Full Version: Tommy Makem has died
The great Irish born singer, Tommy Makem has passed away. He was 74 and lost his battle with cancer in Merrimack, NH. I had the pleasure of working with him last year and he was one of the nicest, funny and down to earth persons I have dealt with. If you never saw him in concert, you missed out on one of the finest interpreters of both Irish and American folk music.
this sucks, I just read it on Boston.com.
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/20...kem_dies_in_nh/
http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/20...kem_dies_in_nh/
A great musician, storyteller and man. We grew up listening to Clancy Bros & Tommy Makem records.
"Four Green Fields" is still a guaranteed tearjerker.
RIP Tommy.
"Four Green Fields" is still a guaranteed tearjerker.
RIP Tommy.
That sucks. I had the pleasure of seeing him play live, and it was great- lots of stories, lots of songs, lots of talking with people- he seemed like a very nice guy.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh man, this just really bummed me out.
RIP tommy. tonight i will drink a guinness or two in your honour.
wow, for real. i might cry.
RIP tommy. tonight i will drink a guinness or two in your honour.
wow, for real. i might cry.
saw him once up at St. Anselm's in NH when i was in college
then again a couple years ago in Marblehead, chatted with him after the show, he signed my gf's CD
always a great show --- i loved the singalongs, his jokes, his stories
then again a couple years ago in Marblehead, chatted with him after the show, he signed my gf's CD
always a great show --- i loved the singalongs, his jokes, his stories
QUOTE(John D @ Aug 2 2007, 11:29 AM) 
A great musician, storyteller and man. We grew up listening to Clancy Bros & Tommy Makem records.
"Four Green Fields" is still a guaranteed tearjerker.
RIP Tommy.
i grew up on those records as well and four green fields is my dad's favorite tune.
it's a sad day.
QUOTE(preacher roe @ Aug 2 2007, 12:30 PM)
i grew up on those records as well and four green fields is my dad's favorite tune.
it's a sad day.
same with my dad.
QUOTE(preacher roe @ Aug 2 2007, 12:30 PM)
i grew up on those records as well ....
it's a sad day.
QUOTE(John D @ Aug 2 2007, 11:29 AM)
A great musician, storyteller and man. We grew up listening to Clancy Bros & Tommy Makem records.
"Four Green Fields" is still a guaranteed tearjerker.
RIP Tommy.
Ditto ! Grew up with them on the record player along with The New Christy Minstrels, P, P, & M, etc.
I read about Tommy Maken earlier today when I was searching for news on the bridge disaster.
R.I.P.
I hope he's up there singin' 'round the "heavenly campfire" with my mom, dad, and others - with my mom still clapping out of sync.
(I was going to say "fire" but I didn't want to suggest el diablo)
bummer, also grew up listening to this, and hated it at the time. Got to see him in NH a few years ago and it was defintely a good show.
This is a real bummer.
I saw him play with Liam Clancy a few years back, great show.
He had one of the richest baritone voices I've ever heard. It was low pitched, but it could raise a roof. And his vibrato was pretty stunning (although I've known a few folks who thought he occasionally overdid it).
A friend of mine from Dover NH, where he lived, used to see him around all the time and said he was a really nice down-to-earth guy who was a lot of fun to just chat with and have a cup of coffee.
Interesting fact: Tommy Makem was a lifelong non-drinker, which occasionally made working with the Clancy Brothers difficult for him ('cause they all drank like Shane McGowan in their early days).
I saw him play with Liam Clancy a few years back, great show.
He had one of the richest baritone voices I've ever heard. It was low pitched, but it could raise a roof. And his vibrato was pretty stunning (although I've known a few folks who thought he occasionally overdid it).
A friend of mine from Dover NH, where he lived, used to see him around all the time and said he was a really nice down-to-earth guy who was a lot of fun to just chat with and have a cup of coffee.
Interesting fact: Tommy Makem was a lifelong non-drinker, which occasionally made working with the Clancy Brothers difficult for him ('cause they all drank like Shane McGowan in their early days).
