The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Sean Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous with traditional Irish music and they are regarded as having helped popularise Irish music around the world. They have won six Grammys during their career and they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002. Some music experts have credited The Chieftains with bringing traditional Irish music to a worldwide audience, so much so that the Irish government awarded them the honorary title of 'Ireland's Musical Ambassadors' in 1989.
Paddy Moloney was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was particularly associated with the revival of the uilleann pipes.
George Derek Fleetwood Bell, MBE was a Northern Irish harpist, pianist, oboist, musicologist and composer who was best known for his accompaniment work on various instruments with The Chieftains.
Matt Molloy is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at nineteen. Considered one of the most brilliant Irish musicians, his style that adapts piping techniques to the flute has influenced many contemporary Irish flute players.
The Long Black Veil is an album by the traditional Irish folk band The Chieftains. Released in 1995, it is one of the most popular and best selling albums by the band. It reached number 17 in the album charts. The band teamed up with well-known musicians such as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Van Morrison. The album went gold in the U.S. and Australia, and Double-Platinum in Ireland. One of the tracks, "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?", sung and written by Van Morrison, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1996.
The Chieftains is the first album released by the Irish musical group The Chieftains in 1964. The album is now sometimes referred to as The Chieftains 1 due to the numbering system of their subsequent albums. It was one of the first folk albums to be recorded in stereo.
The Chieftains 4 is an album by The Chieftains. It is the first album to feature Derek Bell on the harp. This album is where The Chieftains' modern sound began.
John Sheahan is an Irish musician and composer and the last surviving member of the definitive five-member line-up of The Dubliners. He joined The Dubliners in 1964 and played with them until 2012 when The Dubliners' name was retired following the death of founding member Barney McKenna.
Irish Heartbeat is the eighteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is a collaboration with the traditional Irish musical group the Chieftains, released in 1988. It was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland, and reached number 18 in the UK album charts.
Kevin Conneff is an Irish singer and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and bodhrán player of Irish folk group, The Chieftains. He joined the group in 1976 after contributing to their album The Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's Retreat.
The Green Fields of America is an ensemble which performs and promotes Irish traditional music in the United States.
Seán Keane is an Irish fiddler, teacher and former member of The Chieftains. He was a member of Ceoltóirí Chualann in the 1960s, before joining The Chieftains in 1968. He has a unique style, especially in his use of ornamentation, perhaps influenced by the music of the uilleann pipes.
A Chieftains Celebration is an album by the Irish folk music group, The Chieftains. The title derives from the "celebration" of the millennium of the city of Dublin, Ireland.
Michael "Mick" Tubridy is an Irish musician, step dancer and structural engineer.
Another Country is a 1992 album by The Chieftains. It is a collaboration between the Irish band and many top country music musicians including Ricky Skaggs, Don Williams, Colin James, Emmylou Harris, members from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins and Sam Bush. The album won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and was nominated in three other categories: Best Pop Instrumental Performance, Best Country Vocal Collaboration, and Best Country Instrumental Performance. The Chieftains also took home the Award for Best Traditional Folk Album that year for their 1992 live album, An Irish Evening. There was also an Another Country documentary with video footage of the performances.
An Irish Evening: Live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast is an album by the Chieftains. The album consists of a live recording of a concert in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The band invited on stage Roger Daltrey, lead singer of the British band the Who, and American folk singer Nanci Griffith to join them for several songs.
The Bells of Dublin is a 1991 album of Christmas songs and traditional carols by the Irish band The Chieftains. The album features guest performances by various artists, including Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Marianne Faithfull, Nanci Griffith, Rickie Lee Jones and the actor Burgess Meredith.
The Chieftains Live! is the first album by the Chieftains which was recorded live. It was recorded on tour in December 1976 at Symphony Hall in Boston and Massey Hall in Toronto.
John Francis (Boss) Murphy (1875–1955) from The Leap, Churchtown, Co. Cork was a farmer by profession, but possessed a keen interest in fiddle playing, and was renowned locally for his ability on the instrument. His father, William Murphy (1829–1911), was both a fiddle player and maker, indeed John was the proud owner of an instrument that had been made by his father, who was his first fiddle teacher. His siblings, a brother, and three sisters, also played the instrument but their interest in music waned as they reached adulthood and they did not continue to play. Murphy's musical literacy was also gained primarily from his father, who had learned to read music at a hedge school at Ballygrace in the locality taught by Thomas Croke. The same Thomas Croke, many years later, stayed for long periods in the Murphy household and would undoubtedly also have taught the young John Murphy directly.
Guo Yi is a Chinese musician and master of the ancient free-reed Sheng. He also plays the bamboo flute and Erhu. He has recorded for Peter Gabriel's Real World Records. He performs as the Guo Brothers with his sibling, Guo Yue.
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