Irish showband: Difference between revisions
Undid revision 1207910083 by 93.95.87.46 (talk) |
shortened + simplified lead section |
||
(26 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
| current_year = |
| current_year = |
||
}} |
}} |
||
The '''Irish Showband''' ({{Lang-ga|seó-bhanna}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.meoneile.ie/sraitheanna/saol-na-seo-bhanna|title=Saol na seó-bhanna < Meon Eile|website=www.meoneile.ie}}</ref> was a dance band format popular in [[Ireland]] from the |
The '''Irish Showband''' ({{Lang-ga|seó-bhanna}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.meoneile.ie/sraitheanna/saol-na-seo-bhanna|title=Saol na seó-bhanna < Meon Eile|website=www.meoneile.ie}}</ref> was a dance band format popular in [[Ireland]] from the 1950s to the 1980s, with its peak in the 1960s. These bands typically featured seven to ten members, including a rhythm section, a brass section with various combinations of [[trumpet]], [[saxophone]], and [[trombone]], and were fronted by lead singers, sometimes engaging in comedy skits. Their repertoire spanned [[rock and roll]], [[country and western]], [[dixieland jazz]], big band tunes, Irish [[Cèilidh|Céilí]] dances, Latin, folk, and more. Showbands were noted for their live energy, chart-topping covers, and sometimes choreographed performances. Originally touring within Ireland, successful bands later performed in Britain, the US, Canada, and on the German nightclub circuit and U.S. military bases in Europe. |
||
The performer line-up varied, but usually featured a rhythm section of [[drums]], lead guitar, rhythm and [[bass guitar]], a [[keyboard instrument]] (in later years), and a [[brass section]] of [[trumpet]], [[saxophone]] (altor/tenor) and [[trombone]], the most popular combination. Other brass combinations included two tenor saxophones, tenor & baritone saxophone, two tenor saxophones & trombone, trumpet & alto/tennor & baritone saxophone, two trumpets, two trumpets & trombone, two trumpets & saxophone. The saxophone players may have doubled on clarinet or straight soprano saxophone, and some alto/tennor players doubled on baritone saxophone. The band was fronted by one or two lead singers, who were assisted by other band members on backing vocals. Comedy routines were sometimes featured. The Irish showband, unlike the [[big band]], played while standing.<ref name="stamps" /> Members would often perform choreographed dance steps in the manner of [[Bill Haley & His Comets]] or a black soul band, which brought more energy to the performance. Initially, the bands' tours were limited to Irish venues. As the scene progressed, the more successful bands toured Irish clubs in Britain, usually during Lent (Religious event) when most ballrooms in Ireland were closed for seven weeks, and some performed in the United States and Canada. Some later rock- and soul-oriented showbands toured the German nightclub circuit and clubs on U.S. military bases in Europe. |
|||
== History == |
== History == |
||
=== 1940s–1950s: Big Band Era === |
=== 1940s–1950s: Big Band Era === |
||
In the 1940s and 1950s "orchestras" were popular in Ireland. These were dance bands usually with ten to fifteen musicians, and sometimes more. They wore dress suits and [[Bow tie|dickey bows]]. Often there would be a community brass band based in the town where the orchestra came from and the orchestra members would have learned to play instruments in this brass band. They sat down and read sheet music from stands. |
In the 1940s and 1950s "orchestras" were popular in Ireland. These were dance bands usually with ten to fifteen musicians, and sometimes more. They wore dress suits and [[Bow tie|dickey bows]]. Often there would be a community brass band based in the town where the orchestra came from and the orchestra members would have learned to play instruments in this brass band. They sat down and read sheet music from stands. |
||
Many of them took the format of American [[big band]]s from the 1940s, such as the [[Glenn Miller Orchestra]], Tommy Dorsey and later on Billy Vaughn, Herb Alpert & His Tijuana Brass also Canadian band Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians, and UK based orchestra & dance bands such as Geraldo (bandleader), Edmundo Ros, Joe Loss, Victor Silvester, Jack Payne (bandleader), Ted Heath (bandleader), Eddie Calvert (Trumpet instrumentals), Freddy Randall (Trumpeter & Jazz band leader). |
|||
Instrumental music was to the fore providing the backdrop to a long night's dancing which could be up to five hours long or more (e.g., 9 PM to 2 AM). |
