Eleanor McEvoy
Encyclopedia
Eleanor McEvoy is one of Ireland
's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. McEvoy composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart
, the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.
where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras and music clubs by night.
McEvoy graduated from Trinity
with an Honors Degree in music and spent four months busking in New York
. In 1988 she was accepted into the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
where she spent four years before leaving to concentrate on songwriting.
She built up a following in clubs in Dublin with her three piece band, Jim Tate on bass, Noel Eccles on drums, and latterly Bill Shanley on guitar.
During a solo date in July 1992, she performed a little known self-penned song, Only a Woman's Heart. Mary Black
, of whose band McEvoy was a member, was in the audience and invited her to add the track to an album of Irish female artists. The album was subsequently titled A Woman's Heart
and the track was released as the lead single.
In the same week that A Woman's Heart
was released, Tom Zutaut A & R from Geffen Records
, who had previously signed Guns & Roses, Motley Crew
, and Edie Brickell
, offered McEvoy a worldwide recording deal after watching her perform at The Baggot Inn in Dublin.
A Woman's Heart
the album, went on to sell over three quarter of a million copies in Ireland alone and was (and remains) the biggest selling Irish
album of all time.
Eleanor McEvoy, the self-titled début offering, recorded in Windmill Lane Studios
, was released in February 1993 and tours in the US, Asia
, and Europe
followed. Back on Irish soil, McEvoy was awarded Best New Artist, Best New Performer, and Best Songwriter Awards by the Irish entertainment and music industries.
As she began writing her second album, Tom Zutaut, departed Geffen Records
, so when Columbia
US offered her a new deal, she jumped ship and began working on a new, edgier second album, which would eventually be titled What's Following Me?
The album was released in 1996 and the sound was louder and grungier that her debut. The single Precious Little built to a Top 10 radio hit in the US, giving McEvoy the exposure she needed for a headline tour of the US. She was invited to contribute of a number of movie and TV soundtracks.
A Glass Unkissed was featured in ABC Television's Clueless
and Whisper A Prayer to the Moon was featured in the Pierce Brosnan
film The Nephew
. which was released in August 1998.
At home, the success of A Woman's Heart
continued to overshadow McEvoy's solo work and fans of the mammoth hit were disappointed with the rock elements of the second album and those that might have identified with her bittersweet lyrics, sensual vocals, and loud guitars turned a blind eye to the album.
McEvoy released her third album Snapshots in 1999. Her primary goal was to make Snapshots her most song-oriented album to date. Toward that goal, McEvoy hooked up with legendary producer Rupert Hine
(who worked with Stevie Nicks
, Tina Turner
, Suzanne Vega
, and Duncan Sheik
) and recorded the album at Rupert’s chateau “Chateau de la Tour de Moulin” and then in Metropolis Studios in London
. The extensive use of drum loops was a complete change in style from her previous work.
The album was greeted by rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic...”her sophisticated voice and compassionate seasoned lyrics ... make Eleanor McEvoy’s album a gem.....” declared The Boston Globe
while The Sunday Times
described it is “her strongest album to date, with well appointed social comment topics.....McEvoy’s take on matters emotional also hits pay dirt with the likes of the excellent Did You Tell Him? However Columbia Records
had been unprepared for the complete stylistic change and relations between the company and McEvoy became strained. Despite this, a sell-out 24 date tour of the US accompanied the release of Snapshots in the summer of 1999, followed by the Snapshots Unplugged tour March–April 2000, which culminated in a performance in Boulder, Colorado
accompanied by the E Town Band where she duetted with Richard Thompson.
By 2000 McEvoy found herself increasingly entwined in record company red tape, Columbia
had bought her first album Eleanor McEvoy from Geffen
, but were refusing to release it. Neither What's Following Me?
nor Snapshots had set the sales charts on fire and McEvoy’s public perception, particularly in Ireland
, was caught in a limbo state between rock and folk, with A Woman’s Heart and its many incarnations still lurking in the back of the minds of the record buying public.
Increasingly McEvoy started to work on outside projects. The Bert Jansch
tribute album People On The Highway - A Bert Jansch Encomium (Market Square Records Cat. No. MSMCD106 Koch September 2000) saw a newly recorded version of Jansch’s song about Sandy Denny
Where Did My Life Go? recorded by McEvoy especially for the album. Participating artists included Al Stewart
, Roy Harper
, Bernard Butler
, Donovan
, and Ralph McTell
.
As the century closed, McEvoy had had enough of major label involvement and made the decision to take the fourth album and head down the independent road. Yola
was a turning point in McEvoy’s musical direction. Released in 2001 it reflected the acoustic, jazz influenced style she had developed on stage with Brian Connor. For McEvoy it was a new departure and one that found favour with music media. Irish Music Press described it as .... 'her finest album', ‘a brave rejection of the predictable’, ‘musically daring....beautifully atmospheric’ and international press lauded it as ‘a back to basics triumph’, ‘beautifully restrained’...a classic’, ‘McEvoy’s best release to date’ Extensive touring throughout the US and the UK followed. In 2002 Yola
was named "Record of the Year" by Hi-Fi+ Magazine
March 2004 saw the release of Early Hours
(Market Square, No. MSM51SACD128, Distributor RSK/BMG), produced by McEvoy and Brian Connor. The album featured McEvoy on vocals, Guitar, and Fiddle, Brian Connor on Piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ, Keyboards, Liam Bradley, Kit Percussion, Backing Vocals, Calum McColl Guitars, Backing Vocals, Nicky Scott, Bass, and Lindley Hamilton, on Trumpets. The style differed from her previous work, taking on a jazz/blues feel for many of the songs.
Early Hours
continued the high quality audio work that had been established with Yola
. This album was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround sound onto multi-channel super audio compact disc Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD). Early Hours
was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005, by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.
She continued to tour with Brian Connor until April 2005. She then began performing solo accompanying herself on bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and violin.
Her sixth album Out There
was recorded in The Grange Studio in Norfolk and released in early 2007. It was self penned, self produced and featured McEvoy all of the instruments with the exception of a guitar part on “Quote I Love You Unquote” played by Dave Rotheray
(ex- Beautiful South) and the drumming of Liam Bradley (Van Morrison
, Ronan Keeting) on three tracks. McEvoy toured the album extensively in Britain
, Ireland
, Spain
and Australia
throughout 2007 and early 2008. In 2007 Out There
brought McEvoy her second "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.
Love Must Be Tough
, (MOSCD404 released 2008) her seventh album, is a departure from previous albums, where all the songs were typically her own. Half of this album features songs by other writers. Typically these songs were written by men and sung by men, but were about women. When sung by a woman, with the minimum of alteration to the lyrics, the words tell a new story. It revels in gender juxtaposition.
