Brian Kennedy (singer)
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| Brian Kennedy | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy |
| Born | October 12, 1966 |
| Origin | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genre(s) | Rock Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, Author |
| Associated acts | Van Morrison |
| Website | Brian Kennedy official site |
Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy (born 12 October 1966) is a Northern Ireland based Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads.
Contents |
[edit] Career highlights
- Kennedy really came to prominence as one of Van Morrison's backing singers; appearing on a string of recordings and live in concert, frequently alongside Georgie Fame.[1]
- Being Irish, he is popular for lending his specific voice to Irish traditionals, such as Carrickfergus, As I roved out, Danny boy, ...
- He was chosen as the Irish competitor for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest in Athens, where he sang the self-penned "Every Song is a Cry for Love". Kennedy's performance in the contest's semi-finals marked the 1000th song to feature in the history of the Eurovision competition. Following qualification, Kennedy finished tenth in the finals on 20 May, with 93 points.
- He performed on the original Secret Garden version of the song You Raise Me Up, which has now been recorded by more than a hundred other artists, such as Josh Groban and Westlife.
- He also sang the song at the funeral of legendary soccer player, George Best. "George Best: A Tribute", with tracks featuring Peter Corry, was released in December 2005 and reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart the following month.
- He performed at the opening of new studios for his local station Belfast CityBeat in 2006.
- He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy.
[edit] Personal Life
Brian Kennedy was born and grew up on the Falls Road in Belfast. He has described in public the violence of [The Troubles], during his childhood and teen years [2]. At one time, he has described seeing a young man being chased and then shot dead by a British soldier a few feet away from him. He also would harmonise with police, ambulance and fire engine sirens[3].
[edit] Albums
[edit] Brian Kennedy solo
- The Great War Of Words (1990)
- A Better Man (1996)
- Now That I Know What I Want (1999)
- Won't You Take Me Home (2000)
- Get On With Your Short Life (2001)
- On Song (2003)
- Live In Belfast (2004)
- On Song 2: Red Sails In The Sunset (2005)
- Homebird (2006)
- Interpretations (2008)
- A cover of Dry Your Eyes by The Streets on Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2 (2004)
[edit] Sweetmouth
In Sweetmouth, Kennedy was joined by Mark E. Nevin, formerly of Fairground Attraction, and also known for his work with Morrissey. Their one album, Goodbye to Songtown (August 1991), featured the songs written by Nevin for a second Fairground Attraction album which was never realized.
[edit] Writing
- The Arrival of Fergal Flynn (Hodder, 2004), a novel.
- Roman Song (Hodder, 2005), a novel.
[edit] References
- ^ Brian Kennedy biography
- ^ On Playback, 19 April 2008, RTE radio
- ^ Brian Kennedy biography
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Donna & Joe |
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 |
Succeeded by Dervish |