Instrumental music was to the fore providing the backdrop to a long night's dancing which could be up to five hours long or more (e.g., 9 PM to 2 AM). |
||
⚫ | Amplification was limited in the early days, just one microphone was used so the vocalist could be heard above the large band. As technology improved and became more available, the bands started using it, using more microphones for each section alongside more powerful amplifiers and larger loudspeakers. |
||
Popular orchestras and dance bands in Ireland at the time were those of Maurice Mulcahy and Jimmy Wiley both from [[Mitchelstown]] and Pat Crowley from Cork. Hugh Toorish & The Carlton Dance Orchestra from Strabane, Co Tyrone. Johnny Butler, Chick Smith, Ralph Silvester and Tommy O'Brien from Dublin. The Flying Carlton, Paddy Kearns (Kierans) and George Duffy from Drogheda, Co. Louth. Mick Delahunty from [[Clonmel]] Co. Tipperary, Des Fretwell from Galway. Brose Walsh (from [[Castlebar]]), and Jack Ruane (from [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]]), Dave Dixon from Clones, Co. Monaghan, Dave Glover from Belfast, Co Antrim. Jimmy Rohan, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Johnny McMahon from Limerick. |
|||
Amplification was limited in the early days, just one microphone and |
|||
⚫ | |||
When the showbands became popular and were drawing crowds of 1,000 to 4,000 people per night, and it was getting harder to be heard,sound technology wasn't readily available off the shelf for these size crowds. People with some knowledge and who saw the need started making more powerful amplifiers and loudspeakers e.g. Hurley Crazy Boxes and Giant Boxes (Loudspeakers) (Dermot Hurley) and later Marmac PA amplifiers/speakers/guitar amplifiers (Co. Sligo). A common set up of an average showband was a 100 watt Philips or Selmer PA amplifier and two Hurley Crazy Box loudspeakers. A common setup of a well to do showband was a 200 watt Dynachord PA amplifier, two Hurley Giant Box loudspeakers and a Binson echo chamber. Joe O'Neill was a very well known supplier of public address equipment in Glenamaddy, Co. Galway. |
|||
=== Big bands turn into showbands === |
=== Big bands turn into showbands === |
||
Line 45: | Line 37: | ||
There were a few bands that changed their name from dance bands and orchestras to 'Bandshow' before calling themselves 'Showbands'. For example, The Jimmy Wiley Orchestra changed its name to The Jimmy Wiley Bandshow and then to The Jimmy Wiley Showband. |
There were a few bands that changed their name from dance bands and orchestras to 'Bandshow' before calling themselves 'Showbands'. For example, The Jimmy Wiley Orchestra changed its name to The Jimmy Wiley Bandshow and then to The Jimmy Wiley Showband. |
||
⚫ | Strabane's Clipper Carlton are credited with being the first to incorporate a 'show' in the middle of their act |
||
Dave Glover renamed his group to the Dave Glover Showband in 1955, pioneering the use of the word "showband"; he chose the name because he wanted to indicate that their act incorporated both music and skits. |
Dave Glover renamed his group to the Dave Glover Showband in 1955, pioneering the use of the word "showband"; he chose the name because he wanted to indicate that their act incorporated both music and skits. |
||
⚫ | Strabane's Clipper Carlton are credited with being the first to incorporate a 'show' in the middle of their act, 'Duke Box Saturday Night' where they imitated the hits and singers of the day. Fronted by Fergus O'Hagan, they were originally a touring Dance Orchestra. They later became popular in Britain and on the U.S. and Canadian Irish club circuit. |
||
=== Showbands === |
=== Showbands === |
||
[[Brendan Bowyer]], Tom Dunphy and the Royal Showband from [[Waterford]] toured professionally around 1958, and became a crowd-drawing success. They were managed by the promoter T.J. Byrne and were the first such band to have a record enter the Irish charts, "Katie Daly", sung by Dunphy. Soon after, Brendan Bowyer had a hit with "Kiss Me Quick", a song taken from an Elvis Presley album |
[[Brendan Bowyer]], Tom Dunphy and the Royal Showband from [[Waterford]] toured professionally around 1958, and became a crowd-drawing success. They were managed by the promoter T.J. Byrne and were the first such band to have a record enter the Irish charts, "Katie Daly", sung by Dunphy. Soon after, Brendan Bowyer had a hit with "Kiss Me Quick", a song taken from an Elvis Presley album. Many would consider Brendan Bowyer to be the King of the Showband era, not least of which was due to his powerful & fantastic voice, handsome good looks coupled with his energetic dance moves on stage. |