Recorded with the South King Street Band, with arrangements by Peter Beckett, Love Must Be Tough
opens with the Rolling Stone
’s Mother’s Little Helper. The opening line “What A Drag It Is Getting Old” sets the tone of the entire collection.
The title track, Love Must Be Tough
, written by McEvoy and US legend Johnny Rivers
during a late night song writing session in Killarney, is a nugget of West Coast Americana. The lead single Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, penned by McEvoy and long time friend Dave Rotheray
(Beautiful South/Homespun
) is a twist on the jaundiced over optimism of the standard wedding song. Another track by the duo, The Night May Still Be Young, But I Am Not, is also on the album. In 2008 McEvoy received her third "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine
In 2007 McEvoy was awarded "Best Traditional Act" at the 7th annual Big Buzz Awards. Awards are voted for entirely by the general public, and are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements and the amazing talent within the Irish entertainment scene.
In 2008 McEvoy toured from January - November in the UK, Australia
, Spain
, Germany
, Poland
, and Ireland
with additional one off dates in the Far East and elsewhere in Europe
, including an appearance at Glastonbury
in June 2008.
On 21 November 2008 Easy In Love from the album Love Must Be Tough
was released as a single to highlight McEvoy’s recent visit to Uganda
on behalf of Oxfam
Ireland
.
On 28 September 2008 McEvoy's album Singled Out
was released. The album is a compilation of singles taken from McEvoy's four award winning independently-released albums. Three of the albums, Yola
, Out There
, and Love Must Be Tough
, received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.
Early Hours
was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005 by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll. The album includes Did I Hurt You and Isn't It A Little Late from McEvoy's double A-Side single which was the world's first single to be released on the on Super Audio Compact Disc SACD
format.
Singled Out
includes one new song, Oh Uganda, which was written by McEvoy after her visit to Northern Uganda as part of her support for the work of Oxfam Unwrapped.
I'd Rather Go Blonde
, released 20 September 2010, is McEvoy's eighth album. Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance. As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there." The album has been met with glowing reviews including the five star review in 2010 Maverick Magazine: This absolutely stunning album, has been a real find – one of the most compelling female singer-songwriters I’ve heard in a long time.
Alone
, McEvoy's ninth album, released 12 September 2011, is a collection of twelve stripped-down solo numbers. Says McEvoy, "“There was a time when I was stranded in a long gap between tour dates and, with time to kill, I headed for the peace of The Grange; a small studio tucked away in the Norfolk countryside." The product of those tranquil sessions is an album of incredibly haunting performances, up close, personal, and timeless. This is McEvoy in her most intimate setting, running through the journey of her writing and singing career.
drew favourable attention from the Hi-Fi press and market as one of the first original titles recorded specifically for SACD
. With the collaboration of sound designer Mick O’Gorman, the world’s first ever SACD
single Did I Hurt You (Market Square MSMSACD114) was released from the same album. To this day Yola
is regarded as a Hi-Fi industry standard and is used by high end audio companies to test speakers.
Releasing on CD, SACD
, and vinyl McEvoy's albums have won many audio awards. Early Hours
was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround sound onto multi-channel super audio compact disc SACD
. McEvoy's latest album Love Must Be Tough
was named Album of the Year by Hi-Fi Plus, the prestigious UK publication, and was released on vinyl
in August 2008 by Diverse Vinyl in the UK.
In October 2008 at the invitation of Oxfam
Ireland
, McEvoy visited Uganda
. Traveling throughout the Kitgum
region of Northern Uganda, she experienced first hand the benefits of Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped, an initiative that sends meaningful presents like clean drinking water, school books and vegetable gardens to developing countries throughout Africa
. This visit provided the inspiration for a new song "Oh Uganda".
Midge Ure
Midge Ure
’s top twenty album Breathe features McEvoy on three tracks, "Fallen Angel", "Fields of Fire" and "Lay My Body Down". McEvoy contributed the gaelic lyrics on "Fallen Angel". The album was produced by Richard Feldman.
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
In 2005, the RTE Concert Orchestra
commissioned arrangements for 16 of McEvoy’s compositions to be performed at a concert in August 2005 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The 60 piece Orchestra was conducted by David Brophy and featured, in addition McEvoy herself, other leading Irish arrangers, Johnny Tate, David Brophy, Brian Byrne
, and Fergus O’Carroll.
The sell-out performance formed part of the annual BEO Festival, hosted by the National Concert Hall and sponsored by the ESB.
The songs, with their new arrangements, were drawn from McEvoy’s first five albums, incorporating music from Yola
and Early Hours
, along with many others including "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" (from Pierce Brosnan
’s The Nephew
), "Famine" (from The Gathering the Commemoration of the Irish Famine) and of course her contribution to the canon of Irish music standards, "Only a Woman’s Heart".
Homespun and Dave Rotheray
In January 2006, McEvoy supported the band Homespun
on a British tour in support of their 2nd album Effortless Cool. During this tour she also began writing with Dave Rotheray
.
Three Rotheray/McEvoy compositions appear on McEvoy's albums. "Quote I Love You Unquote" on Out There
and "The Night May Still Be Young But I Am Not" and "Old New Borrowed and Blue" on 2008 album Love Must Be Tough
.
Homespun's 3rd album, Short Stories From East Yorkshire, features two Rotheray/McEvoy compositions which are also produced by Dave Rotheray
and Eleanor McEvoy; "Lover’s Chapel" and "The Driver". "The Driver" was sung by well-known Irish singer Mary Coughlan
.
The Brewster Brothers
John and Rick Brewster are founding members and major songwriters of the legendary Angels, one of Australia
’s most successful rock bands. After three decades, The Angels remain one of Australia
’s most loved and respected bands. A few years ago Rick and John started a new breakaway project, performing acoustically as ‘The Brewster Brothers’
Performing at the Port Fairy Folk Festival
in Australia
2007, the band were joined on stage by Anne Kirkpatrick
and McEvoy (violin) for standout spontaneous renditions of several of their songs. The concert was recorded by the ABC Australia. The show was broadcast on ABC Radio National on 18 May and then again on Sunday 20 May. Due to demand from ABC Australia listeners “Brewster Brothers in Concert Live At The Port Fairy Folk Festival” was released shortly afterwards.
Paul Brady at Vicar Street
In October 2001 Paul Brady
took over Vicar Street
(one of the most popular music venues in Dublin) for twenty three nights to revisit his entire career. It was a bold move and a great success. Over the course of the month more than 16,000 people saw the shows.
As well as a chance to revisit past material Paul availed of the opportunity to invite many of the artists he has worked or written with over the last thirty years to come and play. Among them were Bonnie Raitt
, Mark Knopfler
, Van Morrison
, Sinéad O'Connor
, Curtis Stigers
, Maura O'Connell
, Mary Black
, Ronan Keating
, Brian Kennedy
, Gavin Friday
, Tim O'Brien
, Arty McGlynn
, The Hothouse Flowers
. and many more.
