| Existing comment:
Chieftains. Leader Paddy Malone is the guy in the dark coat sitting in the middle. Some where in there is also Earl Scruggs and Jerry Douglas. From the PBS description at http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/concert.html : "The Chieftains: With a career that spans four decades and forty albums, The Chieftains are not only Ireland's premier musical ambassadors but also the most enduring and influential creative force in establishing the international appeal of Celtic music. Paddy Maloney, the group's founder and front man, first brought together a group of local musicians in Dublin in 1962, fashioning an authentic instrumental sound that stood in sharp contrast to most of Irish music at the time. The group's first four albums, recorded between 1963 and 1974, established their worldwide reputation even as the group continued to perform on a semi-professional basis. In 1975, The Chieftains recorded the soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, featuring the hit single Women of Ireland for which they won an Academy Award. A string of subsequent albums, including such standouts as Bonaparte's Retreat, Boil The Breakfast Early and Chieftains in China enhanced their status as Ireland's premier musical export. In 1988, they joined forces with Van Morrison on Irish Heartbeat which began an historic series of collaborations including recordings with James Galway, Elvis Costello, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. In 1992, they recorded the double Grammy-winning Another Country, returning to Nashville in 2002 for Down The Old Plank Road, their 40th career album. Six-time Grammy winners and eighteen-time Grammy nominees, The Chieftains maintain an international touring schedule that has brought them before millions of fans on every continent. In addition to Paddy Maloney, the group includes: Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals); Seán Keane (fiddle); and Matt Molloy (flute). Derek Bell (harp, piano, oboe, tiompán), who had been with the group since 1972, passed away in October. " |