||
The Capitol Showband released the first showband L.P. record in 1962, 'Presenting Ireland's Premier Showband, Envoy Records, VOY 9144. |
The Capitol Showband released the first showband L.P. record in 1962, 'Presenting Ireland's Premier Showband, Envoy Records, VOY 9144. |
||
Some other hit records of the time would have been: |
|||
Fallen Star & I Gave My Wedding Dress Away 1964 : Eileen Reid & the Cadets. |
|||
From The Candy Store On The Corner 1964 : Dickie Rock & The Miami. |
|||
She Wears My Ring 1964 : Sean Fagan & The Pacific. |
|||
[[The Hucklebuck]] 1965 : Brendan Bowyer & The Royal Showband. |
|||
[[Walking The Streets In The Rain]] 1965 : Butch Moore & The Capitol. |
|||
Old Man Trouble 1966 : Doc Carroll & The Royal Blues. |
|||
[[Lovely Leitrim]] 1966 : Larry Cunningham & The Mighty Avons. |
|||
The Merry Ploughboy 1966 : Dermot O'Brien & The Clubmen. |
|||
Gentle Mother 1967 : Big Tom & The Mainliners. |
|||
Simon Says 1968 : Dickie Rock & The Miami. |
|||
[[Little Arrows]] 1968 : Brendan O'Brien & the Dixies. |
|||
[[When We Were Young]] 1971 : Pat Lynch & The Airchords. |
|||
[[One Day at a Time (song)|One Day at a Time]] 1977 : Gloria. |
|||
[[The Freshmen (band)|The Freshmen]] from Ballymena, Antrim, led by [[Billy Brown (Irish musician)|Billy Brown]] and Derek Dean, combined to produce harmonies on their covers of hits by [[The Beach Boys]] and [[Jan and Dean]]. |
[[The Freshmen (band)|The Freshmen]] from Ballymena, Antrim, led by [[Billy Brown (Irish musician)|Billy Brown]] and Derek Dean, combined to produce harmonies on their covers of hits by [[The Beach Boys]] and [[Jan and Dean]]. |
||
Line 75: | Line 52: | ||
[[Dickie Rock]] performed mainly big ballads. First singing with Dublin's Strykers, Blackbirds, Echoes and Melochords, he became a star with [[The Miami Showband]], and later represented Ireland in the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] in 1966. |
[[Dickie Rock]] performed mainly big ballads. First singing with Dublin's Strykers, Blackbirds, Echoes and Melochords, he became a star with [[The Miami Showband]], and later represented Ireland in the [[Eurovision Song Contest]] in 1966. |
||
At its height in the mid-1960s, there were as many as 800 full and part-time bands travelling the country.<ref name="stamps" /> The business as a whole employed many thousands of musicians, support staff and managers. |
At its height in the mid-1960s, there were as many as 800 full and part-time bands travelling the country.<ref name="stamps" /> The business as a whole employed many thousands of musicians, support staff and managers. |
||
Other popular showbands included Sonny Knowles/Sean Fagan & The Pacific, Butch Moore & The Capitol, Eileen Reid/Gregory & The Cadets, Sean Dunphy/Earl Gill & The Hoedowners, Jim Farley, The Indians formerly known as The Casino, Dickie Rock & The Miami, Tony Kenny & The Sands from Dublin. Pat Lynch (Cork) & The Airchords from Dublin. Joe Dolan & The Drifters from Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. Brendan O'Brien & The Dixies, Declan Ryan & The Regal, Art Supple & The Victors (Youghal), Michael O' Callaghan (Buttevant), Maurice Mulcahy (Mitchelstown), Jimmy Wiley (Mitchelstown), The Top Ten Big Band (Mitchelstown), Gina/Dale Haze & The Champions (Ballycotton) from Cork. The Woodpeckers (Dundalk), Dermot O'Brien & The Clubmen (Ardee), Co. Louth. Swingtime Aces and Johnny Flynn from Co. Galway. Donie Collins from Askeaton, Co. Limerick. Maurice Lynch, Finnavons, Gerry Black & The Seasons, Big Tom & The Mainliners from Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan. The Premier Aces from Ballintubber, Co. Roscommon. The Plattermen from Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Dave Glover from Belfast, Co. Antrim. Jack Ruane Junior from (Ballina), Doc Carroll & The Royal Blues from (Claremorris), Co. Mayo. Larry Cunningham & The Mighty Avons from Granard, Co. Longford. The Nevada Showband, from Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Jack Hanley (Templemore), The Cowboys (Carrick-on-suir), Mick Delahunty Junior (Clonmel) from Co. Tipperary. The Hilton from Newry, Co. Down. The Jim Cantwell Big Band from Kilkenny. |
|||
=== Embracing rock and soul === |
=== Embracing rock and soul === |
||