McEvoy joined him for Thursday 12 October. Highlights of the night were Paul and McEvoy singing a duet on “You and I” an antiracism song of Paul’s and Paul’s rendition of McEvoy’s song “Last Seen October 9th”
The Great Irish Famine Event - The National Concert Hall
McEvoy was commissioned by the Irish Government to write a piece about The Irish Famine for a concert held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 1997. The Song was “Famine 1848” It is an orchestral piece with vocal part sung by McEvoy.
The event entitled “The Great Irish Famine Event” was held to commemorate the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1852.
The song Famine also features on a limited edition version of the album What's Following Me?
(Columbia Records
).
“Eleanor McEvoy Presents” Wexford Arts Centre
“ELEANOR McEVOY PRESENTS” was a project which was instigated fo the reopening of the Wexford Arts Centre in October 2006.
For four weeks during the Wexford Festival Opera
McEvoy featured some of her favourite performers of contemporary music.
The first show on Friday 27 October featured McEvoy McEvoy herself. During the show she played a traditional set along with some local Wexford
musicians: well known Wexford Uilleann Piper Brendan Wickham, Pat Gough on accordion, and Niall Shorthall on Bazouki.
The shows on the following Fridays featured various different artists much admired by her over the years. These included Andy Irvine, Luka Bloom
, Caroline Moreau, and Oleg Ponomarev.
The Wexford Arts Centre places an emphasis on contemporary and emerging Irish and international art and a range of plays, concerts, film and lectures. The Centre is also resident in a preserved heritage site, built in 1760's, as a market place and assembly halls.
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew (2008)
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
was a song written Bono
, Edge
, (U2
) Simon Carmody and Robert Hunter
(Grateful Dead
). Initially written to include Ronnie Drew
, as his health declined it was altered to be sung by the Irish music fraternity in his honour.
It was performed by a number of famous Irish musicians. With popular Irish band Kila
as the backing band, other contributors included members of U2
, The Dubliners
, Christy Moore
, Chris de Burgh
, Sinéad O’Connor, The Chieftains
, Mundy
, Andrea Corr
, Moya Brennan
, Paul Brady
, Christy Dignam
, Duke Special
, Ronan Keating
, Gavin Friday
, Bob Geldof
, Glen Hansard
, McEvoy, and Shane MacGowan
.
The single was released on 19 February 2008 and entered the Irish Single Charts at #2. At the request of Ronnie, all proceeds went to the Irish Cancer Society.
Award winning director John Carney
(director of the film Once
) directed the video for The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
. It was filmed over two days at Dublin’s Windmill Lane Studios
in January 2008.
Tuesday’s Child
Tuesday’s Child was spearheaded by Belfast
woman Orla Sheehan. It consisted of a CD featuring tracks from a total of 31 performers including Snow Patrol
, Westlife
, Ronan Keating
, Duke Special
, and McEvoy. Each artist donated a track for the Tuesday’s Child self-titled double album which was first launched in Belfast on 8 November 2007 and in Dublin on 7 March 2008.
Proceeds of the album went towards helping children in need in 12 countries including: Bolivia
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Brazil
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
, Egypt
, Ghana
, Grenada
, Israel
, Moldova
, Palestine
, and Zimbabwe
.
IMRO
McEvoy is on the board of the Irish Music Rights Organisation
. IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland
on behalf of its members - songwriters, composers and music publishers - and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation.
Banana Boat featuring Eleanor McEvoy
McEvoy and renowned Polish a cappella group, Banana Boat
collaborated to re-record McEvoy's song Little Look which is from her album Out There
. A music video was also made of the song. The debut went straight to the play list of famed Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego (Polskie Radio
Three). The video went on to be named Video of the Week by the Contemporary A Cappella Society
(of America). In 2009 the recording was awarded "Collaboration of the Year with an Artist from Outside Poland" in the 2009 Polish Friends of Music Awards.
Duets by George Hooks
In December 2009 McEvoy teamed up with Irish broadcaster and rugby pundit, George Hook
, to perform on Hook's charity album Duets. They sang McEvoy's song Is This Love which McEvoy co-wrote with Paul Brady
. Proceeds of the album went to Irish charity Comber.
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...
's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. McEvoy composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart is a compilation of twelve tracks performed by six female Irish artists, namely Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, and Maura O'Connell...
, the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.
Biography
McEvoy's life as a musician began at the age of four when she began playing piano. At the age of eight she took up violin. Upon finishing school she attended Trinity College, DublinTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras and music clubs by night.
McEvoy graduated from Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
with an Honors Degree in music and spent four months busking in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1988 she was accepted into the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
The RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra is the concert music orchestra of Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
where she spent four years before leaving to concentrate on songwriting.
She built up a following in clubs in Dublin with her three piece band, Jim Tate on bass, Noel Eccles on drums, and latterly Bill Shanley on guitar.
During a solo date in July 1992, she performed a little known self-penned song, Only a Woman's Heart. Mary Black
Mary Black
Mary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world....
, of whose band McEvoy was a member, was in the audience and invited her to add the track to an album of Irish female artists. The album was subsequently titled A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart is a compilation of twelve tracks performed by six female Irish artists, namely Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, and Maura O'Connell...
and the track was released as the lead single.
In the same week that A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart is a compilation of twelve tracks performed by six female Irish artists, namely Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, and Maura O'Connell...
was released, Tom Zutaut A & R from Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, who had previously signed Guns & Roses, Motley Crew
Motley crew
A motley crew is a cliché for a roughly organized assembly of characters. Typical examples of motley crews are pirates, Western posses, rag-tag mercenary bands or freedom fighters. They may align with, be , or include either the protagonist or the antagonist of the story.Motley crews are, by...
, and Edie Brickell
Edie Brickell
Edie Arlisa Brickell is an American singer-songwriter best known for 1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went #4 on the US Albums Chart.-Life and career:...
, offered McEvoy a worldwide recording deal after watching her perform at The Baggot Inn in Dublin.
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart is a compilation of twelve tracks performed by six female Irish artists, namely Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, and Maura O'Connell...
the album, went on to sell over three quarter of a million copies in Ireland alone and was (and remains) the biggest selling Irish
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...
album of all time.
Eleanor McEvoy, the self-titled début offering, recorded in Windmill Lane Studios
Windmill Lane Studios
Windmill Lane Studios, also known as the "U2 studio", is a three-storey music recording studio located in Dublin, Ireland. It is located on Windmill Lane, a small street just south of City Quay and the River Liffey and a little north of Pearse Station. It was opened in 1978 by Brian Masterson who...