QUOTE(JimFoster @ Aug 3 2007, 11:19 AM)
Interesting fact: Tommy Makem was a lifelong non-drinker, which occasionally made working with the Clancy Brothers difficult for him ('cause they all drank like Shane McGowan in their early days).
Yes - it was pointed out to me, b/c when watching a video, Joann pointed out that the director had put a "pint" on the bar next to him for atmosphere, but it was untouched the whole time
RIP Tommy...
QUOTE(JimFoster @ Aug 3 2007, 11:19 AM)
This is a real bummer.
I saw him play with Liam Clancy a few years back, great show.
He had one of the richest baritone voices I've ever heard. It was low pitched, but it could raise a roof. And his vibrato was pretty stunning (although I've known a few folks who thought he occasionally overdid it).
A friend of mine from Dover NH, where he lived, used to see him around all the time and said he was a really nice down-to-earth guy who was a lot of fun to just chat with and have a cup of coffee.
Interesting fact: Tommy Makem was a lifelong non-drinker, which occasionally made working with the Clancy Brothers difficult for him ('cause they all drank like Shane McGowan in their early days).
The Clancy Brother and Tommy Makem basically lived with my family in Brooklyn during the 60s. We went to visit their various houses, hotels, and restaurants in Ireland when I was ten. Liam had his wedding in our living room. I'm sure Tommy Makem drank back in those days. He must have quit later in life.
QUOTE(Jack @ Aug 3 2007, 12:39 PM)
The Clancy Brother and Tommy Makem basically lived with my family in Brooklyn during the 60s. We went to visit their various houses, hotels, and restaurants in Ireland when I was ten. Liam had his wedding in our living room. I'm sure Tommy Makem drank back in those days. He must have quit later in life.
wow. i can sincerely say that is one of the best things i've read on this board ever.
I saw him this march. he was incredible. I really loved him. He was one of the best showman and story tellers ever.
QUOTE(JimFoster @ Aug 3 2007, 03:17 PM)
My father used to have me sing that song when I was five years old. He thought it was a hoot.
from the L.A. Times:
Tommy Makem, 74; Irish folk musician, storyteller
From Times Wire Services
August 3, 2007
Tommy Makem, a musician, singer and master storyteller who teamed up with the Clancy Brothers to popularize traditional Irish folk music around the world, has died. He was 74.
Makem died of lung cancer Wednesday in Dover, N.H., where he lived for many years, his son Conor told the Associated Press.
Playing banjo, tin whistle and singing in a deep baritone, Makem was known as the Godfather of Irish music for bringing Irish culture to audiences. His original songs, such as "Four Green Fields" and "Gentle Annie," have become Irish folk music standards.
"He was a great entertainer," his lifelong collaborator Liam Clancy told Ireland's RTE state radio. "He had a knack of making an audience laugh and cry, holding them in the palm of his hand."
Working with the Clancy Brothers — Liam, Tom and Paddy — Makem shot to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s, playing to sold-out audiences at New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall. They appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show," "The Tonight Show" and other TV variety programs.
Three weeks ago, Makem visited his home county of Armagh in Ireland and traveled to Belfast, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate at the University of Ulster.
Makem was born in Keady, County Armagh, in 1932. He got much of his musical education from his mother, Sarah Makem, a folk singer. The songs she taught him provided the foundation for his later work with the Clancy Brothers and as a solo artist.
Seeking a career in acting, Makem moved to New York in the 1950s. He appeared on television, in summer stock and in off-Broadway shows. He began singing professionally in 1956 when he was asked to perform at the Circle in the Square Theater in New York's Greenwich Village.
He became friends with Pete Seeger and the other members of the folk group the Weavers. After he teamed up with the Clancy Brothers, they were signed to Columbia Records by talent scout John Hammond, who also discovered Bob Dylan. Along with Joan Baez, Makem was named the most promising newcomer at the 1961 Newport Folk Festival.
In 1962, when playing for President Kennedy, whose ancestors came from Ireland, Makem introduced a song about Irish immigrants in America:
"This song is about some people who came and got a rather black welcome," Makem said. "I think, all things considered, some of them didn't do too badly."
Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career before teaming up with Liam Clancy from 1975 to 1998. Tom Clancy died in 1990, and Paddy died in 1998.
"In life, Tommy brought happiness and joy to hundreds of thousands of fans the world over," Irish President Mary McAleese said in a statement. "Always the consummate musician, he was also a superb ambassador for the country, and one of whom we will always be proud."
Besides Conor, Makem is survived by sons Shane and Rory.
Tommy Makem, 74; Irish folk musician, storyteller
From Times Wire Services
August 3, 2007
Tommy Makem, a musician, singer and master storyteller who teamed up with the Clancy Brothers to popularize traditional Irish folk music around the world, has died. He was 74.
Makem died of lung cancer Wednesday in Dover, N.H., where he lived for many years, his son Conor told the Associated Press.
Playing banjo, tin whistle and singing in a deep baritone, Makem was known as the Godfather of Irish music for bringing Irish culture to audiences. His original songs, such as "Four Green Fields" and "Gentle Annie," have become Irish folk music standards.
"He was a great entertainer," his lifelong collaborator Liam Clancy told Ireland's RTE state radio. "He had a knack of making an audience laugh and cry, holding them in the palm of his hand."
Working with the Clancy Brothers — Liam, Tom and Paddy — Makem shot to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s, playing to sold-out audiences at New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall. They appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show," "The Tonight Show" and other TV variety programs.
Three weeks ago, Makem visited his home county of Armagh in Ireland and traveled to Belfast, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate at the University of Ulster.
Makem was born in Keady, County Armagh, in 1932. He got much of his musical education from his mother, Sarah Makem, a folk singer. The songs she taught him provided the foundation for his later work with the Clancy Brothers and as a solo artist.
Seeking a career in acting, Makem moved to New York in the 1950s. He appeared on television, in summer stock and in off-Broadway shows. He began singing professionally in 1956 when he was asked to perform at the Circle in the Square Theater in New York's Greenwich Village.
He became friends with Pete Seeger and the other members of the folk group the Weavers. After he teamed up with the Clancy Brothers, they were signed to Columbia Records by talent scout John Hammond, who also discovered Bob Dylan. Along with Joan Baez, Makem was named the most promising newcomer at the 1961 Newport Folk Festival.
In 1962, when playing for President Kennedy, whose ancestors came from Ireland, Makem introduced a song about Irish immigrants in America:
"This song is about some people who came and got a rather black welcome," Makem said. "I think, all things considered, some of them didn't do too badly."
Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career before teaming up with Liam Clancy from 1975 to 1998. Tom Clancy died in 1990, and Paddy died in 1998.
"In life, Tommy brought happiness and joy to hundreds of thousands of fans the world over," Irish President Mary McAleese said in a statement. "Always the consummate musician, he was also a superb ambassador for the country, and one of whom we will always be proud."
Besides Conor, Makem is survived by sons Shane and Rory.
QUOTE(violiner @ Aug 3 2007, 12:27 PM)
Yes - it was pointed out to me, b/c when watching a video, Joann pointed out that the director had put a "pint" on the bar next to him for atmosphere, but it was untouched the whole time
RIP Tommy...
When I booked him at Clark, there were every specific instructions that no alcohol be served at the venue. I did see him at the Irish pub in Harwich a few years ago and there was plenty of booze being sold that night; no to Tommy though.
Lots of Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem music played at my house growing up. Old school Irish music that stands the test of time.
My uncle Bob McCarthy backed him up for years. I got to meet Tommy at a gig they played at Stonehill College in '95. It was a thrill for me, having grown up on Clancy Bros. & TM and Makem & Clancy records, but of course he was a very nice, down-to-earth guy, and really he became a close friend of my uncle's after playing with him for so long...
http://www.folkalley.com/archives/000906.php#more
Hey Jack- I'm with cookie- that post is awesome.
I'm visiting a friend in Dover tomorrow- I'm gonna try to swing by his grave.
I'm visiting a friend in Dover tomorrow- I'm gonna try to swing by his grave.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.