Clodagh Simonds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clodagh Simonds
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clodagh Simonds |
| Born | 16 May 1953 Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Instruments | Voice, piano, keyboard, Harmonium |
| Labels | Deram, Janet Records, Die Stadt |
| Associated acts | Fovea Hex, Mellow Candle, Mike Oldfield, Steven Wilson |
Clodagh Simonds (pronounced KLOH-də; born May 16, 1953) is an Irish musician, songwriter, and singer. She was born in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. She grew up and went to school in Killiney, County Dublin.
Contents
Clodagh Simonds' Music Journey
Clodagh Simonds has had a long and interesting career in music. She started playing music at a young age and has worked with many famous artists.
Early Music: Mellow Candle
When she was 11, in 1964, Clodagh started her first band, Mellow Candle. She formed it with two school friends, Alison Bools and Maria White. They released their first song, "Feelin' High," in 1968 when Clodagh was 15.
In 1971, Mellow Candle released their only album, Swaddling Songs. This album did not become very popular outside of Ireland at first. However, it gained a lot of attention about 25 years later. The band broke up in 1973.
Working with Other Artists
After Mellow Candle, Clodagh worked with other musicians. From 1972 to 1975, she sang on albums by the band Thin Lizzy. She also sang on two albums by the famous musician Mike Oldfield: Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn. She even helped Mike Oldfield come up with the name for the Ommadawn album.
In 1976, Clodagh moved to New York with William Murray, the drummer from Mellow Candle. She wrote music for two plays at a theater called La MaMa. She also continued to study piano and music from different cultures.
In 1989, people in Japan became interested in Mellow Candle's music again. Their album was re-released there and later in other countries. Clodagh also sang on Mike Oldfield's album Amarok in 1990. In 1991, another band, All About Eve, covered one of her songs called "Silversong."
Solo Work and More Collaborations
By 1996, Clodagh had moved back to Ireland. She released a mini-album called Six Elementary Songs. That same year, an album called Virgin Prophet was released. It included some of Mellow Candle's early recordings. It also had two solo songs Clodagh recorded when she was just 16 years old.
In 1998, her voice was used on a song called "Far Above the Clouds" from Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells III album. Also, her song "Poet and the Witch" was covered by another artist. In 1999, she sang a song called "Golden Hair" for an album by Russell Mills.
Fovea Hex: A New Project
Between 2005 and 2007, Clodagh started a new music project called Fovea Hex. Under this name, she released three EPs (mini-albums) called Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent. Many talented musicians worked with her on these EPs, including Brian Eno and Robert Fripp.
In 2011, Fovea Hex released the album Here is Where we Used to Sing. This album also featured many guest musicians. From 2016 to 2019, Fovea Hex released another set of three EPs called The Salt Garden. In 2021, an album of remixes from The Salt Garden was released.
Fovea Hex performs live with Clodagh Simonds, Laura Sheeran, Cora Venus Lunny, Michael Begg, and Colin Potter. They also have a cellist join them. In 2007, Fovea Hex was invited by the famous director David Lynch to perform in Paris. The band continued to perform in Ireland, the UK, and Europe until 2019.
Clodagh Simonds' Music Releases
Here is a list of some of the music Clodagh Simonds has released or contributed to.
Albums
- Mellow Candle, Swaddling Songs (1971)
- Fovea Hex, Bloom (2005)
- Fovea Hex, Huge (2006)
- Fovea Hex, Allure (2007)
- Fovea Hex, Here Is Where We Used To Sing (2012)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden 1 (2016)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden 2 (2017)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden 3 (2019)
- Fovea Hex, The Salt Garden (Landscaped) (2021)
Singles
- Mellow Candle, "Feelin High"/"Tea with the Sun" (1968)
- Mellow Candle, "Dan The Wing"/"Silversong" (1971)
- Fovea Hex & Andrew Liles, "Gone"/"Every Evening" (2007)
Selected Album Contributions
Clodagh has also lent her voice or played instruments on many other albums:
- Thin Lizzy, Shades of a Blue Orphanage (vocals, piano, mellotron), 1972
- Mike Oldfield, Hergest Ridge (vocals), 1974
- Mike Oldfield, Ommadawn (vocals, lyrics), 1975
- Jade Warrior, Kites (vocals), 1976
- Mike Oldfield, Amarok (vocals), 1990
- Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells III (vocals), 1998
- Russell Mills, Pearl + Umbra (vocals, harmonium), 1999
- Tunnels with Percy Jones, Natural Selection (treated vocals), 2006
- Current 93, Black Ships Ate The Sky (vocals, zither, psaltery), 2006
- Human Greed, Black Hill: Midnight At the Blighted Star (piano), 2008
- Steven Wilson, Insurgentes, (vocals, lyrics), 2008
- Matmos, The Ganzfeld (vocals on "Just Waves"), 2012
- Brian Eno, ForeverAndEverNoMore, "These Small Noises" (vocals), 2022
