Tommy Makem was born 82 years ago today. An internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller, Maken was a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked five-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone. He was sometimes known as The Bard of Armagh (taken from a traditional song of the same name) and The Godfather of Irish Music.” Makem emigrated to the United States in 1955, carrying his few possessions and a set of bagpipes (from his time in a pipe band). Arriving in Dover, New Hampshire, he worked at Kidder Press, where in 1956 his hand was accidentally crushed by a press. With his arm in a sling, he left Dover for New York to pursue an acting career. The Clancys and Makem were signed to Columbia Records in 1961. The same year, at the Newport Folk Festival, Makem and Joan Baez were named the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene. During the 1960s, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed sellout concerts at such venues as Carnegie Hall, and made television appearances on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. The group performed for President Kennedy. They also played in smaller venues such as the Gate of Horn in Chicago. They appeared jointly in the UK Albums Chart in April 1966, when Isnt It Grand Boys reached number 22. Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career. In 1975, he and Liam Clancy were both booked to play a folk festival in Cleveland, Ohio, and were persuaded to do a set together. Thereafter they often performed as Makem and Clancy, recording several albums together. At a concert in 1977, Tommy noticed an audience member having a good time and exclaimed, What have you been smoking? Good whatever you have, pass it around to the rest of them well all get goin! He once again went solo in 1988. Throughout the 70s and 80s Makem performed both solo and with Liam Clancy on The Irish Rovers various television shows, which were filming both in Canada and Ireland. In the 1980-90s, Makem was a principal in a well-known Irish music venue in New York City, Tommy Makems Irish Pavilion. This East 57th Street club was a prominent and well-loved performance spot for a wide range of musicians. Among the performers and visitors were Paddy Reilly, Joe Burke and Ronnie Gilbert. Makem was a regular performer, often solo and often as part of Makem & Clancy, particularly in the late fall and holiday season. The club was also used for warm-up performances in the weeks before the 1984 reunion concert of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Lincoln Center. In addition, the after-party for Bob Dylans legendary 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden in 1992 was held at the Irish Pavilion. In 1997 he wrote a book, Tommy Makems Secret Ireland, and in 1999 premiered his own one-man theatre show, Invasions and Legacies, in New York. His career includes various other acting, video, composition and writing credits. He also established the Tommy Makem International Festival of Song in South Armagh in 2000. Makem died in Dover, New Hampshire on August 1, 2007 at age 74, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He continued to record and perform until very close to the end. Paying tribute to him after his death, Liam Clancy said, He was my brother in every way.” Here, Makem in concert in 1973.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 11:51:12 +0000
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