A second wave of bands emerged in the late sixties and early seventies with personnel coming mostly from the beat-groups scene. They young proponents of a [[Rock music|rock]], [[blues]] and [[Soul music|soul]] style. These bands included The Dreams, The Real McCoy, The Arrows and The Chessmen. They were most popular in urban areas, while [[Country music|Country and Western]] leaning bands were generally more popular in the rural areas of the country. |
A second wave of bands emerged in the late sixties and early seventies with personnel coming mostly from the beat-groups scene. They young proponents of a [[Rock music|rock]], [[blues]] and [[Soul music|soul]] style. These bands included The Dreams, The Real McCoy, The Arrows and The Chessmen. They were most popular in urban areas, while [[Country music|Country and Western]] leaning bands were generally more popular in the rural areas of the country. [[Johnny McEvoy]] and [[Danny Doyle (singer)|Danny Doyle]] started out as folk singers but changed to showbands in the 70's. They subsequently returned to the folk scene after a relatively short period. |
||
[[Johnny McEvoy]] and [[Danny Doyle (singer)|Danny Doyle]] started out as folk singers but changed to showbands in the 70's (Danny Doyle formed a showband with Maxi) as that was the only way to make real money at the time. They subsequently went back to the folk scene after a relatively short period. |
|||
However, the hybrid genre 'country and Irish' with tales of loneliness, emigration and bereavement seemed to be what was wanted in some rural areas and bands like Big Tom and the Mainliners, [[Larry Cunningham]] and the Mighty Avons, Margo, [[Gloria (Irish singer)|Gloria]], [[Philomena Begley]], [[Susan McCann]], and [[Brendan Shine]] supplied it. |
|||
=== Decline of the showbands === |
=== Decline of the showbands === |
||
By the mid-1970s the phenomenon had peaked, and was in decline. A number of factors contributed to their drop in popularity, including the advent of upscale [[discothèque]], the opening of hotel music lounges and cabaret rooms |
By the mid-1970s the phenomenon had peaked, and was in decline. A number of factors contributed to their drop in popularity, including the advent of upscale [[discothèque]], the opening of hotel music lounges and cabaret rooms with alcohol licenses, and changing musical tastes. The big bands started employing smaller bands, known as relief bands, to play before them. People often stayed in the pub until the main band was about to come on stage. It got harder and harder to try and draw people out of the pubs and in to the ballrooms. Bands tried changing names and coming up with gimmicks to try to attract people. |
||
⚫ | Some of the bigger bands started demanding a guaranteed fee no matter what the attendance would be. Some even demanded a percentage of the door takings from the ballroom operator, the amount depending on how popular the band were. It became riskier for ballroom operators to run dances and make a profit with falling attendances and increased fee demands from bands. |
||
The big bands started employing smaller bands to play for the first two hours e.g. from 10pm to 12am. These were known as relief bands. |
|||
People often stayed in the pub until the main band was about to come on stage at e.g. 12am to 2am. It got harder and harder to try and draw people out of the pubs and in to the ballrooms. |
|||
Bands were changing names and coming up with gimmicks to try and attract people in such as The Casino Showband changed their name to The Indians, dressed up as American Red Indians, The CowBoys, dressed as American Cowboys, The Clowns, The Zulus, Tarzan and the Monkeys, The Black & White Dixie Minstrel show, The Pirates, The Farmer's Sons Showband. |
|||
⚫ | Some of the bigger bands started demanding a guaranteed fee no matter what the attendance would be. Some even demanded a percentage of the door takings from the ballroom operator, the amount |
||
In July 1975 members of the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] murdered three members of [[The Miami Showband]], Fran O'Toole, Tony Geraghty and Brian McCoy and wounded two others, Des McAlea and Stephen Travers. The killings, which occurred as the band was returning from a show in [[Banbridge]] in [[Northern Ireland]], became known as the [[Miami Showband killings]]. Cross-border band touring dropped significantly as a result and this also hastened the decline of the showbands. Of the bands that did not break up entirely, many reduced their numbers and revamped into small outfits playing locally.<ref>irishshowbands.net</ref> |
