| Personal Pages [Back]
A place to get to know individual musicians a little better as they
tell their stories in their own words. If you want to create your own page,
complete with photos, discography, or any other band related info,
just send us an email and it's done. Click on a title or photo to read the
"whole story."
BACK
TO THE SHOWBAND SITE
|
 |
Stage Two evolved from The
Dixie's split in 1972. The band was based out of two cities, Cork: Joe McCarthy
(drums) & Brendan O'Brien (vocals) and Dublin: Alan Cranny (lead guitar/vocals),
Ernie Durcan (bass/vocals), Paul Duffy (keyboards/vocals), Dermot Ryan
(vocals/tenor/baritone sax and flute), Danny Ellis (trombone/vocals), Mike Nolan
(trumpet). That lineup however did not last more than a few months (musical
differences and all that)....
Click here to read more of
Alan
James' "The Stage Two Story" |
|
 |
I
started by career in showbands playing in my home town of Downpatrick, Co. Down with a group called
"Sweet Neglect" starting in 1969. In the band were Liam Taggart (guitar) who went on
to play with Lyttle People, and Seamus Mahon (rhythm guitar) who went on to play
with The Sands and Roly Daniels - I think he also won or was runner up in the
Cavan Song Contest at one time.....
Click here to read more of
Jimmy Compton's "My Showband Years" |
|
 |
My
name is Brian O’Kane, but most
people know me as Shorty. I am a
bass player/vocalist, and was a member of Belfast based
pop/rock band Dirtywork in the
mid seventies. At the request of Louis Walsh,
we moved to Dublin and became Tony Kenny’s
backing band, after he had finished the runs of Jesus
Christ Superstar & Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour
Dreamcoat.
Click here to read more of
Shorty O'Kane's "Living the Band
Life" |
|
 |
The Blue Aces Band was formed in
Waterford round about 1957/58 from an earlier band
called the MELLOCHORDS. Rehearsals used to take place in
bass player, Seamus Carew's front room. How everyone
fitted in remains a mystery. The bass in those days was
a full size upright bass fiddle!! Jerry O'Shea used to
carry his drum kit there in an old pram...
Sophistication at its finest!!
Click here to read more of Mickey
Gilligan's "Flying with the Blue Aces" |
|
 |
John here,
bass guitar around my neck as it has been since 1969
when I started with The Sundowners in my native Donegal.
After leaving the Sundowners, and being what I thought
was "young and sexy," I decided to join the most popular
local band, which was the Blue Glows. So, the Glows got
a sex symbol at last, but there were too many sex
symbols around so I decided it would be better to go
"national."
Click here to read more of John
McGrenra's "Lifetime in Music" |
|
 |
We decided on the name "The Phantoms" for our first" beat group"
back in 1962-3. The Merseybeat thing was becoming all the rage
in England so we did all the top twenty tunes, Stones, Beatles,
Searchers, Pretty Things, Them etc. The group consisted of Colm
Maher/gtr/vocals, Patrick Hoye/bass/vocals, Frank "Monty"
Montgomery/rhythm/vocals and Aidan "kyd" Graham/drums.
Click here to read more of Patrick
Hoye's "Just A Drifter" |
|
 |
The website fascinates me in so much
as the old photos of Belfast bands throw up so many of my old mates
from years ago from Katmandu to The College Boys, Cousins, Freshmen,
Green Angels etc. My great friend and ex school mate the late
magnificent Gerry McIlduff ex: Fontana, Green Angels, Jimmy Johnson,
Plattermen, Pogues and Pretenders deserves an epitaph on your site.
Gerry was my inspiration and motivator. A Drummer's drummer who is
sadly missed.
Click here to read more of Mike
Arkins' "Belfast to a Land Down Under" |
|
 |
When I entered the
Technical Training Squadron of the Irish Air Corps in 1955 and
living at Baldonnel Aerodrome, my trumpet went with me. No doubt my
family were pleased not to have to listen to my practice sessions
for a while. My ‘room mate’, Tom Murphy and those in adjoining
rooms, however, uncomplainingly endured the noise for a while. One
of the ‘senior apprentices’ offered me the use of a ‘mute’; perhaps
he was trying to tell me something in a diplomatic way. .
Click here to read more of Archies
Raeside's "Swinging Sixties" |
|
 |
When
I first joined the band they were still performing as the Easybeats,
the name of their previous group which had split up. I suppose it
was easier to fulfil existing gigs booked under this name. It was an
eight piece consisting of Hughie Kelly on drums, Danny McLaughlin on
bass guitar and vocals, Dessie on rhythm guitar, Paul McGreevey on
lead guitar, Liam Shepard on trumpet, Howard Fleming & yours truly
on tenor saxophones and vocals....
Click here to read more of
Ronnie Campbell's "Presidential Years" |
More personal pages are on the way.... |