, was released in February 1993 and tours in the US, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
followed. Back on Irish soil, McEvoy was awarded Best New Artist, Best New Performer, and Best Songwriter Awards by the Irish entertainment and music industries.
As she began writing her second album, Tom Zutaut, departed Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, so when Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
US offered her a new deal, she jumped ship and began working on a new, edgier second album, which would eventually be titled What's Following Me?
What's Following Me?
What's Following Me? is Eleanor McEvoy's second studio album and was released in 1996 for Columbia Records. The album is composed of thirteen songs composed by McEvoy. What's Following Me explores subjects that are universal and yet personal...
The album was released in 1996 and the sound was louder and grungier that her debut. The single Precious Little built to a Top 10 radio hit in the US, giving McEvoy the exposure she needed for a headline tour of the US. She was invited to contribute of a number of movie and TV soundtracks.
A Glass Unkissed was featured in ABC Television's Clueless
Clueless
Clueless is a 1995 American comedy film loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel, Emma. It is set in Beverly Hills and a nearby high school. It was written and directed by Amy Heckerling and produced by Scott Rudin. The film was released in the United States on July 19, 1995...
and Whisper A Prayer to the Moon was featured in the Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
film The Nephew
The Nephew
The Nephew is a 1998 film directed by Eugene Brady, which tells the story of a young biracial American man, Chad Egan-Washington .-Plot:...
. which was released in August 1998.
At home, the success of A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart
A Woman's Heart is a compilation of twelve tracks performed by six female Irish artists, namely Eleanor McEvoy, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, and Maura O'Connell...
continued to overshadow McEvoy's solo work and fans of the mammoth hit were disappointed with the rock elements of the second album and those that might have identified with her bittersweet lyrics, sensual vocals, and loud guitars turned a blind eye to the album.
McEvoy released her third album Snapshots in 1999. Her primary goal was to make Snapshots her most song-oriented album to date. Toward that goal, McEvoy hooked up with legendary producer Rupert Hine
Rupert Hine
Rupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
(who worked with Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
, and Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik
Duncan Scott Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". He later expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the...
) and recorded the album at Rupert’s chateau “Chateau de la Tour de Moulin” and then in Metropolis Studios 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...
. The extensive use of drum loops was a complete change in style from her previous work.
The album was greeted by rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic...”her sophisticated voice and compassionate seasoned lyrics ... make Eleanor McEvoy’s album a gem.....” declared The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
while The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
described it is “her strongest album to date, with well appointed social comment topics.....McEvoy’s take on matters emotional also hits pay dirt with the likes of the excellent Did You Tell Him? However Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
had been unprepared for the complete stylistic change and relations between the company and McEvoy became strained. Despite this, a sell-out 24 date tour of the US accompanied the release of Snapshots in the summer of 1999, followed by the Snapshots Unplugged tour March–April 2000, which culminated in a performance in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
accompanied by the E Town Band where she duetted with Richard Thompson.
By 2000 McEvoy found herself increasingly entwined in record company red tape, Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
had bought her first album Eleanor McEvoy from Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, but were refusing to release it. Neither What's Following Me?
What's Following Me?
What's Following Me? is Eleanor McEvoy's second studio album and was released in 1996 for Columbia Records. The album is composed of thirteen songs composed by McEvoy. What's Following Me explores subjects that are universal and yet personal...
nor Snapshots had set the sales charts on fire and McEvoy’s public perception, particularly in 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...
, was caught in a limbo state between rock and folk, with A Woman’s Heart and its many incarnations still lurking in the back of the minds of the record buying public.
Increasingly McEvoy started to work on outside projects. The Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
tribute album People On The Highway - A Bert Jansch Encomium (Market Square Records Cat. No. MSMCD106 Koch September 2000) saw a newly recorded version of Jansch’s song about Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
Where Did My Life Go? recorded by McEvoy especially for the album. Participating artists included Al Stewart
Al Stewart
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer-songwriter and folk-rock musician.Stewart came to stardom as part of the British folk revival in the 1960s and 1970s, and developed his own unique style of combining folk-rock songs with delicately woven tales of the great characters and events from history.He is...
, Roy Harper
Roy Harper
Roy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
, Bernard Butler
Bernard Butler
Bernard Joseph Butler is an English musician and record producer. He first emerged in the early Britpop era with Suede. He has been hailed by some critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation, as well as one of Britain's most original and influential guitarists...
, Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
, and Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
.
As the century closed, McEvoy had had enough of major label involvement and made the decision to take the fourth album and head down the independent road. Yola
Yola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
was a turning point in McEvoy’s musical direction. Released in 2001 it reflected the acoustic, jazz influenced style she had developed on stage with Brian Connor. For McEvoy it was a new departure and one that found favour with music media. Irish Music Press described it as .... 'her finest album', ‘a brave rejection of the predictable’, ‘musically daring....beautifully atmospheric’ and international press lauded it as ‘a back to basics triumph’, ‘beautifully restrained’...a classic’, ‘McEvoy’s best release to date’ Extensive touring throughout the US and the UK followed. In 2002 Yola
Yola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
was named "Record of the Year" by Hi-Fi+ Magazine
March 2004 saw the release of Early Hours
Early Hours
Early Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
(Market Square, No. MSM51SACD128, Distributor RSK/BMG), produced by McEvoy and Brian Connor. The album featured McEvoy on vocals, Guitar, and Fiddle, Brian Connor on Piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond Organ, Keyboards, Liam Bradley, Kit Percussion, Backing Vocals, Calum McColl Guitars, Backing Vocals, Nicky Scott, Bass, and Lindley Hamilton, on Trumpets. The style differed from her previous work, taking on a jazz/blues feel for many of the songs.
Early Hours
Early Hours
Early Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
continued the high quality audio work that had been established with Yola
Yola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
. This album was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround sound onto multi-channel super audio compact disc Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD). Early Hours
Early Hours
Early Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005, by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.
She continued to tour with Brian Connor until April 2005. She then began performing solo accompanying herself on bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and violin.
Her sixth album Out There
Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, not only produced and arranged Out There, she also played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave...
was recorded in The Grange Studio in Norfolk and released in early 2007. It was self penned, self produced and featured McEvoy all of the instruments with the exception of a guitar part on “Quote I Love You Unquote” played by Dave Rotheray
Dave Rotheray
David Rotheray is a British musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South.Rotheray was born the fifth of five children. His parents were both intellectual and had met through the Young Communist League...
(ex- Beautiful South) and the drumming of Liam Bradley (Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Ronan Keeting) on three tracks. McEvoy toured the album extensively in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, 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...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
throughout 2007 and early 2008. In 2007 Out There
Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, not only produced and arranged Out There, she also played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave...
brought McEvoy her second "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
, (MOSCD404 released 2008) her seventh album, is a departure from previous albums, where all the songs were typically her own. Half of this album features songs by other writers. Typically these songs were written by men and sung by men, but were about women. When sung by a woman, with the minimum of alteration to the lyrics, the words tell a new story. It revels in gender juxtaposition.
