Four Men and a Dog....
Four Men and a Dog burst on the scene at the Belfast Folk Festival in
1990, with a high-energy approach that combines furious traditional dance
tunes with irreverent new music and inimitable covers.
Their first album, Barking Mad was the founding reason for the respected
Cross Border Media label, and took Folk Roots best new album award in
1991, the first Irish band to ever do so. The larger-than-life percussionist
Gino Lupari is the soul of the band, who even manages a rap on Wrap It
Up.
The band has been touring internationally seemingly ever since. 1993 brought
their second album, Shifting Gravel, which was indeed a shift. Singer
Mick "The Black Dog" Daly (the Dog of the band) left, replaced
by Kevin Doherty, who brought more of a mainstream folk/country/blues
influence and the addition of bass (James Blennerhassit), piano (Rod McVeigh)
and drums on some tracks. This has broadened their appeal, but shifted
quite a bit away from their traditional sound.
Lineup
Cathal Hayden Fiddle
Gino Lupari Bodhran, Bones, Vocals, comic relief
Kevin Doherty Guitar, vocals, composition
Gerry O'Connor Banjo, Fiddle
Conor Keane Accordion
Arty McGlynn Guitar
The band has had several changes over the years. The starting lineup had
Cathal Hayden, Gino Lupari, Mick Daly, Brian McGrath (banjo, mandolin)
and Donal Murphy (accordion). Conor Keane replaced Donal Murphy in January
of 1992 and Brian McGrath, from Enniskillen dropped out at some later
date, with Gerry O' Connor taking his place. He now plays with Dervish.
Arty McGlynn has played on both albums. He is also the producer of Shifting
Gravel.
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