In July 1975 members of the [[Ulster Volunteer Force]] murdered three members of [[The Miami Showband]], Fran O'Toole, Tony Geraghty and Brian McCoy and wounded two others, Des McAlea and Stephen Travers. The killings, which occurred as the band was returning from a show in [[Banbridge]] in [[Northern Ireland]], became known as the [[Miami Showband killings]]. Cross-border band touring dropped significantly as a result and this also hastened the decline of the showbands. Of the bands that did not break up entirely, many reduced their numbers and revamped into small outfits playing locally.<ref>irishshowbands.net</ref> |
||
== Ballrooms and dance halls == |
== Ballrooms and dance halls == |
||
The city ballrooms were often purpose built and lavish. Many rural dance halls, on the other hand, were simple buildings at the edge of the town. Dance halls in smaller towns and villages would host a dance once or twice a month. The fans often travelled miles from the surrounding countryside to see their favourite band |
The city ballrooms were often purpose built and lavish. Many rural dance halls, on the other hand, were simple buildings at the edge of the town. Dance halls in smaller towns and villages would host a dance once or twice a month. The fans often travelled miles from the surrounding countryside to see their favourite band. |
||
A chain of venues in the [[Irish midlands|midlands]] was operated by [[Albert Reynolds]], who would later become [[Taoiseach]] of the Republic. Associated Ballrooms was owned by mining magnate Con Hynes. The Lucey brothers had large ballrooms in Cork. In the North East, the Adelphi ballroom, owned by Dee O'Kane and Jimmy Hamilton in Dundalk, attracted audiences from both sides of the border. Summer dancing was held in marquee tents during parish carnivals throughout the country. Mineral Bars dispensed hot beverages and soft drinks. Ballrooms and dance halls did not sell alcoholic beverages. Alcohol sales remained the prerogative of the local pub, who then began to build extensions onto pubs and operate their own disco or cabaret show. |
A chain of venues in the [[Irish midlands|midlands]] was operated by [[Albert Reynolds]], who would later become [[Taoiseach]] of the Republic. Associated Ballrooms was owned by mining magnate Con Hynes. The Lucey brothers had large ballrooms in Cork. In the North East, the Adelphi ballroom, owned by Dee O'Kane and Jimmy Hamilton in Dundalk, attracted audiences from both sides of the border. Summer dancing was held in marquee tents during parish carnivals throughout the country. Mineral Bars dispensed hot beverages and soft drinks. Ballrooms and dance halls did not sell alcoholic beverages. Alcohol sales remained the prerogative of the local pub, who then began to build extensions onto pubs and operate their own disco or cabaret show. |
||
Some of the ballrooms in Co. Cork would have been Red Barn and the Showboat in Youghal, The Majestic in Mallow, The Mayflower in Mitchelstown, The Top Hat in Fermoy, Anglum's Hall in Glanworth, The Lilac in Enniskeane, The Majorca in Crosshaven. |
|||
== Legacy == |
== Legacy == |
||
Line 110: | Line 75: | ||
The 2005 Irish [[TV movie]] ''Showbands'' and its 2006 sequel, ''Showbands II'', both starred [[Liam Cunningham]] as the manager of a struggling Irish showband in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=RTÉ Press Center: Showbands |url=https://presspack.rte.ie/2006/01/01/showbands/ |publisher=RTÉ |date=1 January 2006}}</ref> |
The 2005 Irish [[TV movie]] ''Showbands'' and its 2006 sequel, ''Showbands II'', both starred [[Liam Cunningham]] as the manager of a struggling Irish showband in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=RTÉ Press Center: Showbands |url=https://presspack.rte.ie/2006/01/01/showbands/ |publisher=RTÉ |date=1 January 2006}}</ref> |
||
Joe Dolan carried on as good as ever until his sudden death on 26th December 2007. |
|||
In 2010, Ireland's postal service, [[An Post]], issued a set of four [[commemorative stamp]]s depicting four of Ireland's biggest showbands: [[Joe Dolan|The Drifters]], [[The Freshmen (band)|The Freshmen]], [[The Miami Showband]] and [[Brendan Bowyer|The Royal Showband]]. An An Post spokesman said that the showbands "rocked Irish society from its [[Aftermath of World War II|postwar depression]]".<ref name="stamps">{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0923/1224279503717.html |title=Dancehall dynamos honoured on stamps |date=23 September 2010 |publisher=[[Irish Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026081635/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/dancehall-dynamos-honoured-on-stamps-1.654115 |archive-date=26 October 2016 }}</ref> |
