Tommy Makem

Born in Keady, County Armagh, Ireland in 1932, Tommy Makem moved to New York in the mid-50s to become an actor. Work was hard to find though, and to make some kind of living he teamed up with his friend and fellow starving-actor Liam Clancy and started singing songs from their native Ireland in clubs around New York. Soon Liam's two brothers Tom and Paddy joined in and The Clancy Brothers was formed.
  The group gradually built up their popularity in the USA and the four burly guys with their raunchy four part singing soon became the symbol of Irish music in the US audience's conciousness.
  After the band split up, Tommy Makem kept contact with Liam Clancy and in 1975 the two started touring together as well as each on their own in Ireland as well as in the USA.

Unlike The Dubliners who has always kept a balance between vocal and instrumental performances, Clancy Brothers was strictly a vocal group. Makem's banjo and Liam Clancy's guitar were always kept well in the background.As a consequence Makem never really worked seriously with the banjo. He learned Peter Seeger's all-American "folk banjo" style and never developed his own personal style beyond that. Nor did his banjo playing ever show any Irish influence. Nevertheless, for many Tommy Makem was the introduction to the banjo in Irish music, and his playing did much to gain the banjo respect and acceptance as a suitable insturment for Irish/Celtic music.

Discography

Legends of Ireland: Various
	A cross-section of famous Irish bands and singers, Clancy Brothers, Dubliners, Bothy Band, Pogues, Luka Bloom...   Three banjoists appear here: McKenna with the Dubliners, Jem Finer with the Pogues and Tommy Makem with the Clancy Brothers. Seamus Eagan of is credited as a banjoist too, but this time he plays the flute not the banjo with his band Solas.

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