvious. I have become more accepting over the years. I have no trouble with the pop version of Wimoweh but I, still, question the folkiness of Ralph Marterie's "Skokian" and Guy Mitchel's "One Of The Roving Kind".

                      Mike

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 04:07 PM

Are Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem still performing, either together or separately? I was always partial to Tom Clancy, his recitations of Yeats poems, and his theatrical work. I saw him as the father in the Los Angeles production of A Moon for the Misbegotten in the 1970s revival of that play. He was a most versatle performer.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: artbrooks
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 04:28 PM

Tommy Makem's schedule   

Liam Clancy's schedule

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: PNB
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 04:29 PM

My wife and I own a Celtic shop in Montana. I carry some of the Clancy/Makem cd's. There are still a lot of people that fondly remember them and still buy the cd's. I enjoy them also and play them when traveling. Tommy Makem's sons have a group and we have seen them in concert a couple of times. They put on a great show.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Greg B
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 04:49 PM

Liam and Tommy went their separate ways about a decade ago.

Tommy lives in New England, Liam in Ireland. I'm sorry that
it happened, as I believe the whole is greater than the
(considerable) sum of the parts. But they are two very
different people in their approach to everything, including
life.

I was lucky enough to hear one of their last performances
together at Tommy's pub in New York. It was brilliant, just
brilliant. It was my first night (ever) in NYC, and I was
wandering about that afternoon in the neighborhood of the
Drake, and ran across the Irish Pavilion, and there it was...
they were on for that very night! I was a single, and was paired
up with a very nice young woman who also came to hear the music
(my god, I even just happened to have my Aran sweater in my bag,
and my tweed jacket!). A big Irish family was at a neighboring
table, and the busybody matron kept asking her to join them,
fearing I must be some sort of 'masher' I suppose. I finally
whispered to her "tell them that I'm a priest." She did, and
the woman suddenly looked very chastened. I suppose that wouldn't
work today...

Their 'last hurrah' album was called 'The Makem and Clancy Collection'
and remains one of my most treasured.

After the break-up, I think each faltered a bit, but managed to
find their own feet after a year or two.

I grew up with their music. I still think it's brilliant. Pete
Hamill wrote the intro to their song-book, and it talked about
how they got started, singing in New York together. I found it
made me wish I'd been there to see it.

I don't believe they've diluted anything. It was four brothers,
singing songs they knew, which they found made them money.

Consider the time...this was the age of 'Tooralooraloora.' Talk
about diluted! And 'My Wild Irish Rose.' Here were lads singing
the real thing, no orchestra, no over-produced bullshit. I, as
a little kid, had always thought of Irish music as the tenor on
Lawrence Welk, all affected and operatic. And the stage presence!
Funny! Even crude!

They paved the way for groups like The Dubliners and De Dananaan.

Tommy, of course, added his mother's pedigree to the line-up.

I love Makem's voice. Always have.

We've had both Tommy Makem (on multiple occasions) and Liam Clancy
to the Festival at Mystic. Tommy is just what you'd wish he'd be.
Unassuming, kind, and quiet. A teetotaler (of long-standing) for
those who don't know. Liam had such a good time at the Festival,
I thought maybe his face would crack from grinning. He's not quite
a teetotaler. I have an abiding memory of sitting with him at
the after-party on the deck of the Mystic Whaler, in the wee small
hours, and him reciting Yeats. Nobody recites Yeats like that man.

These are, like Peter Seeger, truly good people whose music I knew
from my childhood and whom I'm glad and honored to have had the
opportunity to spend time with in my later life. They have my
undying respect and gratitude...all of them.

Now the Clancys have passed their music...and their cordiality...
on to a new generation in the person of Robbie O'Connell. Robbie
has taken the music to the next level of intensity...check out
the Green Fields of America.

Trivia: who took Tommy Makem's place when he left the Clancy Brothers
and Tommy Makem?

Answer: Lou Killen!

