Paul Brady Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Brady
Brady in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Paul Joseph Brady
Born	(1947-05-19) 19 May 1947 (age 78) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Origin	Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Genres	Folk Irish traditional pop rock adult contemporary
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano mandolin bouzouki tin whistle
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Shanachie Fontana Mercury PeeBee Music Green Linnet
Associated acts	The Johnstons Planxty Andy Irvine Matt Molloy Tommy Peoples Andy McGann John Kavanagh Bonnie Raitt Richard Thompson

Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is a famous Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He comes from Strabane, Northern Ireland. Paul Brady is known for mixing different styles of music, like folk and pop.

He first became popular playing Irish traditional music. Later, he changed his style to more rock-inspired sounds. He often wrote songs with strong messages. Some of his most well-known songs include "Crazy Dreams", "The Island", and "Paradise Is Here".

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Paul Joseph Brady was born in Belfast. He grew up in a small town called Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His parents were both school teachers.

Paul started learning piano when he was about six years old. By age eleven, he began playing the guitar. He spent many hours learning songs by bands like the Shadows. He was also inspired by Chuck Berry.

In 1963, Paul started performing as a piano player in a hotel. In 1964, he went to University College Dublin. There, he played with several RnB groups. They covered songs by artists like Ray Charles and James Brown.

Musical Journey

Joining Irish Bands

While Paul was at college in Dublin, there was a big interest in traditional Irish music. In 1967, Paul joined a popular Irish band called The Johnstons. They moved to London, England, in 1969. Later, they went to New York City in 1972 to find more fans.

Even with some success, Paul returned to Ireland in 1974. He joined another Irish group called Planxty. This band helped launch the solo careers of many famous musicians.

When Planxty broke up in 1975, Paul formed a duo with Andy Irvine. They released a successful album together called Andy Irvine/Paul Brady. Over the next few years, Paul became known as one of Ireland's best performers of traditional songs. His versions of songs like "Arthur McBride" are still very popular.

Starting a Solo Career

In 1978, Paul Brady released his first solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger. Critics loved it, and it won the Melody Maker Folk Album of the Year award. However, this was Paul's last album of traditional music. He decided to try pop and rock music. In 1981, he released his first album in this new style, Hard Station.

Paul released several successful solo albums in the 1980s. These included True for You (1983) and Back to the Centre (1986). By the end of the 1980s, Paul was a respected performer and songwriter. Other artists, like Santana, started covering his songs.

Working with Other Artists

Many famous musicians admired Paul Brady's songwriting. When Tina Turner heard his song "Paradise Is Here", she recorded it for her 1986 album. Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt were also big fans. Bonnie Raitt even sang a duet with Paul on his 1991 album, Trick or Treat. Some of Paul's songs also appeared on Bonnie Raitt's album Luck of the Draw.

Bob Dylan was so impressed that he mentioned Paul Brady in the booklet of his 1985 box set, Biograph. Dylan called him one of his "secret heroes."

In 1991, Paul Brady's song Nobody Knows reached number 5 on the Irish Singles Chart.

Brady performing in 2006

Paul continued to record many albums. He has released 15 solo albums since 1978. He also worked with other well-known musicians like Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson. In 2006, he sang with Cara Dillon on her album.

Paul also performed Irish language songs in a 2002 film called Cremaster 3. He played the tin whistle on a song for the 2008 film Anton.

His fifteenth studio album, Hooba Dooba, came out in March 2010. Paul continues to tour and make music. In 2019, singer Jimmy Buffett started performing a cover of Paul's song "The World is What you Make It". Paul even joined Jimmy Buffett on tour in Dublin and London.

In 2022, Paul Brady and Andy Irvine finished a tour. They were celebrating their 1976 album Andy Irvine, Paul Brady. Other musicians who played on the original album joined them for the tour.

Awards and Recognition

In 2009, Paul Brady received a special award from the University of Ulster. It was an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters. This award recognized his important contributions to traditional Irish music and songwriting.

Discography

Solo Studio Albums

Welcome Here Kind Stranger (1978)
Hard Station (1981)
True for You (1983)
Back to the Centre (1986)
Primitive Dance (1987)
Trick or Treat (1991)
Spirits Colliding (1995)
Oh What a World (2000)
Say What You Feel (2005)
Hooba Dooba (2010)
Unfinished Business (2017)
Maybe So (2022)

Solo Live Albums

Full Moon (1984)
The Paul Brady Songbook (album and DVD) (2002)
The Missing Liberty Tapes (2002)

Solo Compilation Albums

Songs & Crazy Dreams (1992)
Nobody Knows: The Best of Paul Brady (1999)
Dancer in the Fire: A Paul Brady Anthology (2012)

Albums with Andy Irvine

Andy Irvine/Paul Brady (1976)
Andy Irvine/70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 (2014)

Albums with Tommy Peoples

The High Part of the Road (1975)

Albums with Matt Molloy and Tommy Peoples

Molloy, Brady, Peoples (1977)

Albums with Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds

Fiddle Duet (1976)

Albums with Andy McGann

It's a Hard Road to Travel (1977)

Albums with John Vesey

The First Month of Spring (1977)

Albums with John Kavanagh and Sean O'Casey

The Green Crow Caws (1980)

Albums with Various Artists

The Gathering (1981)
Feed The Folk (1985)
The Rough Guide to Irish Music (1996)

DVDs

The Transatlantic Sessions Series 3 (2007)
The Paul Brady Songbook (2002)
Paul Brady Live at Rockpalast 1983 (2016)

Paul Brady facts for kids

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