I've just learned the sad news that Liam Clancy, the guitarist and last surviving member of The Clancy Brothers, died this past Friday at age 74. For those of you who may not be familiar with them, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were expat Irishmen who started performing together in Greenwich Village in the early 60's, singing traditional Irish ballads, protest songs and, of course, drinking songs. Before long, they found themselves in the midst of the 60's folk revival that stoked the careers of everyone from Joan Baez to Bob Dylan.
"I never heard a singer as good as Liam, ever," Dylan said of his old friend in 1984. "He was just the best ballad singer I'd ever heard in my life. Still is, probably."
Growing up Irish-American, I learned these songs from old Clancy Brothers recordings. The list goes on and on: "Brennan on the Moor," "Young Roddy McCarley," "Irish Rover." In their prime, the power and passion of their singing made those provincial songs universal, and by virtue of being at the right place at the right time, they helped change the course of American music.
Go here for a sense of what we've lost. And discover the music for yourself.