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 04:53 PM

Thanks, Art, it is good to know they are still active, although I think it is safe to say, based on their posted schedules, that I'll not be seeing either of them soon.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Rapparee
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 09:45 PM

I saw the Clancys with Robbie O'Connell in South Bend, Indiana. I've seen Tommy Makem and even the Makem Brothers.

I don't care who you are, I like these folk folks and I'll say it over and over. It was a shame when Tom Clancy died a few years ago; folk lost one of its greats.

Pete Seeger played with the Clancys on one of their first Columbia albums.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Tannywheeler
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 10:10 PM

Paddy & Tom C. were here earliest. When the 4 started singing together they worked sometimes for the Guthrie Children's Fund doing concerts at a small proscenium-arch theater in Gr. Vill. Ed McCurdy also sang there. At one point (in the late '50s?) the 3 Clancys were in a production of Behan's THE QUARE FELLOW at Circle In The Square. (Could have been as late as '61?) The world lost a fabulous laugh when Tom Clancy died. I sat on his lap a few times as a 7 & 8 yr. old, and that laugh came up from his heels and rumbled warmly in his chest on it's way to his throat/mouth/head. Paddy was very gentle & kind. And I loved the poetry too. The basic position the group took was that singing is a pleasure and a way to tell stories which are important--a healthy thing to do on all counts. Truth is true, and lasts a long time.                      Tw

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 24 Sep 06 - 10:11 PM

I first saw them perform live as a group in 1965 or 66 and instantly became a lifelong fan. I have since seen Tommy & Liam as a duo and as single performers on several occasions. I met Tommy and Liam in Halifax O'Carrolls Pub in Halifax after they had performed at a concert. They were both very friendly and very willing chat. I still perform some of their songs.
               Slainte,
                Sandy

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 25 Sep 06 - 01:40 AM

The Clancys' and Tommy Makem's albums are still available in most large music stores in the U.S. And alaso in catalogues.

They were my heroes in my younger day, and had it not been for their influence, I would not be a professional performer today.
It has been been my honour and privilege to have played in concert with them in their various incarnations. I played the Cape Cod Melody Tent and the Syracuse Irish Festival (and a few others) with Liam and Tommy.

Tom, Paddy, Bobby and Robbie O'Connell appeared on a TV show I put together with my old partner Tom O'Carroll in the '70's; and I've appeared in recent years at quite a few Irish festivals with Tommy Makem, who remains one of my great inspirations to this day.

I would wish for you all to experience the joy, pride and exhilaration of playing and singing with your musical heroes, and finding out that they are really as great and as classy as you thought they were.

Tom Clancy, Paddy Clancy and Bobby Clancy are dead.
Liam is still alive and kicking, and performs regularly with his son Donal and nephew Robbie O'Connell here in the U.S.
He lives in the Gaeltacht area of Co. Waterford called Ring where I believe he has a recording studio.

Tommy Makem lives in Dover, New Hampshire, and still performs his high-quality show at concerts and festivals around the country - with or without his sons, the Makem Brothers (who along with the Spain Bros. are an excellent band in their own right) - and he is currently battling lung cancer. He is putting up one helluva fight!
So my affection, repect and prayers go out to him.


Seamus

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Maryrrf
Date: 25 Sep 06 - 08:47 AM

Oh I am sorry to hear of Tommy's illness. I went to one of his "Song Schools" in Armagh several years ago, and so got to know him a little bit. I love his singing - always have, always will.

Back in the Seventies my dad was dying of cancer and he was having a really bad night. Not knowing what else to do, I told him I had some great music he could listen to and put in a Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem tape. It calmed him down and took his mind of of his pain and anxiety and he was able to relax. He told me it was the first relief he had had in weeks - their music just took him to another place and cheered him up. That's what I like about them. Their music and the spirit in which they sing it draws people in. I'll always be grateful to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem for making Dad feel better during those dark days.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: gnu
Date: 25 Sep 06 - 09:09 PM

Since my old man brought that record player home when I was seven years old, the lads have been amongst my heroes.

