Joe Hurley

Last updated

Joe Hurley
Joe hurley.jpeg
Joe Hurley
Background information
OriginNew York, United States
Genres Traditional Irish folk, rock and roll, punk
Years active1999–present
LabelsArabon, Hurley Records
MembersJoe Hurley
Kenny Margolis
James Mastro
Tony Shanahan

Joe Hurley (born 2 December) is a singer, songwriter, actor, playwright and voice-over artist. He leads the critically lauded bands Joe Hurley & The Gents [1] and Joe Hurley & Rogue's March. [2] He is the founder and curator of the Allstar Irish Rock Revue, a musical-literary homage to "The Great Irish Songbook", [3] celebrated annually around St. Patrick's Day.

Contents

Raised Irish Catholic in London, Hurley now lives in New York City. [4] His roots in three distinct heritages inspired his eclectic songwriting, which has been described as a blend of punk, rock and roll balladry, and traditional Irish folk [5] Musically, Hurley is oft-noted for his soulful ("whiskey-tinged") baritone and the storytelling quality of his lyrics. [6]

His ballad "Amsterdam Mistress" is featured on the Sony Records' compilation Whiskey in the Jar: Essential Irish Drinking Songs and Sing Alongs, along with classics from The Dubliners, Pogues, and Clancys. [7] In 2011, Hurley was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of seventy-five authors who participated in the UN's International Day of Peace. [8]

Recent work

The House That Horse Built (Let The Great World Spin)

2010 was marked by Hurley's collaborations with two best-selling books. Hurley and author Colum McCann co-wrote a song-cycle – "The House That Horse Built (Let the Great World Spin) "—based on McCann's 2009 National Book Award-winning novel, Let the Great World Spin . The album is written from the perspective of Tillie, a 38-year-old black prostitute from the Bronx, who is reflecting on her tragic life. [9]

The album was recorded with Hurley's band The Gents and features such musicians as The Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, Matt Sweeney, Tami Lynn, film actress Antonique Smith, Denis Diken, Joe McGinty, and Faith Hahn. It was produced by Don Fleming and Hurley. [9]

Life by Keith Richards

Also in 2010, Hurley, Johnny Depp, and Keith Richards narrated the audiobook version of Keith Richards' memoir, Life. Life won two 2011 Audie Awards – Audiobook of the Year and Best Biography/Memoir [10] —on 24 May 2011. Additionally, the audiobook Life was voted Amazon's No. 1 Audiobook of the Year for 2010. [11]

Upcoming album

Hurley is recording a new CD with his band The Gents, featuring songs co-written by Steve Wynn and Colum McCann. The album's expected release date is late 2021.

Bands and musical projects

Joe Hurley and The Gents

Joe Hurley currently fronts the band Joe Hurley and The Gents. The Gents are James Mastro (Ian Hunter), Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith), and Ken Margolis (Cracker), Denny McDermott, Megan Gould, and Jon Spurney. Their first show was reviewed by the rock journalist John Swenson, who wrote:

"Lead singer and songwriter Joe Hurley, backed by a sublime group of New York City All-Stars, The Gents, ventured out last week for a pair of shows that offered up a selection of brand new material and some rarely performed Rogue's March songs.... The highlight of their sparkling set was a great new song 'Irish Breakfast In a Greek Diner' that boasted a terrific sing-along chorus." [12]

The Gents are home at their favourite NYC venue, Joe's Pub, and have individually and collectively enjoyed critical acclaim for years.[ citation needed ] They have opened for the New York Dolls and played with the Beastie Boys, Marshall Crenshaw, and Debbie Harry. They have gigged with Ian McLagan, headlined the Riverside Park Music Festival for four years, and played festivals with The Waco Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, and appeared as themselves in a national TV ad about the rock and roll scene in NY.

They are presently[ when? ] recording a new CD of piano-led ballads, cabaret-influenced rock and roll screamers, and some acoustic tracks, including the songs, "Valentine Blue", "Desiree", and "Rockaway", as well as "Julie Andrews Says Hello" and their best known song, "Irish Breakfast in a Greek Diner."