In 2010, Ireland's postal service, [[An Post]], issued a set of four [[commemorative stamp]]s depicting four of Ireland's biggest showbands: [[Joe Dolan|The Drifters]], [[The Freshmen (band)|The Freshmen]], [[The Miami Showband]] and [[Brendan Bowyer|The Royal Showband]]. An An Post spokesman said that the showbands "rocked Irish society from its [[Aftermath of World War II|postwar depression]]".<ref name="stamps">{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0923/1224279503717.html |title=Dancehall dynamos honoured on stamps |date=23 September 2010 |publisher=[[Irish Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026081635/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/dancehall-dynamos-honoured-on-stamps-1.654115 |archive-date=26 October 2016 }}</ref> |
||
Line 117: | Line 80: | ||
In March 2019, [[Ardal O'Hanlon]] presented a [[BBC Four]] documentary about the showband phenomenon.<ref name="BBC Four 2019">{{cite episode| title= Showbands: How Ireland Learned to Party | series= Showbands: How Ireland Learned to Party |credits= Presenter: [[Ardal O'Hanlon]]| network= BBC| station= [[BBC Four]]| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00038lv/showbands-how-ireland-learned-to-party | airdate= 15 March 2019| access-date= 15 March 2019 }}</ref> |
In March 2019, [[Ardal O'Hanlon]] presented a [[BBC Four]] documentary about the showband phenomenon.<ref name="BBC Four 2019">{{cite episode| title= Showbands: How Ireland Learned to Party | series= Showbands: How Ireland Learned to Party |credits= Presenter: [[Ardal O'Hanlon]]| network= BBC| station= [[BBC Four]]| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00038lv/showbands-how-ireland-learned-to-party | airdate= 15 March 2019| access-date= 15 March 2019 }}</ref> |
||
⚫ | |||
Dickie Rock continued gigging until 2021 when at aged 84, hearing loss prevented him from continuing. |
|||
Johnny Carroll is celebrating 66 years in show business and his 80th birthday in 2023. Started with the Pioneer/Premier Aces in 1957 playing trumpet, aged just 13. He went on to play with Murphy & The Swallows and the Magic band and then had a solo career. He is known as the man with the golden trumpet. |
|||
=== Citations === |
|||
⚫ | |||
;Notes |
|||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
=== General References === |
|||
;Sources |
|||
* {{cite book|editor=W J McCormack |year=2001|title=The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture|publisher=[[Blackwell's]]|isbn=0-631-22817-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/blackwellcompani00mcco}} |
* {{cite book|editor=W J McCormack |year=2001|title=The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture|publisher=[[Blackwell's]]|isbn=0-631-22817-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/blackwellcompani00mcco}} |
||
*{{cite book|author=Finbar O'Keefe|year=2002|title=Goodnight, God Bless and Safe Home – The Golden Showband Era|publisher=[[The O'Brien Press]]|isbn=0-86278-777-7}} |
*{{cite book|author=Finbar O'Keefe|year=2002|title=Goodnight, God Bless and Safe Home – The Golden Showband Era|publisher=[[The O'Brien Press]]|isbn=0-86278-777-7}} |
Latest revision as of 11:32, 8 April 2024
![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2016) |
Irish showband | |
---|---|
Native name | seó-bhanna |
Stylistic origins | rock and roll, country and western, dixieland jazz, céilí Bigband |
Cultural origins | Ireland, 1950s–80s |
Typical instruments | drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboard instrument, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, clarinet. |
The Irish Showband (Irish: seó-bhanna)[1] was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the 1950s to the 1980s, with its peak in the 1960s. These bands typically featured seven to ten members, including a rhythm section, a brass section with various combinations of trumpet, saxophone, and trombone, and were fronted by lead singers, sometimes engaging in comedy skits. Their repertoire spanned rock and roll, country and western, dixieland jazz, big band tunes, Irish Céilí dances, Latin, folk, and more. Showbands were noted for their live energy, chart-topping covers, and sometimes choreographed performances. Originally touring within Ireland, successful bands later performed in Britain, the US, Canada, and on the German nightclub circuit and U.S. military bases in Europe.