Recorded with the South King Street Band, with arrangements by Peter Beckett, Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
opens with the Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
’s Mother’s Little Helper. The opening line “What A Drag It Is Getting Old” sets the tone of the entire collection.
The title track, Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
, written by McEvoy and US legend Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
during a late night song writing session in Killarney, is a nugget of West Coast Americana. The lead single Old, New, Borrowed and Blue, penned by McEvoy and long time friend Dave Rotheray
Dave Rotheray
David Rotheray is a British musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South.Rotheray was born the fifth of five children. His parents were both intellectual and had met through the Young Communist League...
(Beautiful South/Homespun
Homespun
Homespun is a demo album by XTC released by Cooking Vinyl and Idea Records. A companion to Apple Venus Volume 1, it has the same running order as its parent album...
) is a twist on the jaundiced over optimism of the standard wedding song. Another track by the duo, The Night May Still Be Young, But I Am Not, is also on the album. In 2008 McEvoy received her third "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine
In 2007 McEvoy was awarded "Best Traditional Act" at the 7th annual Big Buzz Awards. Awards are voted for entirely by the general public, and are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements and the amazing talent within the Irish entertainment scene.
In 2008 McEvoy toured from January - November in the UK, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and 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...
with additional one off dates in the Far East and elsewhere in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, including an appearance at Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in June 2008.
On 21 November 2008 Easy In Love from the album Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
was released as a single to highlight McEvoy’s recent visit to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
on behalf of Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
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...
.
On 28 September 2008 McEvoy's album Singled Out
Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Singled Out Eleanor McEvoy's is a compilation album of singles taken from McEvoy's four award winning independently-released albums. Three of the albums, Yola, Out There, and Love Must Be Tough, received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.Early Hours was voted Best...
was released. The album is a compilation of singles taken from McEvoy's four award winning independently-released albums. Three of the albums, Yola
Yola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
, Out There
Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, not only produced and arranged Out There, she also played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave...
, and Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
, received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.
Early Hours
Early Hours
Early Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005 by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll. The album includes Did I Hurt You and Isn't It A Little Late from McEvoy's double A-Side single which was the world's first single to be released on the on Super Audio Compact Disc SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
format.
Singled Out
Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Singled Out Eleanor McEvoy's is a compilation album of singles taken from McEvoy's four award winning independently-released albums. Three of the albums, Yola, Out There, and Love Must Be Tough, received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.Early Hours was voted Best...
includes one new song, Oh Uganda, which was written by McEvoy after her visit to Northern Uganda as part of her support for the work of Oxfam Unwrapped.
I'd Rather Go Blonde
I'd Rather Go Blonde
I’d Rather Go Blonde is the eighth album in a twenty year career that has seen Eleanor McEvoy establish herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer / songwriters...
, released 20 September 2010, is McEvoy's eighth album. Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance. As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there." The album has been met with glowing reviews including the five star review in 2010 Maverick Magazine: This absolutely stunning album, has been a real find – one of the most compelling female singer-songwriters I’ve heard in a long time.
Alone
Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Eleanor McEvoy’s 9th studio album Alone is a collection of 12 stripped-down solo numbers, including new single ‘You’ll Hear Better Songs ’, ‘A Woman’s Heart,’ and a unique take on P.F...
, McEvoy's ninth album, released 12 September 2011, is a collection of twelve stripped-down solo numbers. Says McEvoy, "“There was a time when I was stranded in a long gap between tour dates and, with time to kill, I headed for the peace of The Grange; a small studio tucked away in the Norfolk countryside." The product of those tranquil sessions is an album of incredibly haunting performances, up close, personal, and timeless. This is McEvoy in her most intimate setting, running through the journey of her writing and singing career.
Discography
- AloneAlone (Eleanor McEvoy album)Eleanor McEvoy’s 9th studio album Alone is a collection of 12 stripped-down solo numbers, including new single ‘You’ll Hear Better Songs ’, ‘A Woman’s Heart,’ and a unique take on P.F...
- Moscodisc (MOSCD409) September 2011 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, recorded by Dave Williams and Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ciaran Byrne and Mick O'Gorman; mastered by Ian Cooper.
- I'd Rather Go BlondeI'd Rather Go BlondeI’d Rather Go Blonde is the eighth album in a twenty year career that has seen Eleanor McEvoy establish herself as one of Ireland’s most accomplished singer / songwriters...
- Moscodisc (MOSCD408) September 2010 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, and Peter Beckett; recorded by Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan; mastered by Ian Cooper.
- Singled OutSingled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)Singled Out Eleanor McEvoy's is a compilation album of singles taken from McEvoy's four award winning independently-released albums. Three of the albums, Yola, Out There, and Love Must Be Tough, received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.Early Hours was voted Best...
- Moscodisc (MOSCD406) September 2009 Various Producers
- Love Must Be ToughLove Must Be ToughLove Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
- Moscodisc (MOSCD404) February 2008 Produced by Peter Beckett and Mick O'Gorman
- Out ThereOut There (Eleanor McEvoy album)Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, not only produced and arranged Out There, she also played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave...
- Moscodisc (MOSACD 303) September 2006 Produced by Mick O'Gorman and Eleanor McEvoy
- Early HoursEarly HoursEarly Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
- Moscodisc / Market Square (MSM1SACD128) 2004 Produced by Brian Connor & Eleanor McEvoy
- Eleanor McEvoy 'Special Edition' - Market Square (MSMCD127) 2003 {Remastered Geffen album (see below) with 4 extra tracks.} Produced by Pat Moran.
- YolaYola (Album)Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
- Mosco (EMSACD1) 2001 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Brian Connor.
- Snapshots - Columbia Records (CK494598.2) 1999 Produced by Rupert Hine
- What's Following Me?What's Following Me?What's Following Me? is Eleanor McEvoy's second studio album and was released in 1996 for Columbia Records. The album is composed of thirteen songs composed by McEvoy. What's Following Me explores subjects that are universal and yet personal...
- Columbia Records (484233.2) 1996 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Kevin Moloney
- Eleanor McEvoy - Geffen Records (GEFC/GEFD24606)1993 Produced by Pat Moran. No longer available replaced by Special Edition (see above)
Feature films
- McEvoy sang Bill WhelanBill WhelanBill Whelan, is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The end result, Riverdance, was a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze...
's song The Seabird in Some Mother's SonSome Mother's SonSome Mother's Son is a 1996 film written and directed by Irish filmmaker Terry George, co-written by Jim Sheridan, and based on the true story of the 1981 hunger strike in the Maze Prison, in Northern Ireland...
starring Helen MirrenHelen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
, director Terry GeorgeTerry GeorgeTerry George is an Irish screenwriter and director. Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland much of his film work involves the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
written by Jim SheridanJim SheridanJim Sheridan is an Irish film director. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Sheridan is perhaps best known for his films My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin and In America.-Life and career:...
and Terry GeorgeTerry GeorgeTerry George is an Irish screenwriter and director. Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland much of his film work involves the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
.
