Conor Murray

3 1/2 stars: Good

From the back cover: You will be taken on an 80 year journey from their upbringing in tmid 20th century Ireland to when they went on to great fame and fortune in America and Ireland in the 1960s, quickly becoming the most famous four Irishmen in the world, even topping the BEatles on the charts at various points. They were the band President Kennedy praised on numerous occasions and Bob Dylan referred to Liam Clancy as "the best ballad singer I'd ever heard in my life." Along with their friend Tommy Makem, the original lineup of Paddy, Tom, and Liam Clancy formed in 1956. They took the world by storm on an unprecedented 18 months appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1961. They were signed by Columbia Records immediately and released numerous best selling albums and singles over the next 10 years ."

I knew very little about the Clancy's, beyond the records my parents played for me and I still own. They were the first musical group/ concert I ever went to, at my future high school's auditorium with my mom. Reading this book was partly informative, but a big bit of nostalgia as well. I enjoyed it quite well. It's choc full of photographs and information.

A few anecdotes that stuck with me:

"Their early fame caught the notice and fascination of one aspiring musician in Greenwich Village named Robert Zimmerman. It was Paddy who introduced Zimmerman to the folk scene in Greenwhich Village. He got a call from his agent who said 'I've got this guy coming out, can you show him the ropes?" So the next day this kid [Bob Dylan] showed up on his doorstep and Paddy brought him out and introduced him to all the folk clubs and he got to show him a few things.

Once Zimmerman got to know the Clancys and Tommy Makem, he literally followed them everywhere they performed in the NY area. Zimmerman enjoyed Liam's company especially and the two became good friends after he and the brothers got used to this strange fellow who always seemed to be "dancing around on the balls of his toes". The inspiration the Clancy's gave Ziimmerman was so tremendous that he even wrote his early tunes to the songs that the Clancy Brothers would sing, such as'With God on our Side" a reworking of Liam's solo song "The Patriot Game" and "Ramblin Gamblin Willie" after "Brennan on the Moor". Zimmerman claimed he would be as big as the Clancy's some day....

In addition to their music, their ARan sweaters had become so popular that some say it single handedly revived the woolen knitting industry in Ireland. So synonymous were the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with Aran sweaters that they were approached by a big time clothing manufacturer with an offer of $250,000 up front to use their names and lieknesses to sell sweaters. They decided to refuse the offer for the simple reason that they 'were already making more money than we know what to do with" and there were poor people on the Aran Islands and other areas of Ireland making their small incomes making the sweaters themselves. The boys didn't want to put them out of business. So the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, without regrets, declined the golden offer.

[When Dylan was putting together a 30th anniversary tribute concert in 1992] Dylan hand picked the groups who would perform. One of the groups chosen was the Clancy Brothers and their old pal Tommy Makem. Liam was six years older than Dylan and had been one of this close friends in the 60s. DYlan said of Liam "I had never heard a singer as good as Liam ever. He was just the best ballad singer I'd ever heard in my life. Still is, probably. I don't think I can think of anyone who's a better ballad singer than Liam." Paddy had gotten Dylan his first gig playing harmonica as an opening act in the early 1960s. Dylan never forgot that and he wrote a song inspired by the adventure.… (más)