Tommy Makem & the Clancy Brothers

Tommy Makem

Source: Bio

It isn't really possible to write a history of music wholly centric to the United States. In particular, music in the States quickly leads by close connections back across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. Such is especially pronounced in rock music upon the so-called British Invasion in the sixties. The musical relationship between the United States and the UK, indeed, the British Commonwealth, has been a close one ever since the Original Dixieland Jazz Band invaded England to there record 'At the Jazz Band Ball' and 'Barnyard Blues' in 1919. Ireland and the States have a strong musical bond as well. The rise of popular music in the States is much fueled by the Irish ballad, finding its way onto numberless early cylinder and flat disc recordings. The relationship between the States and those two islands north of the English Channel asks some engagement with folk music there, since, like jazz and rock, its connections with America are strong. One latter form of folk called skiffle would be developmental to the UK Beat prior to the British Invasion. Tommy Makem, however, was too Irish for British skiffle, and a traditional folk rather than blues or UK Beat musician.

At age fifteen Makem (b 4 November 1932) made his first trip from Ireland to the United States with his mother, Sarah, and a set of bagpipes. They there met Liam Clancy and his mother, Joan, through field recorder, Diane Hamilton, financier of Tradition Records founded by Paddy Clancy of the Clancy Brothers which would later include Bobby Clancy, Tom Clancy and Finbarr Clancy. Makem, Clancy and both their mothers were included on tracks issued in 1956 on 'The Lark in the Morning' per Tradition TLP 1004. Makem soloed on 'The Cobbler'. He and his mother sang the duet, 'The Little Beggarman'. Makem then featured w the Clancy Brothers (Liam, Paddy, Tom) on the LP, 'The Rising of the Moon' also issued in 1956. They followed that in '59 w 'Come Fill Your Glass With Us', the same year Makem and Paddy first performed at the Newport Folk Festival. Early recordings from 1956 w his mother have disappeared from YouTube to fate unknown (not unexpectedly), leaving 'Come Fill Your Glass With Us' the earliest Makem to be found:

'Come Fill Your Glass with Us'   Album by Tommy Makem w the Clancy Brothers   1959

Makem and the Clancy's were joined by Bruce Langhorne on guitar and Pete Seeger at banjo in in England in 1961 on 'A Spontaneous Performance Recording' (Columbia 8448, et al). Makem also issued 'Songs of Tommy Makem' in 1961 (Tradition TLP 1044). Tracks in order of their appearance on side A of 'A Spontaneous Performance Recording' below:

'The Whistling Gypsy Rover'   Tommy Makem w the Clancy Brothers   1961

A2 of 'A Spontaneous Performance Recording'

Composition: Traditional

'The Work of the Weavers'   Tommy Makem w the Clancy Brothers   1961

A4 of 'A Spontaneous Performance Recording'

Composition: Irish traditional

'The Work of the Weavers'   Tommy Makem w the Clancy Brothers   1961

A5 of 'A Spontaneous Performance Recording'

Composition: Irish traditional

'The Cobbler'   Tommy Makem w the Clancy Brothers

Live performance for Chicago PBS   July 1962

Composition: Irish traditional

'The Wild Rover'   Tommy Makem w the Clancy Brothers

Live performance   196

Composition: Traditional

Makem left the Clancy Brothers in 1969 to pursue a solo career. In 1975 he began partnering with Liam Clancy again, touring and recording several albums as Makem & Clancy until they parted ways again in 1988. In 1997 Thomas Dunne Books published Makem's, 'Tommy Makem's Secret Ireland'. RateYourMusic has Makem on nearly twenty albums with the Clancys in one combination or another to 'Reunion' in 1984.

Tommy Makem Reunion Concert w the Clancy Brothers

Ulster Hall in Belfast   20 Oct 1984

Wikipedia shows an incomplete list of nearly twenty albums by Makem to 'The Song Tradition' in 1998. He contributed to Barra MacNeils' 'The Christmas Album II' as recently as 2006. Makem died on August 1, 2007, in Dover, New Hampshire, of lung cancer. He had composed titles such as 'The Town of Rostrevor' ('77), 'The Boys of Killybegs' ('80) and 'Gentle Annie' ('83). Makem's son, Rory, currently performs w the Irish trio, Makem & Spain, filled out by Mickey and Liam Spain.