- The Makem Brothers
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The Makem Brothers — Shane Makem, Conor Makem and Rory Makem — are Irish musicians who live in the United States and perform together with two other brothers. They are the three sons of "The Godfather of Irish Music" Tommy Makem, and grandsons of Irish source singer Sarah Makem.
Contents
Biography
The brothers were born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland and grew up in Dover, New Hampshire. Shane Makem was born in 1967, Conor Makem in 1968 and Rory Makem in 1969.
Shane and Conor graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts. Rory graduated from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, where he formed a band with Lisa Gentile, Lisa Lisa and the Country Jam.
The New Hampshire-based Irish folk musicians teamed up with The Spain Brothers, Liam and Mickey Spain, to become The Makem and Spain Brothers. Their combined forces preserve and advance folk music from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and New England, as well as whaling songs, fishing songs, mining songs, even Australian Bush songs. Influences include The Clancy Brothers, Ewan MacColl, and The Corries.
The band
Rory Makem: vocals, six string guitar, twelve string guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, bodhrán, harmonica
Conor Makem: vocals, bass, flute, concertina, whistles
Shane Makem: vocals, twelve string guitar, nylon string guitar, bodhrán
Liam Spain: vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, harmonica
Mickey Spain: vocals, guitar, nylon string guitar, bodhrán
Partial discography
Note: The footnotes will take you to lyrics but not necessarily to The Makem Brothers' recordings of these songs, many of which are traditional.
The Makem Brothers
Outstanding in a Field, 1992
On The Rocks, 1995
1. The Diamond [1]
2. Mountjoy Prison (Rory Makem)
3. Straw into Gold
4. 23rd of June [2]
5. Hot Asphalt [3]
6. Bonnie Blue Bonnets
7. White Cockade [4]
8. Bridget O’Shea [5] (Conor Makem)
9. Bound Down for Newfoundland [6]
10. Old Stone Wall
11. Dark Eyed Molly [7]
12. Down the Road
Who Fears to Speak, 1997
1. Memory of the Dead [8]
2. Sean Bhean-Bhocht [9]
3. The Boys of Wexford [10]
4. Bold Robert Emmet [11]
5. Kelly the Boy from Killane [12]
6. Tom McArdle
7. Roddy McCorley [13]
8. General Monroe [14]
9. Bodenstown Churchyard [15]
10. Henry Joy [16]
11. Twenty Men from Dublin Town [17]
12. Rising of the Moon [18]
Stand Together, 2001
1. Farewell to the Rhonda [19]
2. Lean and Unwashed Tiffy [20]
3. Tinker’s Wedding
4. Blackbird (lyrics: Conor Makem)
5. Captain Kidd
6. Stand Together
7. Love, Won’t You Marry Me
8. Come to the Bower [21]
9. Spanish Stars [22] (lyrics: Conor Makem)
10. Fireship [23]
11. I’ll Neither Spin Nor Weave (Lyrics: Conor, Shane Makem)
12. Liberty
13. Kerry Recruit [24]
14. Crabber’s Claw (lyrics: Conor Makem)
The Makem Brothers with Mickey and Liam Spain
Like Others Did Before Us, 2004
1. Road to Gundagai [25]
2. Wild and Restless Foam (Mickey Spain)
3. Leezie Lindsay
4. Sound the Pibroch [26]
5. Fincairn Flax [27]
6. Whiskey Row (Liam Spain, Mickey Spain)
7. Willie’s Gone Awa’ [28]
9. Paddy Kelly [30]
10. Freedom on the Wallaby [31]
11. Slan Abhaile (Conor Makem)
12. Three Drunken Maidens
13. Ha’Penny Bridge
The Makem and Spain Brothers
The Makem and Spain Brothers Live, 2005
1. Highland Paddy [32]
2. MacPherson’s Rant (a/k/a McPherson's Lament) [33]
3. Mingulay Boat Song [34]
4. New South Wales [35]
5. Whiskey Row (Liam Spain, Mickey Spain)
6. The Smuggler [36]
7. Congo River [37]
8. Goodbye to the 30 Foot Trailer [38]
9. Road to Gundagai [39]
10. Liberty
11. Jolly Waggoner [40]
12. Queensland Whalers [41]
13. When We Danced in Donegal/Tombigbee Waltz
14. Calling Me Home
External links
References
Categories:- Celtic music groups
- American folk musical groups
- Folk rock groups
- Irish folk musical groups
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