…and Tommy Makem - 1956-1969
1955, American song-collector Diane Hamilton went to Ireland in search of songs and tunes. One of her first stops was the Clancy family home, in County Tipperary, where she met Liam Clancy. As she continued her journey to the north, Liam joined her and they arrived in the town of Keady, County Armagh, where Liam met Tommy Makem. The following year saw both Liam and Tommy emigrating to the United States, to pursue careers in acting. Liam's older brothers Tom and Pat had both come over several years earlier. All were aspiring actors, Pat being the least serious, while Tom, Liam and Tommy enjoyed a measure on success on the stage and television. As the story goes, the four held impromptu sessions in a Greenwich Village bar, which led to paying gigs.
It soon became clear that more money could be made singing Irish songs than by
acting and off they went. First recording for Pat’s Tradition label, a famous
16-minute appearance on the Ed Sullivan show led to a recording contract with
Columbia that a lasted almost a decade. There's little doubt that in
the 60s, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were the most popular Irishmen
in America. Clad in their trademark Aran sweaters they attacked the stage with
boisterous exuberance.
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| Paddy Clancy (1922-1998) |
Tom Clancy (1923-1990) |
Liam Clancy (1935-) |
Tommy Makem (1932-2007) |
They introduced hundreds of songs, well known in Ireland, to a new and eager audience—their editing of most of these caused much displeasure to many purists in Ireland. Other Irish musicians, such as the Flanagan Brothers and McNulty Family preceded the boys and were very popular in their own right, but never reached the heights or audience as did the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. As the decade came to a close and their popularity began to wane, Tommy Makem set out to pursue a solo career; and left the group in April 1969.