- The song I Hear You Breathing In features in How To Cheat In The Leaving CertificateHow to Cheat in the Leaving CertificateHow To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate is an independent film directed by Graham Jones, in which six teens devise a plan to cheat on their Leaving Certificate. The film was shot in black and white on Super 16mm. After being hailed by critics it was blown up to 35mm for theatrical distribution...
starring Mick Lally and Mary McEvoy.
- The song Whisper a Prayer to the Moon features in The NephewThe NephewThe Nephew is a 1998 film directed by Eugene Brady, which tells the story of a young biracial American man, Chad Egan-Washington .-Plot:...
starring Pierce BrosnanPierce BrosnanPierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
, Donal McCannDonal McCannDonal McCann was an Irish stage, film, and television actor best known for his roles in the works of Brian Friel and for his lead role in John Huston's last film, The Dead.-Early life:...
, Sinéad CusackSinéad CusackSinéad Moira Cusack is an Irish stage, television and film actress. She has received two Tony Award nominations: once for Best Leading Actress in Much Ado About Nothing , and again for Best Featured Actress in Rock 'n' Roll .-Background:...
, and Niall Tobin.
- The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in El vuelo del tren (dir. Paco Torres, 2009).
Television
- The HBO series Six Feet Under featured the song All I Have written by Caroline LavelleCaroline LavelleCaroline Lavelle is a British singer-songwriter and cellist who has created three solo albums and contributed vocals, music, and production help to many other artists and bands.-Career:Lavelle studied at the Royal College of Music in London...
and McEvoy.
- A Glass Unkissed from the 1996 album What's Following Me?What's Following Me?What's Following Me? is Eleanor McEvoy's second studio album and was released in 1996 for Columbia Records. The album is composed of thirteen songs composed by McEvoy. What's Following Me explores subjects that are universal and yet personal...
appeared in television network ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s popular series CluelessClueless (TV series)Clueless is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name . The series originally premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996 as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season...
.
- American Network PBS’s documentary In Our Own Voice features Easy To Lose Hope from McEvoy's 1999 album Snapshots. The song, produced by Rupert HineRupert HineRupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
is about murdered journalist Veronica GuerinVeronica GuerinVeronica Guerin was an Irish crime reporter who was murdered on 26 June 1996 by drug lords, an event which, alongside the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe three weeks earlier, helped establish the Criminal Assets Bureau....
.
- All I Have from the 1999 album Snapshots was featured on ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
, a long running daytime TV soap opera.
- McEvoy’s song Only A Woman's Heart appeared in Irish Network RTERaidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
’s popular soap GlenroeGlenroeGlenroe was an Irish television drama series broadcast between September 1983 and May 2001 on RTÉ One. The programme was a spin-off from Bracken, a short-lived RTÉ drama itself spun off from The Riordans. Glenroe was broadcast on Sunday nights at 20.30, generally from September to May. The show was...
.
- Days Roll By from Early HoursEarly HoursEarly Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
(Moscodisc 2004) appears in Fair CityFair CityFair City is an award-winning Irish television soap opera on RTÉ One. Produced by Radio Telefís Éireann, it was first broadcast on Monday, September 18, 1989...
a popular soap about daily life in a Dublin city.
Super Audio and Vinyl
McEvoy's fourth album YolaYola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
drew favourable attention from the Hi-Fi press and market as one of the first original titles recorded specifically for SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
. With the collaboration of sound designer Mick O’Gorman, the world’s first ever SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
single Did I Hurt You (Market Square MSMSACD114) was released from the same album. To this day Yola
Yola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
is regarded as a Hi-Fi industry standard and is used by high end audio companies to test speakers.
Releasing on CD, SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
, and vinyl McEvoy's albums have won many audio awards. Early Hours
Early Hours
Early Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround sound onto multi-channel super audio compact disc SACD
Super Audio CD
Super Audio CD is a high-resolution, read-only optical disc for audio storage. Sony and Philips Electronics jointly developed the technology, and publicized it in 1999. It is designated as the Scarlet Book standard. Sony and Philips previously collaborated to define the Compact Disc standard...
. McEvoy's latest album Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
was named Album of the Year by Hi-Fi Plus, the prestigious UK publication, and was released on vinyl
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
in August 2008 by Diverse Vinyl in the UK.
Other projects
OXFAMIn October 2008 at the invitation of Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
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...
, McEvoy visited Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
. Traveling throughout the Kitgum
Kitgum
Kitgum is a municipality in Kitgum District, in Northern Uganda. The town is administered by Kitgum Town Council, an Urban Local Government within Kitgum District Administration...
region of Northern Uganda, she experienced first hand the benefits of Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped, an initiative that sends meaningful presents like clean drinking water, school books and vegetable gardens to developing countries throughout Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. This visit provided the inspiration for a new song "Oh Uganda".
Midge Ure
Midge Ure
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
’s top twenty album Breathe features McEvoy on three tracks, "Fallen Angel", "Fields of Fire" and "Lay My Body Down". McEvoy contributed the gaelic lyrics on "Fallen Angel". The album was produced by Richard Feldman.
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
In 2005, the RTE Concert Orchestra
RTÉ Concert Orchestra
The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is one of the two full time professional orchestras in Ireland that are part of RTÉ, the national broadcasting station. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to...
commissioned arrangements for 16 of McEvoy’s compositions to be performed at a concert in August 2005 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The 60 piece Orchestra was conducted by David Brophy and featured, in addition McEvoy herself, other leading Irish arrangers, Johnny Tate, David Brophy, Brian Byrne
Brian Byrne
Brian Byrne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician, best recognized as the second vocalist for I Mother Earth.-Biography:...
, and Fergus O’Carroll.
The sell-out performance formed part of the annual BEO Festival, hosted by the National Concert Hall and sponsored by the ESB.
The songs, with their new arrangements, were drawn from McEvoy’s first five albums, incorporating music from Yola
Yola (Album)
Yola is Eleanor McEvoy's fourth studio album, and her first album on her own label, Moscodisc. Yola proved to be a turning point in McEvoy's musical direction. Stripped-back, acoustic tracks reflect McEvoy's new approach to recording and performing...
and Early Hours
Early Hours
Early Hours is Eleanor McEvoy's fifth studio album. The style of this album differs from her previous work with its collection of songs incorporating many musical styles including folk, jazz, and blues. The album features McEvoy on vocals, guitar and fiddle. Album co-producer Brian Connor...
