Paul Brady facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Brady |
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Brady in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Joseph Brady |
| Born | 19 May 1947 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Origin | Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
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| Years active | 1965–present |
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Paul Joseph Brady (born on May 19, 1947) is a famous Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He comes from Strabane, Northern Ireland. Paul Brady is known for playing both folk music and pop music. He was interested in many different kinds of music from a young age.
He first became popular for playing Irish traditional music. He played in a duo with Andy Irvine. Later, he played with Tommy Peoples and Matt Molloy, and also performed by himself. Over time, he started playing more rock music. His rock songs often had strong messages about important topics. Some of his most well-known songs are his versions of traditional tunes like "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" and "Arthur McBride". He also wrote popular original songs such as "Crazy Dreams", "Nothing but the Same Old Story", "The Island", and "Paradise Is Here".
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Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Paul Joseph Brady was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He grew up in a small town called Strabane in County Tyrone. This town is right on the border with County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. His parents, Seán and Mollie Brady, were both school teachers. Paul went to school in Sion Mills and Derry, and later studied at University College Dublin. He even appeared in a documentary film called The Boys of St. Columb's.
Paul started learning to play the piano when he was about six years old. By the time he was eleven, he began playing the guitar. He spent many hours during his school holidays learning songs by bands like the Shadows. He was also inspired by Chuck Berry.
In 1963, Paul started performing as a piano player at a hotel in Bundoran, Donegal. In October 1964, he went to University College Dublin. There, he played with several RnB groups. They covered songs by artists such as Ray Charles and James Brown. He was part of bands like the Inmates, the Kult, Rootzgroup, and Rockhouse. You can even see Paul in the documentary film Charlie Is My Darling. He was waiting outside a concert in Dublin to see the Rolling Stones in 1965.
Paul Brady's Music Career
Starting in the 1960s and 1970s
While Paul was at college in Dublin, there was a big increase in interest in traditional Irish music. In May 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 reach more people with their music.
Even with some success, Paul returned to Ireland in 1974. He joined another Irish group called Planxty. This band helped start the solo careers of many famous musicians like Andy Irvine and Christy Moore.
When Planxty broke up in late 1975, Paul formed a duo with Andy Irvine. From 1976 to 1978, they released a successful album together called Andy Irvine/Paul Brady. In the next few years, Paul became known as one of Ireland's best performers of traditional songs. His versions of ballads like "Arthur McBride" are still very popular today. He also recorded albums with Irish fiddlers like Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds, and Tommy Peoples.
Becoming a Solo Artist
In 1978, Paul Brady released his first solo album, Welcome Here Kind Stranger. This album was highly praised and won the Melody Maker Folk Album of the Year award. However, this was Paul's last album that focused only on traditional music. He decided to explore pop music and rock music. In 1981, he released his first album in this new style, called Hard Station.
Paul released several successful solo albums throughout the 1980s. These included True for You (1983), Back to the Centre (1986), and Primitive Dance (1987). By the end of the 1980s, Paul was a respected performer and songwriter. Other artists, like Santana and Dave Edmunds, started to cover his songs.
When Tina Turner heard a demo of his song "Paradise Is Here", she decided to record it for her 1986 album, Break Every Rule. By this time, Paul was a favorite songwriter for artists like Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. 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.
Even Bob Dylan was very impressed by Paul's music. Dylan mentioned Paul in the booklet of his 1985 box set, Biograph. He said that Paul Brady was one of his "secret heroes."
In 1991, Paul Brady's song Nobody Knows reached number 5 on the Irish Singles Chart.
After his Hard Station album in 1981, Paul Brady worked with different major record labels. In the late 1990s, he started his own label called PeeBee Music. He released three albums in the 1990s: Trick or Treat, Songs & Crazy Dreams, and Spirits Colliding. These albums were also well-received by critics. Trick or Treat was promoted a lot and some critics even thought it was his first album. It benefited from the help of experienced studio musicians and producer Gary Katz. The magazine Rolling Stone called Trick or Treat Paul Brady's "most compelling collection."
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Paul Brady has recorded many albums, with 15 solo studio albums since 1978. He has also worked with other famous musicians like Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson. In 2006, he worked with Cara Dillon on the song "The Streets of Derry." He also played the tin whistle on a song called "One" in 2008.
Paul's fifteenth studio album, Hooba Dooba, was released in March 2010.
Around 2017, Paul became friends with Theo Katzman from the band Vulfpeck. In 2019, Paul toured Ireland as part of a duo with Joe Dart, also from Vulfpeck, along with Louis Cato and Lee Pardini.
Paul Brady continues to tour, record, and work with other artists. In 2019, Jimmy Buffett started performing a cover of Paul's song, "The World is What you Make It." In September 2019, Paul joined Jimmy Buffett on his tour stops in Dublin and London.
He released the album "Unfinished Business" on his own label, PeeBee Music, in 2017.
Paul Brady and Andy Irvine had planned a tour for their 1976 album Andy Irvine, Paul Brady. The tour was affected by the Covid pandemic, but they finished it in 2022. Musicians who joined them on the tour included fiddle player Kevin Burke and multi-instrumentalist Dónal Lunny. Both of them had played on the original album.
Awards and Recognition
In 2009, Paul Brady received a special honorary degree from the University of Ulster. 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 Other Artists
- With Andy Irvine: Andy Irvine/Paul Brady (1976)
- With Tommy Peoples: The High Part of the Road (1975)
- With Matt Molloy and Tommy Peoples: Molloy, Brady, Peoples (1977)
- With Andy McGann and Paddy Reynolds: Fiddle Duet (1976)
- With Andy McGann: It's a Hard Road to Travel (1977)
- With John Vesey: The First Month of Spring (1977)
- With John Kavanagh and Sean O'Casey: The Green Crow Caws (1980)
DVDs
- The Transatlantic Sessions Series 3 (2007)
- The Paul Brady Songbook (2002)
- Paul Brady Live at Rockpalast 1983 (2016)
See also
In Spanish: Paul Brady para niños