I pray for Tom. We use to say, throat of a gannet and lungs of an elephant. I never saw him sing... I saw him PERFORM. To me, he is one of the ultimate Irish Bards of his era.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Tinker in Chicago
Date: 26 Sep 06 - 10:27 AM

Sorry, GregB, but the first man to replace Tommy Makem in the quartet was Bobby Clancy. Louis Killen came later.

While I am among the many who would not have known Irish trad without the Clancys, I have to go a step further: I would not have known Ireland without the Clancys. Whenever a song mentioned a place or a person or a battle or anything else in Irish history or culture, I looked it up so I could better understand and sing the song. It was from the Clancys that I first heard about The United Irishmen, Wolfe Tone, Dan O'Connell, James Connelly, so many others. The Clancys made me look up Gaelic words I hadn't met before, like "craic" or "poitin." And then they introduced me to Scottish culture in the same way.

I became a folksinger of Irish music. I've been to Ireland four times now and claimed my dual citizenship. My kids know their ancestry, back several centuries (the knowledge of heritage had died out in my family because the Irish grandparents didn't pass it on). None of this would have happened but for the Clancys and Tommy. I'm happy to say I met all four brother and Tommy, and have even had Robbie O'Connell over to my house a couple of times (and Seamus Kennedy and Tommy Sands too!). God bless them all and everyone else who can "let the music take you home."

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: ard mhacha
Date: 26 Sep 06 - 12:33 PM

Good to see the Clancys and Tommy Makem being praised on this Thread, at times the mere mention of their name brought out the boot boys.
The Clancys introduced lots of people to folk music, I was brought up with folk music long before the Clancys and Tommy arrived on the scene, and I can vouch for what most contributors to this Thread have stated, they help to pave the way for the return of old songs which would have likely been lost forever.
I am sorry to learn of Tommy Makems illness, as a fellow county Armagh man I wish him a speedy recovery.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: MartinRyan
Date: 26 Sep 06 - 12:39 PM

There's a lovely account somewhere in a recent biography of Bill Evans (the great jazz pianist, for those who live sheltered lives!) playing as the interval act to the CLancy's in, if I remember aright, the Village Vanguard in New York, many years ago.

Regards

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 26 Sep 06 - 08:10 PM

Perhaps i am hallucinating - I still see their records all over the place. Is there one you are looking for.

There is a real bargain - a double cd on a budget label at a shop just down the road, I could get it for you if you wanted - I think it was less than £6. All the folk music stalls at the markets carry their stuff.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Mrrzy
Date: 26 Sep 06 - 09:50 PM

I grew up with the CB&TM, and when I met my future spouse, love of their music was one of the things that brought us together. We honeymooned in Ireland and didn't visit anywhere we didn't know from a Clancy Bros. song - Galway, Tuam, Limerick, Castlemaine, Dingle, Cork, Carrick-on-Suir, Killarney, Waterford, Dublin. Marvy trip, came home pregnant with twins we've always told were made in Ireland.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 27 Sep 06 - 02:00 PM

I remember the Clancys as the band that introduced me to Irish ballads when I was around 4 or 5. My elder brothers had loads of their records and I was always listening to them when they were out. First time I heard 'Blackwaterside' it was Liam Clancy singing it. I know it's cooler to say that you first heard it from Bert Jansch or Maggie Barry or Anne Briggs but there you go. I was never cool. I wouldn't be doing this if I was.

I finally saw them in 1985 at Cambridge on their reunion tour and they were bloody brilliant. The Pogues were on the same bill and the Clancys wiped their arses with them. Quite moving and emotional to finally hear them in the flesh.

Of course, they all originally went to America to become actors and that explains quite a lot about the act. This was only a few years after 'The Quiet Man' and being Irish in America was starting to get trendy. Hence the Aran jumpers. Yes, it was an act but no more so than the Waterboys tying bandanas round their necks or Van Morrison suddenly deciding he was a traditional singer.