Joe Hurley and Rogue's March

Joe Hurley fronted the New York-based, Irish-tinged rock and roll band Rogue's March from 1995–2004. They released two critically acclaimed CDs, Never Fear and Chaser. [13] [14] Their debut album, Never Fear (2000), includes the hits, "Shut Up and Drink", and the Christmas heartbreaker, "Amsterdam Mistress." The New York Post called the song "Shut Up and Drink" "a New York Irish Anthem":

"The Rogue's March pub hit was the theme song of defunct dive bar The Village Idiot, and is on the playlist of every respectable watering hole in town. (The tune has also been covered in Germany, Denmark, Canada, and Ireland)". [15]

The ballad "Amsterdam Mistress" is included on the seminal Irish folk-rock collection, Whiskey in The Jar: Essential Irish Drinking Songs and Sing Alongs, released by Sony.

Their sophomore effort, Chaser (2003), was produced by James Mastro. Hurley's tune, "Madcap Tears" from the Chaser CD has been featured in Captain Morgan's rum TV ads.

The original Rogue's March line-up was Gary Johannes, Bill Gerstel, Jim Harry, Dan Prater, Ken Margolis and Hurley. J-F Vergel and Chris Nappi joined in 1996. Other members were Ivan Julian, Adam Roth, Jason Goodrow, and Andrew Goodsight.

Allstar Irish Rock Revue

The Allstar Irish Rock Revue is an annual musical-literary collaboration founded and curated by Hurley. The Revue takes place in New York City in celebration of St. Patrick's Day and is a famed New York City event. The Revue has been called, "The most celebrated musical event of the St. Patricks's season in New York" [16] and '"[It] draws rave reviews every year as the biggest St. Patrick's party in town". [17] National Geographic Traveler rated the Revue "the No. 2 Star Attraction" in the article "The Best 10 Places to Spend St. Patrick's Season in America". [18]

Hurley, Irish-blooded himself, began the review as a way to honour "The Great Irish Songbook" by playing Celtic classics alongside the tunes of Thin Lizzy, Morrissey, The Pogues, The Dubliners, U2, John Lydon, and Van Morrison, to name a few. Every year, the Revue features different artists from all walks of life. In 2011, the Revue celebrated its 12th anniversary with a sold-out show at the Highline Ballroom. The performance featured the Alice Cooper Group, Gene Cornish, Oscar winner Sam Bisbee, Tony-winning actor Michael Cerveris, SNL's Christine Ohlman, Joe Piscopo, Noel Kilkenny (the Irish ambassador to the USA), and NYC guitar greats Adam Roth (Denis Leary) and Ricky Byrd, who played Gary Moore's very own Les Paul, in a moving tribute weeks after the Thin Lizzy guitarist's passing.

Past musical guests have included Ronnie Spector, Fountains of Wayne, Martha Wainwright, Gogol Bordello, Garland Jeffreys, Nada Surf's Matthew Caws, Irish sensations The High Kings, The Crystals' LaLa Brooks, Carrie Rodriguez, Ellen Foley, Lenny Kaye, Faith Hahn, Tony Shanahan and Jay Dee Daugherty of Patti Smith Group, Oscar winner Mike Viola, film stars Annie Golden, Jesse Malin, Susan McKeown, Willie Nile, Kristeen Young, Ireland's chart-topping Republic of Loose, members of Irish supergroup Clanaad, the New York Dolls, The Dictators, The Mekons, Cracker, and Ian Hunter Band.

Gibson Guitars has sponsored the Revue since 2006. Gibson had a customised Irish-flag Epiphone made exclusively for Joe Hurley and the Irish Revue. It is the only one of its kind in the world. The guitar is played on the show-closing finale, "God Save The Queen" written by John Lydon (Sex Pistols). In 2007, Hurley decided to turn the Revue into a fundraising event for various charities. To date, proceeds from the Revue have gone to Save St Brigid's, The Animal Rescue League, Gilda's Club of NY, The Bowery Mission, the Widows of NYPD, and Haitian Relief.

