Brendan Bowyer

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Brendan Bowyer (born 12 October 1938 in Waterford, Ireland) was an Irish bandleader in the 1960s.

Brendan Bowyer and the Royal Waterford Showband/Royal Showband's version of the Hucklebuck, defined Ireland's swinging sixties. In dancehalls all over the country, young and old alike were "wriggling like snakes and waddling like ducks" to one of the biggest dance tunes of the decade. Brendan heard a swing version of The Hucklebuck by Frank Sinatra and decided to record it. His cover version of the song was completed in 20 minutes, but he never intended it as a single release. Together with the Royal Showband, Brendan played all over Ireland and the UK. They had a string of chart hits with songs like ‘Kiss Me Quick, No More, and Bless You, but it was The Hucklebuck that made Brendan Bowyer a household name.

Brendan began his career with the Royal Waterford Showband in 1957. His ability to tailor American Rock'n'Roll music to the tastes of Irish audiences, and his athletic, spirited on-stage performances made him by far the most popular vocalist of the 1960s showband era.

In 1971 Bowyer left the Royal, joining the Las Vegas circuit with his new, all-star band, the Big 8. He has been based in Las Vegas since then. In 1977 he made a brief return to the Irish charts with his tribute 'Thank You, Elvis'.

Brendan Bowyer continues touring to this day, but regrets not recording as much material as he feels he could have. In answer to this sparse facet of his career, he released an album "Follow On" in 2001, which was well received.

Currently residing in Las Vegas, he returns to his native shores annually for many months to tour the land, where crowds can marvel at the new material, and remember the classic showband numbers, and with a voice that seems to better itself each year, the crowd is left amazed.

This year (07)Brendan returns to his home in Waterford, at the invitation of the City Council, to be honoured at the St. Patrick's Day Festival as the Parade's Grand Marshall.