No, they were great and they blazed a trail for a lot of people who came after them. Fair play.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 27 Sep 06 - 02:08 PM

I bet those jumpers got very sweaty on stage. I wonder how many they got through on a tour.

In my Clancy's admiration heyday, I had one one of those jumpers. You could wear it for about three days one side to the front. then wear it back to front. then turn it inside out, and do the same.

After a bit though the beer and gravy stains had to be tackled.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Michael in Swansea
Date: 27 Sep 06 - 02:12 PM

I've got 3, or's it 4 of their albums on vinyl. A aunty of mine introduced me to them when she brought some of their recordings when she came to visit. I was about 13 at the time and liked their "Up the long ladder, down the short rope" chant on the Carnegie Hall album 'cos I was into "Free Wales" at the time. Many years later whenI could afford it, (no longer shouting for freedom), I bought copies of my own.
Last year Baggyrinkle were singing at Cobh Festival in Ireland and we were called up to join Liam Clancy on stage. I was thrilled, to say the least.
At Cobh I bought a copy of his bio and asked him if he'd sign it. He asked my name, I said "Michael" I am now the proud possessor of Liam Clancy's book with the inscription "For Mike Gill Cobh 2005 Liam Clancy". My surname is Roberts, 'spose I could always change it.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Maryrrf
Date: 27 Sep 06 - 06:03 PM

I read (or maybe heard it in an interview) that the jumpers were because the three Clancy brothers happened to be wearing them when they showed up to a recording session. Their mom had knitted them and sent them as gifts. A PR person saw them and decided that "look" would be perfect. Tommy didn't have one, but procurred one. If you look at some of their photos, the collar on Tommy's jumper is different.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Maryrrf
Date: 27 Sep 06 - 06:04 PM

And yes, my God I'll bet those things were hot on stage!

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: stallion
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 01:41 PM

Was the Aran sweater the "folk tucedo"? I remember going to see the High Level Ranters once and my Boss and a friend turned up in pristeen aran's, really amusing since I hadn't seen him anything but a suit! A glance around and it seemed thre was a flock of them in!
Oh these are the days!

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Mrr
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 03:00 PM

My mom had made us all Aran sweaters, and I wore it when the Clancies came to town because I was in Boston and it was winter and boy was I surprised to see that most of the audience was wearing one! The performers, to their credit, weren't, although Tommy sure was sweaty when I met him backstage later...

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 03:21 PM

Thats odd isn't it - he looks like the skinniest one in photos.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Seaking
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 04:49 PM

I became hooked on my Dad's 'Live at Carenegie Hall' album when I was about 8 or 9 years old and everything I've done since since has stemmed from that early influence. I learned to play guitar along to their music, some of Liam's occasional punchy guitar style (e.g. Reilly's Daughter) still comes through today. I still perform the Castle of Dromore in the style I learnt it over thirty years ago.   I saw The CB and TM in liverpool in about 1969 and still cherish the memory, Tommy's 'Butcher Boy' still a gem especially. Really saddened too to hear of his illness.

I remember seeing the reunion concert on tape and noticing that I never actually heard Tom Clancy's vocals at any time on the recording although he appeared to be singing in the group choruses, probably miming. I assumed he was ill (he looked ill) and the group were covering for him to make the concert happen. Made me feel very sad. Would love to hear from someone that he did actually sing at that concert

My brother and I still meet up once or twice a year and at the end of the night when the guitar comes out usually end up singing just the entire Carnegie Hall album through from memory, shelakaboukee (sp)and all, for the memory.

Heading for the record cabinet...