, along with many others including "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" (from Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
’s The Nephew
The Nephew
The Nephew is a 1998 film directed by Eugene Brady, which tells the story of a young biracial American man, Chad Egan-Washington .-Plot:...
), "Famine" (from The Gathering the Commemoration of the Irish Famine) and of course her contribution to the canon of Irish music standards, "Only a Woman’s Heart".
Homespun and Dave Rotheray
In January 2006, McEvoy supported the band Homespun
Homespun
Homespun is a demo album by XTC released by Cooking Vinyl and Idea Records. A companion to Apple Venus Volume 1, it has the same running order as its parent album...
on a British tour in support of their 2nd album Effortless Cool. During this tour she also began writing with Dave Rotheray
Dave Rotheray
David Rotheray is a British musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South.Rotheray was born the fifth of five children. His parents were both intellectual and had met through the Young Communist League...
.
Three Rotheray/McEvoy compositions appear on McEvoy's albums. "Quote I Love You Unquote" on Out There
Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, not only produced and arranged Out There, she also played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave...
and "The Night May Still Be Young But I Am Not" and "Old New Borrowed and Blue" on 2008 album Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough
Love Must Be Tough is Eleanor McEvoy's 7th studio album. McEvoy has taken a new direction with this album. Unlike her previous six albums, which, with the exception of a few tracks, were written solely by McEvoy, Love Must Be Tough is a mixture of covers/interpretations and self-penned...
.
Homespun's 3rd album, Short Stories From East Yorkshire, features two Rotheray/McEvoy compositions which are also produced by Dave Rotheray
Dave Rotheray
David Rotheray is a British musician, best known for being the lead guitarist for The Beautiful South.Rotheray was born the fifth of five children. His parents were both intellectual and had met through the Young Communist League...
and Eleanor McEvoy; "Lover’s Chapel" and "The Driver". "The Driver" was sung by well-known Irish singer Mary Coughlan
Mary Coughlan (singer)
Mary Coughlan is an Irish jazz and folk singer and actress. She has received great acclamation in her native country, for her emotional and heartfelt jazzy musical renditions.-Background:...
.
The Brewster Brothers
John and Rick Brewster are founding members and major songwriters of the legendary Angels, one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
’s most successful rock bands. After three decades, The Angels remain one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
’s most loved and respected bands. A few years ago Rick and John started a new breakaway project, performing acoustically as ‘The Brewster Brothers’
Performing at the Port Fairy Folk Festival
Port Fairy Folk Festival
The Port Fairy Folk Festival is a popular annual four-day music festival based in the historic fishing village of Port Fairy in Victoria, Australia....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
2007, the band were joined on stage by Anne Kirkpatrick
Anne Kirkpatrick
Anne Kirkpatrick is an Australian country music singer. She is the daughter of country singers Slim Dusty and Joy McKean.Kirkpatrick has released thirteen albums. She won Golden Guitar Awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 1979, 1991, and twice in 1992. She also won an ARIA Award for...
and McEvoy (violin) for standout spontaneous renditions of several of their songs. The concert was recorded by the ABC Australia. The show was broadcast on ABC Radio National on 18 May and then again on Sunday 20 May. Due to demand from ABC Australia listeners “Brewster Brothers in Concert Live At The Port Fairy Folk Festival” was released shortly afterwards.
Paul Brady at Vicar Street
In October 2001 Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
took over Vicar Street
Vicar Street
Vicar Street is a concert and events venue in Ireland, located on Thomas Street, Dublin 8. Its capacity allows for 1,000 people for seated performances, and 1,500 people for standing gigs...
(one of the most popular music venues in Dublin) for twenty three nights to revisit his entire career. It was a bold move and a great success. Over the course of the month more than 16,000 people saw the shows.
As well as a chance to revisit past material Paul availed of the opportunity to invite many of the artists he has worked or written with over the last thirty years to come and play. Among them were Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, Curtis Stigers
Curtis Stigers
Curtis Stigers is an American jazz vocalist, saxophonist, guitarist, and songwriter.-Early life and career:Stigers was born in Boise, Idaho, and started his music career as a teenager, playing in jazz, rock and blues groups, as well as receiving formal training in clarinet and saxophone at high...
, Maura O'Connell
Maura O'Connell
Maura O'Connell is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music.-Background:...
, Mary Black
Mary Black
Mary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world....
, Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, Brian Kennedy
Brian Kennedy (singer)
Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy is an Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads, and has represented Ireland at Eurovision 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy.-Personal life:...
, Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter.-Career:Gavin was born in Dublin and grew up in Finglas, a neighbourhood located on Dublin's Northside...
, Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien (musician)
Tim O'Brien is an American country and bluegrass musician. In addition to singing, he plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and mandocello...
, Arty McGlynn
Arty McGlynn
Arty McGlynn is an Irish guitarist born in Omagh, County Tyrone. In addition to his solo work, he has collaborated with different notable groups such as Patrick Street, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog, De Dannan and the Van Morrison Band. He played guitar on the critically acclaimed 1989 Van Morrison...
, The Hothouse Flowers
Hothouse Flowers
The Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock group that combines traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel and rock.-Career:The group first formed in 1985 when Liam Ó Maonlaí and Fiachna Ó Braonáin began performing as street musicians, or buskers, on the streets of Dublin,Ireland as "The...
. and many more.
McEvoy joined him for Thursday 12 October. Highlights of the night were Paul and McEvoy singing a duet on “You and I” an antiracism song of Paul’s and Paul’s rendition of McEvoy’s song “Last Seen October 9th”
The Great Irish Famine Event - The National Concert Hall
McEvoy was commissioned by the Irish Government to write a piece about The Irish Famine for a concert held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 1997. The Song was “Famine 1848” It is an orchestral piece with vocal part sung by McEvoy.
The event entitled “The Great Irish Famine Event” was held to commemorate the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1852.
The song Famine also features on a limited edition version of the album What's Following Me?
What's Following Me?
What's Following Me? is Eleanor McEvoy's second studio album and was released in 1996 for Columbia Records. The album is composed of thirteen songs composed by McEvoy. What's Following Me explores subjects that are universal and yet personal...
(Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
).
“Eleanor McEvoy Presents” Wexford Arts Centre
“ELEANOR McEVOY PRESENTS” was a project which was instigated fo the reopening of the Wexford Arts Centre in October 2006.
For four weeks during the Wexford Festival Opera
Wexford Festival Opera
The Wexford Festival Opera is an opera festival that takes place in the town of Wexford in South-Eastern Ireland during the months of October and November.-Festival origins under Tom Walsh, 1951 to 1966:...
McEvoy featured some of her favourite performers of contemporary music.
The first show on Friday 27 October featured McEvoy McEvoy herself. During the show she played a traditional set along with some local Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
musicians: well known Wexford Uilleann Piper Brendan Wickham, Pat Gough on accordion, and Niall Shorthall on Bazouki.
