Born: May 19, 1947, Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ir
Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s
Genres: Celtic
Instrument: Vocals, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic)
Representative Albums: "Trick or Treat," "Nobody Knows: The Best of Paul Brady," "The Gathering"
Representative Songs: "The Island," "Nothing But the Same Old Stor," "Crazy Dreams"
Biography
Talented and prolific singer Paul Brady has enjoyed a career that has seen him pass through several major bands and on to a successful solo phase. He began performing as a hotel piano player in Donegal, Ireland at the age of sixteen and graduated to being guitarist, during the 1960s, in two rhythm and blues bands: Rockhouse and the Cult. There followed a stint with the Johnstons as a guitarist and singer that ended in 1974, and a shorter one with Planxty that saw Brady touring extensively but recording no albums. In 1976, Brady recorded an album with Andy Irvine that he now regards as his best. Welcome Here Kind Stranger, released in 1978 was the summation of his interest in Irish music and was followed in 1981 by the appropriately named Hard Station, Brady's engagement with commercial rock. From here, Brady recorded a slew of albums and collaborated with Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson. His career was ressurrected somewhat when Compass signed him to a deal and reissued his catalog in the new millennium. The impressive collaboration on Oh What A World pushed Brady back into the limelight in 2000. The following year, he issued the Rykodisc collection Nobody Knows: The Best of Paul Brady for Compass. Popularity soared for Brady. The Liberty Tapes, issued in spring 2002, captured a 1978 show at Liberty Hall. Liberty Hall was supreme for local acoustic gigs as well as playing host to the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in Dublin. ~ Leon Jackson, All Music Guide
During his time at college in Dublin, the country saw a huge rise in interest in traditional Irish music. Brady joined the popular Irish band The Johnstons when Michael Johnston left. They moved to London, UK in 1969 and subsequently to New York City in 1972 to expand their audience. Despite some success, Brady returned to Ireland in 1974 to join the Irish group Planxty. This was the band that was to launch the solo careers of Andy Irvine, Liam O'Flynn, Dónal Lunny and Christy Moore. Planxty dissolved and from 1976 to 1978 he played as a duo with Andy Irvine, a relationship which produced Andy Irvine and Paul Brady. The album was hugely successful and garnered much critical acclaim. The next few years saw him establish his popularity and reputation as one of Ireland's best interpreters of traditional songs. His versions of ballads like "Arthur McBride" and "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" were considered as definitive and are still popular at concerts today.
Solo career
In 1978, Brady released his first solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger. It won him critical acclaim and it was awarded the Melody maker Folk Album of the Year, however, it would prove to be Brady's last album with traditional material. He decided to delve into pop and rock music, and released his first album of this genre in 1981, Hard Station. The completely self-penned record received mixed reviews, some fans of his older traditional material were not convinced, while the majority recognised his great talent of writing rock music. Brady released a number of successful solo albums throughout the 1980s, True For You (1983), Back to the Centre (1985), Primitive Dance (1987). By the end of the decade, Brady was recognised and accepted as a respected performer and songwriter. His songs were being covered by a number of other artists, including Santana and Dave Edmunds. He wrote "Paradise Is Here" especially for Tina Turner's Break Every Rule album of 1986 and was a favourite songwriter among such artists as Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt, who would do a duet with Brady on his 1991LP, Trick or Treat. Brady, in turn, wrote a couple of songs for Raitt's album Luck of the Draw, including the title track.
Brady released two albums in the 1990sTrick or Treat and Spirits Colliding. They were met with critical acclaim. Trick or Treat was not his first solo album, but it was his first for a major label, Fontana/Mercury Records, and received a lot of promotion. As a result, most critics considered it his debut and noted that the record benefited from the expertise of experienced studio musicians as well as producerGary Katz, who worked with the rock group Steely Dan. Rolling Stone, after praising Brady's earlier but little-known solo efforts, called Trick or Treat Brady's "most compelling collection."
Brady went on to record several other albums and collaborated with Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson. In 2006 he collaborated with Cara Dillon on the track "The Streets of Derry" from her album After the Morning. He has also worked with Fiachra Trench.
