Album Notes

Brendan started in the music business as a guitar player with \'The Malachi Doris Ceili Band\' at age 15. While playing in various Irish show bands like \'The Breakaways\' and \'The Signs\', he recorded Kris Kristofferson\'s \'Help Me Make It Through The Night\' in 1969 which
received extensive airplay in Ireland. 1972 saw Brendan with an Irish no. 1 when he recorded Faron Young\'s \'Four In The Morning\', and in the words of Faron Young himself \'That Irish boy can sing my songs better than I can sing them myself\'! Brendan also recorded a version of Charlie Rich\'s \'Behind Closed Doors\' around this time and BBC Radio 1 presenter Tony Blackburn received it and played it every day for 2 months! it also proved a big hit in Ireland reaching no.3.

In 1974 Brendan replaced Gene Stuart in \'The Mighty Avons\' and left one year later to start his own band \'The Bluebirds\' (named after a car he was driving at the time a Datsun Bluebird). In 1976 Brendan and The Bluebirds signed with George Doherty\'s \'Emerald Gem\' label and a string of hit records were to follow including 5 no. 1s with the label. Brendan\'s first effort in his new surroundings, \'My Kinda Country\' went on to critical acclaim in England and Scotland. It held hit singles \'The Door Is Always Open\' and \'Dreaming My Dreams With You\', including 3 no. 1s, \'Bandy The Rodeo Clown\' \'I Dont Want The Money\' and \'After Sweet Memories (play born to lose again)\'. Two more albums with \'Emerald Gem\' followed, 1978s \'Relax With\' and 1979s \'Country Lovin\'.

These albums contained 2 further no. 1s, \'I Can Almost See My Hometown From Here\' and \'Tennsesee Sunshine\'. In 1979 Brendan signed with \'Release records\' and recorded 2 albums. \'I\'m a Little Bit Lonesome\' (recorded in Nashville) and \'The Mighty Quinn\' which spawned no.1 singles, \'I\'m A Little Bit Lonesome\', \'To Daddy\' and \'Angeline\'.

1982 saw Brendan immigrate to Vancouver, Canada where he and his band toured extensively throughout North America. Brendan returned back to Ireland in 1985 finding it hard to find the balance between the rigors of touring and family life, he reformed The Bluebirds and made 5 more albums on his own \'Deep Cove\' record label. 1995 saw Brendan \'semi retire\' from touring and The Bluebirds became defunct after 20 years! In 1996 his first grandson was born which inspired Brendan to start writing his own songs. He formed a band with old friend and guitar wizard Arty McGlynn called \'The Kickin Mule\'. A band Brendan is comfortable in because they can play music they like instead of having to please the punters. First single \'Be Like Him\' proved to be a radio hit and it is still requested in his live shows. Brendan can be seen with The Kickin Mule or playing guitar in his son James\' band. Recently Brendan has been doing a tribute to Neil Diamond. A 30 song spectacular which has sold out around Ireland and England twice round.

Brendan will be entering the studio shortly to lay down some ideas with Arty McGlynn and Henry McCullough. We all look forward to the results. Brendan Quinn is a legend in Irish country music with 11 studio albums to his name and countless apperances on other peoples work as a vocalist or guitarist. He has apperaed at some of the world\'s top country music festivals and shared the bill (and sometimes the stage) with other legends such as Merle Haggard, George Jones, Don Williams, Gene Watson and Hal Ketchum

Sinner Man
Deep Cove Records
***
Having ploughed up the roads with The Bluebirds for more than two decades, country singer Brendan Quinn has sawed and planed, honed and polished his voice and songwriting skills to their essence, and this slickly produced collection owes more to Johnny Cash and JJ Cale than it does to the heyday of the showband era. Arty McGlynn\'s restrained production sets a tone that\'s pitched perfectly close to Quinn\'s no-nonsense vocals, which excel on the JJ Cale cover Ride The River. With a band that includes Henry McCullough, McGlynn, Rod McVey and Ted Ponsonby on guitars, keyboards, dobro and vocals, this is not so much wide-open prairies as hatches battoned down on salty stonewalled acres. A home brew that reeks of local flavour. www.brendanquinnmusic.com SIOBHÁN LONG
Download tracks: Day\'s Gonna Come, Ride The River
© 2008 The Irish Times