History
[edit]1940s–1950s: Big Band Era
[edit]In the 1940s and 1950s "orchestras" were popular in Ireland. These were dance bands usually with ten to fifteen musicians, and sometimes more. They wore dress suits and dickey bows. Often there would be a community brass band based in the town where the orchestra came from and the orchestra members would have learned to play instruments in this brass band. They sat down and read sheet music from stands.
Instrumental music was to the fore providing the backdrop to a long night's dancing which could be up to five hours long or more (e.g., 9 PM to 2 AM).
Amplification was limited in the early days, just one microphone was used so the vocalist could be heard above the large band. As technology improved and became more available, the bands started using it, using more microphones for each section alongside more powerful amplifiers and larger loudspeakers.
Big bands turn into showbands
[edit]As singing and singers became more popular and instrumental tunes less popular, the orchestras downsized and morphed into showbands, going from eight or ten brass down to three or four brass. The Maurice Mulcahy Orchestra went from fifteen members, five saxophones, four trumpets, one trombone, rhythm section and a singer in the early sixties to ten members in the early seventies, which included two singers but still held five brass, four saxophones and one trumpet, which would have been a large band for the seventies.
There were a few bands that changed their name from dance bands and orchestras to 'Bandshow' before calling themselves 'Showbands'. For example, The Jimmy Wiley Orchestra changed its name to The Jimmy Wiley Bandshow and then to The Jimmy Wiley Showband.
Dave Glover renamed his group to the Dave Glover Showband in 1955, pioneering the use of the word "showband"; he chose the name because he wanted to indicate that their act incorporated both music and skits.
Strabane's Clipper Carlton are credited with being the first to incorporate a 'show' in the middle of their act, 'Duke Box Saturday Night' where they imitated the hits and singers of the day. Fronted by Fergus O'Hagan, they were originally a touring Dance Orchestra. They later became popular in Britain and on the U.S. and Canadian Irish club circuit.
Showbands
[edit]Brendan Bowyer, Tom Dunphy and the Royal Showband from Waterford toured professionally around 1958, and became a crowd-drawing success. They were managed by the promoter T.J. Byrne and were the first such band to have a record enter the Irish charts, "Katie Daly", sung by Dunphy. Soon after, Brendan Bowyer had a hit with "Kiss Me Quick", a song taken from an Elvis Presley album. Many would consider Brendan Bowyer to be the King of the Showband era, not least of which was due to his powerful & fantastic voice, handsome good looks coupled with his energetic dance moves on stage.
The Capitol Showband released the first showband L.P. record in 1962, 'Presenting Ireland's Premier Showband, Envoy Records, VOY 9144.
The Freshmen from Ballymena, Antrim, led by Billy Brown and Derek Dean, combined to produce harmonies on their covers of hits by The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean.
Dickie Rock performed mainly big ballads. First singing with Dublin's Strykers, Blackbirds, Echoes and Melochords, he became a star with The Miami Showband, and later represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1966.
At its height in the mid-1960s, there were as many as 800 full and part-time bands travelling the country.[2] The business as a whole employed many thousands of musicians, support staff and managers.
Embracing rock and soul
[edit]A second wave of bands emerged in the late sixties and early seventies with personnel coming mostly from the beat-groups scene. They young proponents of a rock, blues and soul style. These bands included The Dreams, The Real McCoy, The Arrows and The Chessmen. They were most popular in urban areas, while Country and Western leaning bands were generally more popular in the rural areas of the country. Johnny McEvoy and Danny Doyle started out as folk singers but changed to showbands in the 70's. They subsequently returned to the folk scene after a relatively short period.
Decline of the showbands
[edit]By the mid-1970s the phenomenon had peaked, and was in decline. A number of factors contributed to their drop in popularity, including the advent of upscale discothèque, the opening of hotel music lounges and cabaret rooms with alcohol licenses, and changing musical tastes. The big bands started employing smaller bands, known as relief bands, to play before them. People often stayed in the pub until the main band was about to come on stage. It got harder and harder to try and draw people out of the pubs and in to the ballrooms. Bands tried changing names and coming up with gimmicks to try to attract people.
