Silly Wizard
Scottish-style Celtic folk music Silly Wizard was founded in Edinburgh in 1971 as a trio consisting of Gordon Jones, Bob Thomas and Johnny Cunningham. Jones was the original lead vocalist, but the Liverpool native eventually felt uncomfortable handling traditional Scottish music and the band recruited singer/tenor banjo player Andy M. Stewart to handle the lead vocals. Over time, Silly Wizard expanded to include fiddler Dougie MacLean, bass player Martin Hadden, and accordionist Phil Cunningham (Johnny's brother). Vocalist Maddy Taylor was with the band during 1972 and was the only female member of Silly Wizard.
During its 17 years together, Silly Wizard released nine albums and toured throughout Europe and the United States. The band's final performance was far from Scotland: in Voorheesville, New York, in April 1988, following a successful American tour that included a concert which was televised on PBS. Although Silly Wizard's music has remained in print since the band's dissolving, the band members resisted efforts to reunite and continued to maintain solo careers both in performance and in the production aspect of the Scottish music world. Of the original three members, Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas founded and run the popular Harbourtown Records label, while Johnny Cunningham emigrated to America and was active in both folk music and New York's Off-Broadway theater scene until his death in December 2003
 The Best of Silly Wizard (1985)
The latest album from Irish trad phenomena that has taken the world
by storm. Silly Wizard returns with an album recorded during one of their breaks from
constant touring. Though some would argue that this album shows the band losing
steam, I still believe that Silly Wizard is one of the hottest Irish recording groups
around. But they do need to go back to the basics in recording. Nevertheless,
the album is packed breathtaking Celtic music that will get your toes tapping
and bring a smile to a dreary day. Website:
Homepage
Similar Artists:
Andy M. Stewart, Dougie Maclean, Gordon Jones, Bob Thomas, Phil Cunningham, Martin Hadden, Johnny Cunningham, Maddie Taylor
|
|
