Kevin Conneff
Kevin Conneff | |
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![]() Conneff in January 2010, with Paddy Moloney (left) and Seán Keane (right) | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Kevin Conneff |
Born | (1945-01-08) 8 January 1945 (age 79) |
Origin | Donore, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland |
Genres | Irish folk, Celtic |
Occupation(s) | Singer, musician |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, bodhrán |
Years active | 1963–present |
Labels | Claddagh, Island, RCA |
The Irish singer and musician Kevin Conneff was born 8 January 1945.[1] He is best known as the lead singer and bodhrán player of Irish folk group; The Chieftains.[2][3]
Biography
Conneff was born and raised in the Donore Avenue area of Dublin. Music was an important part of his home life but, as he later related, he did not hear traditional music "from the womb", as had other members of the Chieftains.
He was introduced to Irish traditional music at the age of 18 when he began work as a photographic assistant for a printing machine company. A group of his colleagues hired a car every week to drive to local fleadhs (traditional Irish music festivals) and Conneff began attending weekend jam sessions, occasionally joining the musicians in songs.
He was greatly influenced by the traditional style of singing from the Donegal / Fermanagh region in Ireland, and particularly by the singing of Paddy Tunney. He took up the bodhrán after hearing one played on the radio, and the playing of Seán Ó Riada with Ceoltóirí Chualann.
Conneff was amazed at the power of the simple goatskin Irish frame drum. He soon mastered the bodhrán, and began playing and singing at sessions around Ireland, including in Dublin's traditional music venues. For many years he helped to run the Tradition Club, a haven for traditional musicians who included future Chieftains colleagues Paddy Moloney, Seán Keane and Michael Tubridy.
In the early 1970s, Conneff joined Christy Moore to record what became a benchmark album, Prosperous. He joined The Chieftains in 1976 after contributing to their album The Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's Retreat. Before joining the Chieftains he had maintained his printing job, and was also looking after his elderly mother.
Conneff has three children, Peigí, Ruairí and Ella, and lives in Hollywood, County Wicklow.
References
- ^ Current biography yearbook. H. W. Wilson Co. 2004. p. 78. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Glatt, John (1997). The Chieftains: the authorized biography. Da Capo Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-306-80922-4. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Vallely, Fintan (September 1999). The companion to Irish traditional music. NYU Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8147-8802-8. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- v
- t
- e
- Kevin Conneff
- Matt Molloy
- Paddy Moloney
- Seán Potts
- Michael Tubridy
- David Fallon
- Martin Fay
- Peadar Mercier
- Seán Keane
- Derek Bell
- Ronnie McShane
- Jeff White
- The Chieftains
- The Chieftains 2
- The Chieftains 3
- The Chieftains 4
- The Chieftains 5
- The Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's Retreat
- The Chieftains 7
- The Chieftains 8
- The Chieftains 9: Boil the Breakfast Early
- The Chieftains 10: Cotton-Eyed Joe
- The Year of the French
- The Chieftains in China
- Ballad of the Irish Horse
- Celtic Wedding
- Irish Heartbeat (with Van Morrison)
- A Chieftains Celebration
- The Bells of Dublin
- Another Country
- The Long Black Veil
- Santiago
- Tears of Stone
- Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions
- Further Down the Old Plank Road
- San Patricio (with Ry Cooder)
- Voice of Ages
- The Chieftains Live!
- An Irish Evening
- Live from Dublin: A Tribute to Derek Bell