When asked to describe The Allstar Irish Rock Revue, Hurley is quoted as saying, "The Songbook is of Ireland, but for everyone… New Yorkers from all backgrounds singing them. That's what the show is all about. There's no other songbook that translates so well across the world". [19]

Collaborations

Hurley is known for his collaborations with a wide range of musicians and authors. He has sung and/or recorded with Ian Hunter, playwright Sam Shepard, PJ Harvey, Marianne Faithfull, Judy Collins and Jimmy Webb, Shane Macgowan, John Oates, Prefab Sprout, Laura Cantrell, Tami Lynn, The Waco Brothers, Faith Hahn, Kristeen Young, Antonique Smith, Annie Golden, Amy Rigby, Michael Cerveris, Lala Brooks (The Crystals), Steve Wynn, The Nick Drake Orchestra, Indaculture and the Queens All-Stars, cabaret stars Andrea Marcovicci and Maude Maggart, Martha Wainwright, Sally Timms (The Mekons), Nellie McKay, and Christine Ohlman, among others.

His recordings have been produced by Tony Visconti, PJ Harvey, Jim Harry, James Mastro, and Don Fleming.

Appearances

Festivals

Joe Hurley has headlined and performed at a variety of American and international musical and literary festivals. Noteworthy performances of recent years include:

Television

Discography

Albums

Singles

Hurley's London upbringing led to a lifelong love affair with East London's West Ham United Football Club. The song, "Bleeding Claret & Blue"—West Ham's team colours—was written and recorded by Hurley for his team's appearance in the 2006 FA Cup Final and has been adopted by West Ham supporters' clubs worldwide as their theme song.

Compilations

Related Research Articles

"Whiskey in the Jar" is an Irish traditional song set in the southern mountains of Ireland, often with specific mention of counties Cork and Kerry. The song, about a rapparee (highwayman) who is betrayed by his wife or lover, is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Big Sea</span> Canadian folk rock band

Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scottish, and Cornish heritage. The band was very successful in Canada, with eleven of their albums being certified Gold in the country, including four being certified Platinum and two achieving multi-platinum certifications. Between 1996 and 2016, Great Big Sea was the sixteenth best-selling Canadian artist in Canada and the sixth best-selling Canadian band in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dubliners</span> Irish folk band

The Dubliners were an Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personnel over their fifty-year career, but the group's success was centred on lead singers Luke Kelly and Ronnie Drew. The band garnered international success with their lively Irish folk songs, traditional street ballads and instrumentals. The band were regulars on the folk scenes in both Dublin and London in the early 1960s. They were signed to the Major Minor label in 1965 after backing from Dominic Behan who was paid by the label to work with the group and help them to build a better act fit for larger concert hall venues. The Dubliners worked with Behan regularly between 1965 and 1966; Behan wrote numerous songs for this act including the song McAlpine's Fusiliers created specifically to showcase Ronnie Drew's gravel voice. They went on to receive extensive airplay on Radio Caroline, which was part-owned by Phil Solomon CEO of Major Minor, and eventually appeared on Top of the Pops in 1967 with hits "Seven Drunken Nights" and "The Black Velvet Band". Often performing political songs considered controversial at the time, they drew criticism from some folk purists. Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ placed an unofficial ban on their music from 1967 to 1971. During this time the band's popularity began to spread across mainland Europe and they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States. The group's success remained steady right through the 1970s and a number of collaborations with The Pogues in 1987 saw them enter the UK Singles Chart on another two occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry McCullough</span> Northern Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (1943–2016)

Henry Campbell Liken McCullough was a musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. He was best known for his work as a member of Spooky Tooth, The Grease Band and Paul McCartney and Wings. He also performed and recorded as a solo artist and session musician.

Events in the year 1965 in Ireland.

<i>Great Big Sea</i> (album) 1993 studio album by Great Big Sea

Great Big Sea is the self-titled debut album by Canadian folk-rock band Great Big Sea released in 1993. Originally released in 1993, it was later redistributed by Warner Music Canada when the band was signed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Bushmills Distillery</span> Distillery in Northern Ireland

The Old Bushmills Distillery is an alcohol distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, founded in 1784 and owned by Proximo Spirits. Bushmills Distillery uses water drawn from Saint Columb's Rill, which is a tributary of the River Bush. The distillery is a popular tourist attraction, with around 120,000 visitors per year. It produces the Bushmills brand of Irish whiskey.

The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Gunn</span> American musician and podcaster

Marc Andrew Gunn is an American musician and podcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poitín</span> Traditional Irish distilled beverage

Poitín, anglicized as poteen or potcheen, is a traditional Irish distilled beverage. Former common names for Poitín were "Irish moonshine" and "mountain dew". It was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, meaning "pot". In accordance with the Irish Poteen/Irish Poitín technical file, it can only be made from cereals, grain, whey, sugar beet, molasses and potatoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shillelagh</span> Wooden walking stick and club or cudgel

A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luther Dickinson</span> American guitarist and singer

Luther Andrews Dickinson is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being a guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts Guitar Xpress on the Video on Demand network Mag Rack.

