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Black 47

 
Artist: Black 47
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Black 47

Group Members:

Fred Parcells, Larry Kirwan, Thomas Hamlin, Chris Byrne, Geoffrey Blythe, Andrew Goodsight, David Conrad, Kevin Jenkins

Similar Artists:

Flogging Molly, Great Big Sea, Tom Cochrane, Tears for Fears, Talking Heads, Hothouse Flowers, Crowded House, Billy Bragg

Influenced By:

Run-D.M.C., Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, The Pogues

Followers:

Damien Dempsey

Performed Songs By:

Larry Kirwan
See Black 47 Lyrics
  • Formed: 1990
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Fire of Freedom," "Black 47," "Live in New York City"

Biography

Black 47 (a name deriving from the year 1847, the blackest year of the Irish potato famine) is a New York-based band made up of Irish expatriates and led by songwriter/playwright Larry Kirwan. In addition to Kirwan (vocals, guitar), the band consists of Chris Byrne (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, vocals), Fred Parcells (trombone, tin whistle, vocals), Jeff Blythe (saxophone), Thomas Hamlin (percussion), and David Conrad (bass). Black 47 plays a mixture of traditional Celtic folk music, rock & roll, rap, and reggae, all topped by the idiosyncratic songwriting and persona of Kirwan. While playing a residency at the Irish pub Paddy Reilly's in Manhattan, the group released its debut album, Black 47, on its own BLK label in 1992, and then was signed to SBK/EMI, which issued a five-song EP, also called Black 47, in November 1992, and a critically acclaimed major-label debut album, Fire of Freedom, in March 1993. Black 47 toured extensively in 1993 and 1994 and released its second album, Home of the Brave, in October 1994. Like Fire of Freedom, Home of the Brave received good reviews but it was ignored in the marketplace. For 1996's Green Suede Shoes, Black 47 moved to Mercury, yet the album made no impact, either critically or commercially. Trouble in the Land followed in early 2000. Byrne left the group after the album's release to concentrate on his work with the Celtic folk group Seanchai. Black 47 continued on without Byrne, releasing a live set, titled On Fire, in 2001 followed by New York Town in 2004. In 2005, the group released Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes a companion piece to bandleader Larry Kirwin's memoir Green Suede Shoes : An Irish-American Odyssey. The politically charged Iraq appeared in 2008. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Black 47
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
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 This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)
Black 47
Origin United States
Genres Rock, Celtic punk, Celtic rock
Years active 1989–present
Labels EMI, Mercury, Shanachie, Tim Kerr[1]
Website black47.com
Members
Geoffrey Blythe
Thomas Hamlin
Larry Kirwan
Joseph Mulvanerty
Fred Parcells
Joe Burcaw
Former members
Chris Byrne
Andrew Goodsight

Based in New York City, Black 47 is a Celtic rock band made up of Irish expatriates, formed in the Bronx by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne in 1989. Their name is derived from 1847, the worst year of the Great Irish Famine.

Contents

History

Black 47 began as a two-piece with Larry Kirwan on vocals and electric guitar and Chris Byrne on whistles. Their first performance was in the Bronx on October 2, 1989. During the first year a horn section was added with Fred Parcells on trombone and Geoffrey Blythe on saxophones. Later they were joined by Thomas Hamlin on drums.

In 1991 the band released an eponymous independent album.

The Cars' Ric Ocasek produced "Fire of Freedom" their first major label release in 1993. "Home of the Brave" followed in 1994 with Jerry Harrison serving as producer. In 1996 the band shifted from EMI to Mercury Records. They released "Green Suede Shoes".

In their tenth year together, Black 47 released a limited edition compilation "Ten Bloody Years" and their first live recording "Live In New York City" which took place in the now defunct Wetlands nightclub.

In 2000, founding member Chris Byrne left the band to focus on his solo music project Seanchaí and the Unity Squad.

Black 47 have made television appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Gay Byrne's Late Late Show in Ireland.

Discography

  • 1989 - Home of the Brave/Live in London
  • 1991 - Black 47
  • 1992 - Black 47 (EP)
  • 1993 - Fire of Freedom
  • 1994 - Home of the Brave
  • 1996 - Green Suede Shoes
  • 1999 - Live in New York City
  • 2000 - Trouble in the Land
  • 2001 - On Fire (live)
  • 2004 - New York Town
  • 2005 - Elvis Murphys' Green Suede Shoes
  • 2006 - Bittersweet Sixteen (popular songs & rarities collection)
  • 2008 - Iraq

Band members

  • Geoffrey Blythe : tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet
  • Joe Burcaw : bass, vocals
  • Thomas Hamlin : drums, percussion
  • Larry Kirwan : lead vocals, guitar
  • Joseph Mulvanerty : uilleann pipes, flute, bodhrán
  • Fred Parcells : trombone, tin whistle

Early members

  • Chris Byrne : uilleann pipes, tin whistle, bodhrán and vocals (1989-2000)
  • David Conrad : bass (1991-1993)
  • Kevin Jenkins : bass (1993-1995)
  • Andrew Goodsight: bass (1995-2006)
  1. ^ http://www.geocities.com//patmil007/5832.jpg

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Black 47".  Read more

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