Christie Hennessy
Encyclopedia
Christie Hennessy (19 November 1945 – 11 December 2007) was an Irish
folk
singer-songwriter
.
, Ireland
. His first guitar was made, especially for him, from a tea chest when he was six years old by his friend Jerry Quirke. He left school at the age of eleven and a half.
His first job was as a messenger boy, and it was then that he discovered that it was important to be able to read. He was unable to read or write due to severe dyslexia
, but still enjoyed his library of books. He later worked at building sites in London
.
A renowned songwriter as well as performer, Hennessy wrote several songs that became hits for other singers including Don't Forget your Shovel, made famous by Christy Moore
, and All the Lies that You Told Me, recorded by Frances Black
. He also composed the theme tune and incidental music for the BBC TV series "Get Well Soon" written by Ray Galton (of Steptoe & Son fame) and composed and wrote a musical/feature film about his native Ireland, Two Stops to Paradise
Hennessy returned to the studio in 2007, one final time to record an album with both Luka Bloom
and Christy Moore sharing vocals on one of the tracks.
In 2005, Christy Moore's rendition of Hennessy's "Don't Forget Your Shovel" was referenced in a UK Number One single "The JCB Song" by Nizlopi
: "And the engine rattles my bum like berserk. While we're singin, 'Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work!'" It was further referenced in the video for the same song; as the line is sung, the characters in the JCB pass a shop called "Christie's Shovels".
, which has been attributed to his younger years spent working on building sites in London
where he was exposed to asbestos
dust. A commemorative statue of Christie was erected in Central Plaza, just off the town square in Tralee in November 2009.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Early life
Hennessy was born in Tralee, County KerryCounty Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. His first guitar was made, especially for him, from a tea chest when he was six years old by his friend Jerry Quirke. He left school at the age of eleven and a half.
His first job was as a messenger boy, and it was then that he discovered that it was important to be able to read. He was unable to read or write due to severe dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, but still enjoyed his library of books. He later worked at building sites in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
In 1972 he released his first record, The Green Album, on Westwood, a small label. With scant publicity or promotion, the album made little impact and only 500 copies of the record were pressed. Hennessy returned to labouring on building sites in the UK and did not release another album for twenty years. When he did, his 1992 release The Rehearsal outsold U2 in Ireland, eventually attaining triple platinum status. His following albums, A Year in the Life and Box also sold extremely well in Ireland.A renowned songwriter as well as performer, Hennessy wrote several songs that became hits for other singers including Don't Forget your Shovel, made famous by Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
, and All the Lies that You Told Me, recorded by Frances Black
Frances Black
Frances Black is an award-winning Irish singer. A pure vocal tone and an energetic stage presence has made Black one of Ireland’s most popular singers...
. He also composed the theme tune and incidental music for the BBC TV series "Get Well Soon" written by Ray Galton (of Steptoe & Son fame) and composed and wrote a musical/feature film about his native Ireland, Two Stops to Paradise
Hennessy returned to the studio in 2007, one final time to record an album with both Luka Bloom
Luka Bloom
Luka Bloom is an Irish folk-rock singer-songwriter. He is the younger brother of Irish folk singer Christy Moore.-Early life:...
and Christy Moore sharing vocals on one of the tracks.
In 2005, Christy Moore's rendition of Hennessy's "Don't Forget Your Shovel" was referenced in a UK Number One single "The JCB Song" by Nizlopi
Nizlopi
Nizlopi were a two-piece band, from 1993–2010, with Luke Concannon on vocals, guitar, and bodhrán, and John Parker on double bass, human beatbox, and providing backing vocals. They were based in Leamington Spa, England. Prior to attending Trinity Catholic Technology College, Luke and John...
: "And the engine rattles my bum like berserk. While we're singin, 'Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work!'" It was further referenced in the video for the same song; as the line is sung, the characters in the JCB pass a shop called "Christie's Shovels".
Death
Hennessy died on 11 December 2007 in a London hospice, aged 62. He was reported to have died from pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, which has been attributed to his younger years spent working on building sites in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he was exposed to asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
dust. A commemorative statue of Christie was erected in Central Plaza, just off the town square in Tralee in November 2009.
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROI Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|||||||||||||||
| 1972 | Christie Hennessy/The Green Album
|
- | - | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | The Rehearsal
|
- | - | *ROI: Platinum x3 | ||||||||||||
| 1993 | A Year in the Life
|
- | - | *ROI: Platinum x4 | ||||||||||||
| 1995 | Lord of Your Eyes
|
- | - | *ROI: Platinum x2 | ||||||||||||
| 1996 | Box Box Box describes a variety of containers and receptacles for permanent use as storage, or for temporary use often for transporting contents. The word derives from the Greek πύξος , "box, boxwood".... |
- | - | *ROI: Platinum x3 | ||||||||||||
| 2006 | Stories for Sale
|
- | - | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | This Is as Far as I Go
|
- | - | *ROI: Platinum x2 | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | The Two of Us
|
- | - | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | A Friend of Mine
|
- | - | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes albums that did not chart, or wasn't released in that country. | ||||||||||||||||
| "+" denotes a posthumous release. | ||||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year of Release | Single details | Peak chart positions(Irl) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Roll Back the Clouds
|
4 | |
| 1991 | Oh Jealous Heart
|
15 | |
| 1993 | If You Were to Fall
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies... |
10 | |