The shows on the following Fridays featured various different artists much admired by her over the years. These included Andy Irvine, 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:...
, Caroline Moreau, and Oleg Ponomarev.
The Wexford Arts Centre places an emphasis on contemporary and emerging Irish and international art and a range of plays, concerts, film and lectures. The Centre is also resident in a preserved heritage site, built in 1760's, as a market place and assembly halls.
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew (2008)
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
"The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" is a single by U2, The Dubliners, Kíla, and "A Band of Bowsies". The single was recorded as a charitable project, with proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society - owing to Ronnie Drew's condition of cancer. It was recorded at Windmill Lane on 14 and 15 January 2008...
was a song written Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
, (U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
) Simon Carmody and Robert Hunter
Robert Hunter (lyricist)
Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
(Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
). Initially written to include Ronnie Drew
Ronnie Drew
Joseph Ronald "Ronnie" Drew was an Irish singer and folk musician who achieved international fame during a fifty-year career recording with The Dubliners. He was born in Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin...
, as his health declined it was altered to be sung by the Irish music fraternity in his honour.
It was performed by a number of famous Irish musicians. With popular Irish band Kila
Kíla
Kíla are an Irish folk music/World music group, originally formed in 1987 in the Irish Language secondary school, Coláiste Eoin in Co. Dublin. Kila's blend of Irish traditional music and World Music with a modern rock sensibility is generally credited with breathing new life into contemporary Irish...
as the backing band, other contributors included members of U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, The Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
, 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...
, Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
, Sinéad O’Connor, The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
, Mundy
Mundy
Mundy is an Irish singer-songwriter. 'Mundy' is a nickname given to Enright, as it not only refers to his name Edmund, but it is how he pronounces the word "Monday".-Biography:...
, Andrea Corr
Andrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish musician, songwriter and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim...
, Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin , also known as Máire Brennan , is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad, and is now widely considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music"...
, Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
, Christy Dignam
Christy Dignam
Christy Dignam is the lead singer of the popular Irish rock-band Aslan. His career of over twenty-five years has been characterized by numerous successes on the Irish charts as well as recurring problems with drug addiction and recovery.-Life:...
, Duke Special
Duke Special
Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic"...
, Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter.-Career:Gavin was born in Dublin and grew up in Finglas, a neighbourhood located on Dublin's Northside...
, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard
Glen Hansard is the Academy Award–winning principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for Irish group The Frames and one half of folk rock duo, The Swell Season...
, McEvoy, and Shane MacGowan
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan is an Irish musician and singer, best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues.-History:...
.
The single was released on 19 February 2008 and entered the Irish Single Charts at #2. At the request of Ronnie, all proceeds went to the Irish Cancer Society.
Award winning director John Carney
John Carney (director)
John Carney is an Irish film and TV writer/director who specialises in low-budget indie films. He is best known for his award-winning 2007 movie Once. He is also a co-creator of the Irish TV drama series Bachelors Walk.-Life and career:...
(director of the film Once
Once
Once may refer to:Music* Once * Once * Once * Once * Once * Once , an Indonesian singerOther uses* Once...
) directed the video for The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
"The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" is a single by U2, The Dubliners, Kíla, and "A Band of Bowsies". The single was recorded as a charitable project, with proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society - owing to Ronnie Drew's condition of cancer. It was recorded at Windmill Lane on 14 and 15 January 2008...
. It was filmed over two days at Dublin’s Windmill Lane Studios
Windmill Lane Studios
Windmill Lane Studios, also known as the "U2 studio", is a three-storey music recording studio located in Dublin, Ireland. It is located on Windmill Lane, a small street just south of City Quay and the River Liffey and a little north of Pearse Station. It was opened in 1978 by Brian Masterson who...
in January 2008.
Tuesday’s Child
Tuesday’s Child was spearheaded by Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
woman Orla Sheehan. It consisted of a CD featuring tracks from a total of 31 performers including Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
, Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
, Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, Duke Special
Duke Special
Duke Special, real name Peter Wilson, is a songwriter and performer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A piano-based songwriter with a romantic style and a warm, distinctly accented voice, he has a distinctive look, with his long dreadlocks, eyeliner and outfits he describes as "hobo chic"...
, and McEvoy. Each artist donated a track for the Tuesday’s Child self-titled double album which was first launched in Belfast on 8 November 2007 and in Dublin on 7 March 2008.
Proceeds of the album went towards helping children in need in 12 countries including: Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
.
IMRO
McEvoy is on the board of the Irish Music Rights Organisation
Irish Music Rights Organisation
Irish Music Rights Organisation is the collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publishers of Ireland. Its role is to act as an agent for its members in order to collect license fees whenever their musical works are performed in public, broadcast or transmitted, and to pay out...
. IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in 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...
on behalf of its members - songwriters, composers and music publishers - and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation.
Banana Boat featuring Eleanor McEvoy
McEvoy and renowned Polish a cappella group, Banana Boat
Banana Boat
Banana Boat is a Polish a cappella sextet, authoring and performing original songs representing the genre of neo-shanties. Being one of the pioneers of the new genre, the group retains its simultaneous focus on contemporary interpretations of traditional sea shanties and maritime music...
collaborated to re-record McEvoy's song Little Look which is from her album Out There
Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)
Out There is Eleanor McEvoy's sixth studio album. McEvoy, a multi-instrumentalist, not only produced and arranged Out There, she also played all instruments on the album and supplied all vocals. The album includes ten new compositions by McEvoy plus two co-writes with the Beautiful South's Dave...
. A music video was also made of the song. The debut went straight to the play list of famed Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego (Polskie Radio
Polskie Radio
Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's national publicly funded radio broadcasting organization.- History :Polskie Radio was founded on 18 August 1925 and began making regular broadcasts from Warsaw on 18 April 1926....
Three). The video went on to be named Video of the Week by the Contemporary A Cappella Society
Contemporary A Cappella Society
The Contemporary A Cappella Society , or CASA, is a 501 charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella music of all styles around the world. CASA was cofounded in 1991 by Deke Sharon by incorporating the first a cappella directory, The List, founded in 1988 & distributed...
(of America). In 2009 the recording was awarded "Collaboration of the Year with an Artist from Outside Poland" in the 2009 Polish Friends of Music Awards.
Duets by George Hooks
In December 2009 McEvoy teamed up with Irish broadcaster and rugby pundit, George Hook
George Hook
George Hook is an Irish broadcaster, journalist and rugby union pundit. He had a career as a rugby union coach and businessman, before becoming a rugby pundit with Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
, to perform on Hook's charity album Duets. They sang McEvoy's song Is This Love which McEvoy co-wrote with Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
. Proceeds of the album went to Irish charity Comber.