Bobby Gardiner

Bobby Gardiner (born 1939) is an Irish accordionist and lilter.

Bobby Gardiner
Birth name Patrick Francis Gardiner
Born June 16, 1939 (1939-06-16) (age 72)
Aughdara, County Clare, Ireland
Genres Traditional Irish music
Folk
World music
Occupations Accordion Player
Years active - present

Contents

Biography

Irish Accordion (box) Master Bobby Gardiner was born in Aughdarra, Lisdoonvarna, the Burren area of Co. Clare. He began playing at the age of eight, on his mother, Delia's, old melodeon with the likes of Micho Russell and Micleen Conlon.

At the age of 15, he was asked to join the Kilfenora Céilí Band. In 1957 he joined Malachy Sweeney's Céilí Band from Armagh and traveled the length and breadth of Ireland as a professional musician.

In 1960, Bobby followed his brother Mike and sister Mary to New Haven, Connecticut. During the day he worked as a mechanic on the New York Railway while playing for dances with the likes of Paddy Killoran, Joe Cooley, Ed Reavey and Joe Derrane as well as doing some session work for Colonial Records. His solo recording career began when Justus O'Byrne De Witt heard him on the Jack Wade Ceili Band record and contacted him to record his first LP, "Memories of Clare" which was one of the first solo LPs by an Irish button accordion player. He also recorded with Paddy Killoran. The LP sold so well that he was asked back to do more recordings.

In 1963 Bobby was drafted into the US Army and was stationed at Fort Dix in New Jersey. On his weekends off, he would visit the Catskill Mountains in New York where he played with renowned musicians such as Joe Cooley, Sean McGlynn & Andy McGann.

He got married in Dublin on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1969, to Ann Kearney, a Tipperary singer. The newly-weds returned to America where their first daughter, Kelley was born. A call to the family farm a year later beckoned them back to Ireland and they settled in Burncourt, a small village in south Tipperary near the town of Cahir, where they had 2 more daughters, Fiodhna and Lynda.

All his children are accomplished musicians, carrying on the Irish music tradition, playing melodeon, whistles and concertina. Indeed, in January 2009, Fiodhna in her band Inis Oirr band, entertained Her Excellency, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland (Uachtarán na hÉireann), in the Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Over the years Bobby proceeded to make further recordings, most notably: "The Master's Choice" and "The Clare Shout". Bobby has also traveled extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and is a member of the Brú Ború Troupe in Cashel, Co. Tipperary. They have also toured in China as well as Japan, Spain, Canada and the US.

He is an active accordion teacher in Tipperary, Waterford and Limerick. He was recruited by the well-known pianist Micheal O'Suilleabhain to the Music Department in University College Cork where he has been teaching traditional music for the last 25 years. Some of his ex-students include Ciarán Ó Gealbháin and Benny McCarthy both of whom were part of Danú.

Style of Play

Stylistically, Bobby plays what is termed a Wet Tuned accordion (Dead Link). Other Irish proponents of wet tuning include: Joe Burke, Tony McMahon, Martin Connolly and Seamus Begley and as such Bobby was one of the first Irish accordionist to master the art of the B/C accordion tuning. Bobby Gardiner's style of playing is particularly suited to Irish dancing because of his impeccable rhythm, creativity and his use of the single-button triplet, which has become his hallmark.

In the "The Clare Shout" Bobby focuses on the melodeon and the traditional art form of lilting, or mouth music. In the past, lilting was used to accompany dancers when instruments were unavailable.

Discography

Albums

Albums by Bobby Gardiner
Year Artist Title Label Notes
1958 Bobby Gardiner Bobby Gardiner – Accordion Clare Records New York.
1962 Bobby Gardiner Memories of Clare Gael label Reissued 1995 on Copley Irish Records
1979 Bobby Gardiner Bobby Gardiner at Home Releases Records
1982 Bobby Gardiner The Best of Bobby Gardiner CCE
1989 Bobby Gardiner The Master's Choice Ossian
1995 Bobby Gardiner, Mel Mercier, Ann Gardiner, Lynda Gardiner. The Clare Shout Own Label Lilting and melodeon. A number of different boxes are used on the recording including: a Salterelle, a Castagnari, A Hohner, and a very rare Ludwig and Hohner Vienna Accordion.

Featured on

Bobby Gardiner has featured on
Year Artist Title Label Notes
1962 Paddy Killoran, Bobby Gardiner
Bobby Gardiner Rogha Órdha 50 Comhaltas's Golden Jubilee compilation album.
Bobby Gardiner The Floating BowHand DVD. Musical documentary on Jim McKillop
Bobby Gardiner http://www.clearaed.com/Artists.html ClearAED]
Bobby Gardiner Come West Along the Road 2 RTÉ production
Bobby Gardiner The Best of Irish Accordion 2 CD Set
Bobby Gardiner The Best of Irish Céilí 2 CD Set

References

External links