Chris

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: curmudgeon
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 05:13 PM

This is the perfect thread for this news item -- Tom

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Michael in Swansea
Date: 28 Sep 06 - 05:27 PM

I've taught shelakashelakabououkee to a couple of my friends and colleagues in the office and they've loved it - thanks GUEST Seaking for reminding me of it, (how could I forget such a "classic"?). Why don't you join our happy throng?
Going back to my earlier post, do any 'Catter's know a CB freak by the name of Mike Gill? Failing that, there may be something coming soon in the auction.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: JJ
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 08:29 AM

In the 1960s, the Clancy Brothers recorded 14 albums for Columbia, all but the last two with Tommy Makem. (Bobby Clancy was on those two.)

Amazon.com shows 77 entries for the Clancy Brothers, but almost all of them are collections. Only four or five of the original Columbia LPs are available in their original state.

A two-LP-per-CD reissue might go over very well...

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Beachcomber
Date: 29 Sep 06 - 07:43 PM

It may be of interest to some 'catters also to know that Bobby's Son Finbarr is following in his father's footsteps . He sings and plays Banjo and Guitar just like his late Dad did. Paddy's son and , I hear, another nephew (as well as Robbie O'Connell)are also performing here in Ireland and in the US.
Paddy, Liam and Tom's sister Peg - who recorded with Bobby in the late 50s -early 60s has had a fine acting career, both as an amateur and later, a professional. She had a role in Fair City , the RTE "Soap". Bobby's eldest daughter , Roisin, lives in Wales and is, I believe, doing some acting too.
Yes, they had a profound effect on the popularisation of Irish Ballads , even though (Thanks to the late Ciaran MacMathuna) it was their American recordings that introduced them to Irish audiences.
The only concert of theirs that I had the good fortune to attend was in Cork Opera House back around 1966/7 . They ran on stage and burst immediately into song (I think it was " Kelly-the boy from Killane") but in any event they were electrifyng. The concert ran way overtime and - we were hooked.
How sad to hear of Makem's ill-health, Please God he will recover.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 06:33 AM

Liam's son Donal is also a major artist in the genre. He is a master guitar, bouzouki and mandolin player. He appeared with Liam and Robbie O'Connell on two albums under the name Clancy,O'Connell and Clancy. He was a founding member of the band Danu, and was also a member of Solas. He has finally just released his first solo album "Close to Home". Check him out.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Guest redfred
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 07:37 PM

Beachcomber: To my knowledge, Ciarán MacMathúna is alive and kicking - or did I miss something? I know that, sadly, he has quit his Sunday morning "Mo Cheol Thú".
I also remember Liam Clancy introducing Seosam Ó hÉanaigh to a Dublin audience in the now disappeared Grafton Cinema. I doubt that many in the audience would have paid to go to see him, but because Liam Clancy introduced him, they sat and listened to his Anach Cuan and you could have heard the proverbial pin drop.
At this stage, I find their stuff a bit corny and pretentious, but in its day, I loved it. They certainly helped make Irish music more accepted in Ireland in the 60s.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,LDB
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 08:55 PM

There are several of the Clancy Brothers CD's and I believe DVD's available from Rediscover Music.

Go to:

www.rediscovermusic.com

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Big Mick
Date: 30 Sep 06 - 09:03 PM

I believe that anything that is out there is available through Dick Greenhaus at Camsco Music. Purchasing through Camsco not only helps Dick keep this music source available, but he contributes to Mudcat for each sale. Be sure and indicate you are a Mudcatter.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Seaking
Date: 01 Oct 06 - 06:24 AM

I tried the Camsco Music link and got this message:

501 Not Implemented
Cannot do POST is supported via CGI/API programs only. with this URL /cgi-shl/webfind.exe.
Most likely, this was an attempt to execute a CGI program located in an area not configured to hold executable CGI programs. Please contact the server administrator at [e-mail] to correct the problem. Please save this error message.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,beachcomber
Date: 01 Oct 06 - 04:34 PM

Jeeeeez guest Redfred, I sincerely hope I havn't started another of those   "Is he/isn't he ?" threads about Ciaran MacMathuna. I doremember that Liam Clancy suffered some such a few years ago. (He recently "filled in" for Paddy Reilly at a concert so at least I can be sure that Liam is still with us.)

