Song:The Rocky Road To Dublin
Album:The Makem & Clancy Concert
Of course music fans know Tommy Makem from his stint in the 60s with The Clancy Brothers. They were a big part of the folk music boom. After Makem left the group in 1969, he recorded solo until he formed Makem & Clancy with the youngest of the Clancys Liam Clancy. They had a good run in the late 70s. After Tommy Makem left The Clancy Brothers, he recorded several solo albums for Columbia and Polydor. Meanwhile The Clancy Brothers cut back on touring. When they weren't touring, Liam Clancy started touring solo. He also filed bankruptcy due to tax problems and he moved to Calgary to live with his in-laws. After appearing on The Irish Rovers CBC TV show, Clancy got his own TV show. And he recorded a solo album. So both guys are touring and they were booked to work the 1975 Cleveland Irish Festival. They decided to do an impromptu show together. It went so well that Makem appeared on Clancy's TV show and it became The Makem & Clancy Show. One of the show guests was Scottish folksinger Archie Fisher. He wanted to record them and they started Blackbird Records. The 1976 album Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy did so well, the duo toured together. Fisher not only produced their albums but he and fiddler Allan Barty toured with them. The Makem & Clancy Concert was recorded at the Gaiety Theater in Dublin. The Rocky Road To Dublin is a 19th century song that was popularized by English music hall performer Harry Clifton. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem recorded it in 1964. This live album was on 2LPs. It was licensed to Columbia in Canada. And after their TV show aired on PBS, Shanachie released the album in the US in 1982. They released it on CD in 1992. After Makem & Clancy went on a 1984 Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem reunion tour, they decided to split up after a 1988 farewell tour. They resumed their solo careers. Here's Makem & Clancy performing The Rocky Road To Dublin on a 1977 TV special filmed at the National Theater in Dublin.
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