William 'Liam' Clancy
(September 2, 1935 - December 4, 2009)
Liam Clancy was an Irish folk singer and musician.
He was the last surviving member of the Clancy Brothers, who were credited with bringing Irish traditional music to a world audience in the 1960s. Bob Dylan described Mr. Clancy as the “just the best ballad singer I’d ever heard in my whole life”.
Born in Carrick on Suir Ireland, he was the youngest of 11 children. As a young man he dreamed of life on the stage, but there was music in his blood too.
In his late teens he met and travelled Ireland with US song collector Diane Hamilton Guggenheim and eventually travelled to the US with her.
His brothers Paddy and Tom had emigrated before him - and along with renowned Armagh singer Tommy Makem - they began performing in New York.
With their trademark Aran jumpers The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem played legendary venues such as the White Horse Tavern in New York.
They became international stars following a performance on the Ed Sullivan television show.
The band played a key role in the 60s folk revival - reworking traditional ballads for both an international and an Irish audience.
When the Clancy Brothers later went their separate ways, Liam pursued a solo career in Canada before reuniting with Tommy Makem to form the hugely popular duo Makem and Clancy. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem did play together again in the 1980s, and in later years Liam, maintained a successful solo career.
Alan Gilsenan directed a full length biography of Liam Clancy, which was released at the 2009 Dublin Film Festival, The Yellow Bittern: The Life and Times of Liam Clancy and includes appearances by Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Bob Dylan, Oscar Brand, Odetta, Josh White, and many others.
Mr. Clancy died in hospital in Cork, Ireland, after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis - scarring of the lungs. His brother Bobby died of the same disease in 2002.
He is survived by his wife Kim and four children.
RIP
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Last of the Clancy Brothers.
ReplyDeleteLiam, Rest In Peace!