Frankie Gavin
Encyclopedia
Frankie Gavin, b.1956, Corrandulla, County Galway
, is a fiddle player of traditional Irish music
.
Frankie Gavin is from a musical family; parents and siblings being players of the fiddle and accordion
. As a child he played the tin whistle and, later, the flute
. He received some formal training in music, but his musical ability on the fiddle is mainly self-taught. When 17 years old, he gained first place in both the All Ireland Under-18 Fiddle and Flute competitions.
In the early 1970s Gavin played musical sessions at Galways's Cellar Bar, with Alec Finn
(bouzouki
/guitar
), Mickey Finn
(fiddle
), Charlie Piggot (banjo
), and Johnnie (Ringo) MaDonagh (Bodhrán
). In 1974, from these and further sessions, he founded the group De Dannan
with Alec Finn
. When De Dannan split-up in 2003, Gavin founded a new group, Frankie Gavin and The New De Dannan, which led to an acrimonious exchange between Gavin and Finn; Finn claimed to have registered the De Dannan name.
Gavin has played with, and for, The Rolling Stones
, Elvis Costello
, Stefan Grappelli, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood
, and in 2010 became reputedly the fastest fiddle-player in the world, with an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, is a fiddle player of traditional Irish music
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
.
Frankie Gavin is from a musical family; parents and siblings being players of the fiddle and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. As a child he played the tin whistle and, later, the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. He received some formal training in music, but his musical ability on the fiddle is mainly self-taught. When 17 years old, he gained first place in both the All Ireland Under-18 Fiddle and Flute competitions.
In the early 1970s Gavin played musical sessions at Galways's Cellar Bar, with Alec Finn
Alec Finn
Alec Finn is an English-born Irish traditional musician who is famous for his unique style of accompaniment on the bouzouki. He is best known for founding De Dannan with Frankie Gavin, Ringo MacDonagh and Charlie Piggott after a series of music sessions at Tigh Hughes, An Spidéal, Co. Galway in...
(bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
/guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Mickey Finn
Mickey Finn (Irish fiddler)
Mickey Finn was a traditional Irish fiddler. He was fixture in Galway's traditional music scene during the 1970s and 1980s, playing with artists such as Mary Coughlan, Mick Lally, and Christy Moore.-Early life:...
(fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), Charlie Piggot (banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
), and Johnnie (Ringo) MaDonagh (Bodhrán
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
). In 1974, from these and further sessions, he founded the group De Dannan
De Dannan
De Dannan was an Irish folk music group. They were formed by Frankie Gavin , Alec Finn , Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh and Charlie Piggott as a result of sessions in Hughes's Pub in An Spidéal, County Galway, subsequently inviting Dolores Keane to join the band...
with Alec Finn
Alec Finn
Alec Finn is an English-born Irish traditional musician who is famous for his unique style of accompaniment on the bouzouki. He is best known for founding De Dannan with Frankie Gavin, Ringo MacDonagh and Charlie Piggott after a series of music sessions at Tigh Hughes, An Spidéal, Co. Galway in...
. When De Dannan split-up in 2003, Gavin founded a new group, Frankie Gavin and The New De Dannan, which led to an acrimonious exchange between Gavin and Finn; Finn claimed to have registered the De Dannan name.
Gavin has played with, and for, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Stefan Grappelli, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
, and in 2010 became reputedly the fastest fiddle-player in the world, with an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.
External links
- Galway Advertiser: Frankie Gavin search results, retrieved 27 February 2011
- The Fiddler's Almanac: Ryan J. Thomson, retrieved 27 February 2011
- allcelticmusic.com: biography, retrieved 27 February 2011
- folkworld.de: Frankie Gavin reviews, retrieved 27 February 2011
- Camden New Journal review 2009: "Irish set fiddles on fire", retrieved 27 February 2011
- irishmusicmagazine.com: Frankie Gavin with Hibernian Rhapsody, retrieved 27 February 2011
- taramusic.com: Frankie Gavin record label unlinked third party reviews, retrieved 27 February 2011
- taramusic.com: Frankie Gavin record label biography, retrieved 27 February 2011
- taramusic.com: Frankie Gavin record label - Hibernian Rhapsody, retrieved 27 February 2011
- peoplesrepublicofcork.com: Frankie Gavin and the Hibernian Rhapsody, retrieved 27 February 2011