The 20th annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. Presenters on the night included James Mathison, Johnny Knoxville, Jesse McCartney and John Mayer.

Colum McCann is an Irish writer of literary fiction. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and now lives in New York. He is the co-founder and President of Narrative 4, an international empathy education nonprofit. He is also a Thomas Hunter Writer in Residence at Hunter College, New York. He is known as an international writer who believes in the "democracy of storytelling." Among his numerous honors are the U.S National Book Award, the Dublin Literary Prize, several major European awards, and an Oscar nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Repertory Theatre</span> Off-Broadway theatre company

The Irish Repertory Theatre is an Off-Broadway theatre company founded in 1988.

<i>Let the Great World Spin</i> 2009 novel by Colum McCann

Let the Great World Spin is a novel by Colum McCann set mainly in New York City in the United States. The book won the 2009 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction and the 2011 International Dublin Literary Award, one of the most lucrative literary prizes in the world. Its title comes from the poem "Locksley Hall" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colum Sands</span> Irish singer songwriter (born 1951)

Colum Sands is an Irish singer songwriter who made his first performances and recordings with The Sands Family of County Down. Between his extensive solo appearances he continues to record and perform with his brothers Tommy and Ben and his sister Anne in the family band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert J. Sherman</span> American songwriter

Robert Jason Sherman, known as Robbie Sherman, is an American songwriter based in London. He was born in Los Angeles to Joyce and Robert B. Sherman, the youngest of four siblings. Stemming from a long line of songwriters and composers, spanning more than four generations, at 16 Sherman became one of the youngest songwriters ever invited to join BMI and is an alum of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. He is perhaps best known for his work on Love Birds: The Musical, which premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Gerard McNamee Jr. is an American actor, singer, art curator, producer, and director. He was the director of operations of New York City's Webster Hall and the curator of the venue's Quarterly Art Soirée.

References

  1. Swenson, John (23 November 2002). "Joe Hurley Steps Out". Associated Press.
  2. "Pick of the Week: New York Local Heroes". Time Out New York. 24 June 1999.
  3. McDermott, Peter (4 March 2009). "Joe Hurley Celebrates Irish Rock Songbook for 10th Year". Irish Echo. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  4. Cotter, Kelly-Jane (8 March 2009). "Irish Hearbeat". Asbury Park Press.
  5. Flick, Larry (12 June 1999). "Local Heroes". Billboard Magazine.
  6. "Voice Choices". The Village Voice. 17 July 2001.
  7. Marisa Brown. "Whiskey in the Jar: Essential Irish Drinking Songs & Sing Alongs – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  8. "Home". Authors for Peace. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. 1 2 "The House That Horse Built (Let the Great World Spin)". Blog.horizonvumusic.com. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  10. "The Audies 2014". Theaudies.com. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  11. "Best Books of 2010: Audiobooks Top 10". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  12. John Swenson (23 November 2002). "Joe Hurley Steps Out". Associated Press.
  13. Aquilante, Dan (30 June 1998). "CDs of the Week". New York Post.
  14. "Weekend "Pick" – Sounds Around Town – Celtic Folk-Rock:Rogue's March". New York Times. 17 March 1995.
  15. Huhn, Mary (15 March 2005). "Roots, Rock, and Rebels". New York Post.
  16. Peter McDermott (4 March 2009). "Joe Hurley Celebrates Irish Rock Songbook for 10th year". Irish Echo.
  17. Nicole LaRossa (13 March 2006). "Nightlife Picks". New York Magazine.
  18. "The Best 10 Places to Spend St. Patrick's Season in America". National Geographic Traveler. 13 March 2009.
  19. "The Allstar Irish Rock Revue". Irish Echo. 2 March 2011.
  20. "Festival America". Festival America. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  21. Ainsworth, Paul (31 July 2010). "Hurley Sticks The Pace". South Belfast News.
  22. Holden, Stephen (12 October 2008). "Music Review – Judy Collins: A Writer and A Muse". New York Times. Retrieved 11 July 2011.