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Maxine
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 12:20 PM

Hello all

Just back from a trip to Killarney, County Kerry. I had to let you know about this chap, Pat Kelleher, we watched him perform at Danny Mann's and it really was quite lovely, what a voice and such feeling in every song. He and Dan O'Sullivan perform as a Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem Tribute duo - Dan O'Sullivan unwell at the time so only Pat performed. If you ever get a chance to see him (or even just go to Ireland) go for it!

Pat Kelleher

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,Peter Carr...[www.picturedrome.net]
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 12:04 PM

Sorry to intrude on your thread...I was force fed The Clancy Brothers as a young lad by my mum [Angela Cassiddy of Ardlougher]..and its stuck...iiss there anywhere that I can buy the complete works of The Clancy Brothers or even the best of..without going online..I want to go into a shop idealy in Huddersfield [west yorks]and but the music..for my mums birthday on the 12 of next month...Hope someone can help..PC

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 12:15 PM

The Complete Works?
Well now, if you must dream, it might as well be in colour, Peter.
On-line is fairly safe now but I'm sure you have reasons for not wanting to do that.
I'll have a look on the net, when the kid's having her nap, and see what would qualify as "The Complete Works". (about 4 hours from now)
In the meantime, someone else may already have the answer.
And you're not intruding on any one's thread. Only "Meself" does that.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,PC
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 12:18 PM

I'd be very gratefull.........any relation to Alan ? [two L's]

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 12:36 PM

The CAMSCO URL has been changed from camsco.com to camscomusic,com
The website is in the midsat of a complete upheaval--If you wat to reach me, the E-mail is now [e-mail]; the pjone number is still 800/548-FOLK (3655).

And I carry lots of the Clancys recordings.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 01:59 PM

Dick Greenhaus probably has as good an answer as any, PC. As for the name "Jim Lad", I just use that because I'm really famous and stuff.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 02:58 PM

Try this Complete Collection . Even if you don't buy them on the internet, you now know what to order through the record shop.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 02:59 PM

Mind you, I don't see the Carnegie Hall one there!

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: PoppaGator
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 03:49 PM

Tommy Makem has his own MySpace page:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=52712850

Surprised?

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 03:51 PM

No. I knew about that. Any news?

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 04:19 PM

Boys, you've gotta get up pretty early to get the jump on Jim Lad!

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 05:07 PM

Oh, you're up then?

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 05:13 PM

Speaking of, Meself, if you care to go up the list a wee bit, you'll see that I had a wee dig at you before you got up!

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,meself
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 05:35 PM

Hmmph! I hereby take back all those nice things I've said about you. And the next time I'm talking to the Clancys, I'll tell them so.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: Jim Lad
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 06:14 PM

Might be sooner than you think.
All they ever do is my stuff, anyway.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: emjay
Date: 20 Oct 07 - 03:45 PM

For some reason I have been reading through all the threads about the
Clancys and Tommy Makem and had to stop and go put an old VHS of the reunion concert on and this time, to make sure I don't wear it out, I am copying it to a dvd.
Wonderful music. What singers, what performers. We'll be on the cruise with Liam Clancy again next January. We have resolved to never again miss a chance to see any of them in person, and sadly, Liam is the last. Thank goodness for the next generation of Makems and Clancys who are keeping the tradition alive.

Subject: RE: The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK
Date: 26 Feb 24 - 02:38 PM

Been pondering this myself, and found this thread -

I, to, also often find their output too polished, and too mannered - their sound sometimes recalls the textures of group singing as found in Hollywood movies of the 1950s.

To my ears, Lou Killen tends to add a bit more grit to their sound - Tommy Makem seems to get subsumed within the polish of the wider Clancy sound

Full respect for them bringing the songs to wider ears, though