Some of the bigger bands started demanding a guaranteed fee no matter what the attendance would be. Some even demanded a percentage of the door takings from the ballroom operator, the amount depending on how popular the band were. It became riskier for ballroom operators to run dances and make a profit with falling attendances and increased fee demands from bands.
In July 1975 members of the Ulster Volunteer Force murdered three members of The Miami Showband, Fran O'Toole, Tony Geraghty and Brian McCoy and wounded two others, Des McAlea and Stephen Travers. The killings, which occurred as the band was returning from a show in Banbridge in Northern Ireland, became known as the Miami Showband killings. Cross-border band touring dropped significantly as a result and this also hastened the decline of the showbands. Of the bands that did not break up entirely, many reduced their numbers and revamped into small outfits playing locally.[3]
Ballrooms and dance halls
[edit]The city ballrooms were often purpose built and lavish. Many rural dance halls, on the other hand, were simple buildings at the edge of the town. Dance halls in smaller towns and villages would host a dance once or twice a month. The fans often travelled miles from the surrounding countryside to see their favourite band.
A chain of venues in the midlands was operated by Albert Reynolds, who would later become Taoiseach of the Republic. Associated Ballrooms was owned by mining magnate Con Hynes. The Lucey brothers had large ballrooms in Cork. In the North East, the Adelphi ballroom, owned by Dee O'Kane and Jimmy Hamilton in Dundalk, attracted audiences from both sides of the border. Summer dancing was held in marquee tents during parish carnivals throughout the country. Mineral Bars dispensed hot beverages and soft drinks. Ballrooms and dance halls did not sell alcoholic beverages. Alcohol sales remained the prerogative of the local pub, who then began to build extensions onto pubs and operate their own disco or cabaret show.
Legacy
[edit]Various internationally successful Irish singers and musicians began their careers in showbands, including Van Morrison, Henry McCullough, Mick Hanly, Rory Gallagher, Eric Bell, Eric Wrixon and Colm Wilkinson.
The 1987 Roddy Doyle novel The Commitments is about a contemporary group of unemployed Irish youths who start a soul band in the manner of the late-1960s Irish showbands. The novel spawned a popular 1991 film of the same name, which in turn led to a touring band, The Stars from the Commitments, and a 2013 musical, The Commitments.
The 2005 Irish TV movie Showbands and its 2006 sequel, Showbands II, both starred Liam Cunningham as the manager of a struggling Irish showband in the mid-1960s.[4]
In 2010, Ireland's postal service, An Post, issued a set of four commemorative stamps depicting four of Ireland's biggest showbands: The Drifters, The Freshmen, The Miami Showband and The Royal Showband. An An Post spokesman said that the showbands "rocked Irish society from its postwar depression".[2]
In March 2019, Ardal O'Hanlon presented a BBC Four documentary about the showband phenomenon.[5]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ "Saol na seó-bhanna < Meon Eile". www.meoneile.ie.
- ^ a b "Dancehall dynamos honoured on stamps". Irish Times. 23 September 2010. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016.
- ^ irishshowbands.net
- ^ "RTÉ Press Center: Showbands". RTÉ. 1 January 2006.
- ^ Presenter: Ardal O'Hanlon (15 March 2019). "Showbands: How Ireland Learned to Party". Showbands: How Ireland Learned to Party. BBC. BBC Four. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
General References
[edit]- W J McCormack, ed. (2001). The Blackwell Companion to Modern Irish Culture. Blackwell's. ISBN 0-631-22817-9.
- Finbar O'Keefe (2002). Goodnight, God Bless and Safe Home – The Golden Showband Era. The O'Brien Press. ISBN 0-86278-777-7.
- Harry McCourt (1992). Oh How we Danced. Guidhall Press. ISBN 0-946451-22-2.
- Vincent Power (2000). Send'em Home Sweatin': The Showband Story. Mercier Press. ISBN 1-85635-330-3.
Further reading
[edit]- Times Pictorial (3 March 1945) "This Is a Jam Session". Irish Times.
- Larkin, Colin (21 August 2012). "Ireland ... and all that jazz". Irish Times.