Tommy Makem passed last night. I shed many a tear for the loss of such a wonderful and inspirational man. Joanie Madden broke the news to us, bless her heart.
Very sad news indeed. I grew up listening to his and the Clancy Brother’s music. My dad really liked the fighten music while my mother liked the tunes and ballads. On sundays around New York you could hear him regulalry requested on Fordam’s WFUV station, and still do today. I also think that many people did not realize that Tommy wrote many of the popular tunes that he played, and just presumed that they were old traditional ballads, i.e. “Four green Fields”.
Nice obituary for Tommy in the New York Times Today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/03/arts/03makem.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin
May he be in heaven a half hour before the divil knows he is dead…
Neil