The High Kings

The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008 by Celtic Woman manager Dave Kavanagh. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey and Darren Holden. By February 2015, the group had released three studio albums, two live albums, and two live DVDs. All of their studio albums appeared at number three or higher on the Billboard world music chart,^[1] the first two went platinum in Ireland,^[2] and all their albums charted in Ireland.

After the release of their first album, the new group moved from a highly staged format to a more natural performance style. Since the inception of the band, The High Kings has toured Ireland, the United States, and Europe on multiple occasions. Together they play thirteen instruments during their performances. The group's motto is "Folk 'n Roll," and their singing is especially noted for its close harmonies.

Members

Finbarr Clancy toured the United States and Ireland in the 1990s with the Clancy Brothers, one of the most successful folk groups in Irish traditional music. He sang and played electric bass and flute with the group, which consisted at the time of Finbarr's father, Bobby Clancy, his uncles Paddy Clancy and Liam Clancy, and his cousin, singer-songwriter Robbie O'Connell. As part of this group, Finbarr appeared in the Clancy Brothers' filmed Farewell to Ireland performance in 1996, which has since been released on DVD. He also performed on three albums with this father. He usually plays the guitar and sometimes the banjo with The High Kings.

Brian Dunphy got his first break as a performer in Riverdance: The Show. After two years as part of Riverdance, he became a member of The Three Irish Tenors. Dunphy had also been a member of the band Druid. He released a solo album entitled, Timeless, as well. Brian is the son of Sean Dunphy, who represented Ireland in the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. He typically plays the bodhrán and guitar with the group.

Martin Furey, son of Irish folk musician Finbar Furey, formed the band Bohinta with his sister Aine in 1992. They had a top ten hit in France with the album Excalibur, featuring Jean Reno as Merlin. Bohinta released two albums, Sessions and Belladonna. Furey released Howl and concentrated exclusively on production and creative writing skills, working with Stuart Bruce (of Feed the World), Paul White (of SOS) and Martin Swan (of Mouth Music). He plays the banjo, bouzouki, guitar, and the modern low whistle, which his father had originally helped to create and develop. His singing style is characterized by frequent use of vocal ornamentation.

Darren Holden, Finbarr Clancy, and Brian Dunphy perform at a High Kings concert in Donegal, 2011.

Darren Holden starred in Riverdance: The Show on Broadway for eighteen months. He followed this success by appearing in the Broadway musical Movin' Out. Holden played the role of Billy Joel both on Broadway and on a national tour of the United States (January 2004-January 2007), as well as tours of Canada and Japan in 2006. Holden has also released three successful solo albums. Suddenly came out in 1998 and yielded three top 20 singles in Ireland and one top 30 in Finland. Live and Learn was released in the United States in March 2003, garnering three top 40 airplay hits on the country music charts. Roadworks followed in 2006 with success in Japan. It was produced by Bryan Steele and Tommy Byrnes (Stray Cats, Billy Joel). Holden plays the accordion, mandolin, and keyboard with The High Kings.

Timeline

The High Kings' first album quickly climbed to the top of the Amazon music charts worldwide. The self-titled release also reached number two on Billboard Magazine's World Music chart. The album spent a total of thirty-four weeks on the chart.^[1]

In 2008, the High Kings toured the United States with "Celtic Woman" as the opening act.

In 2011, the High Kings toured the U.S. again, playing in Chicago, Albany, New Haven, Philadelphia, Boston and Atlanta to promote their new album release "Memory Lane," which eventually reached the third spot on Billboard's Top World Albums chart.^[1] On St. Patrick's Day, they played for an American audience on "Live with Regis and Kelly," and performed on stage in Boston that night.

On 18 March 2012 the High Kings headlined the Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square to an estimated 15,000 people.

On 20 March 2012 The High Kings were invited to perform at the Official St Patrick's Day Celebrations at The White House in Washington DC, United States. The event was hosted by US President Barack Obama and attended by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.^[3]

On 6 July 2012 The High Kings were invited to perform at the residence of the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins.^[4]

On 12 March 2013 The High Kings announced a forthcoming third studio album produced by Sharon Shannon and John Dunford, consisting of eight original songs and a selection of classic ballads.^[5] On 23 September 2013 The High Kings released Friends For Life on the Sony record label. The album reached number three on the Billboard Top World Albums chart.^[1]

The High Kings perform on stage in London, December 2011. (l-r) Darren Holden, Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey

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Discography

The group's first two albums went platinum.^[6]

Title	Date of release	Media format	Record label	Chart positions
				US[7]	US World[1]	US Indie[8]	IRE
The High Kings	2008	CD	Manhattan Records	150	2	—	7[9]
Live in Dublin	2008	DVD	The Blue Note Label Group	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
Memory Lane	2010	CD	Universal Music Ireland	—	3	46	5[10]
Live in Ireland	2011	CD	Celtic Music Collections	—	—	—	11[11]
Friends for Life	2013	CD	Sony Music Entertainment	—	3	—	5[12]

References

External links

• The High Kings
• Photos of The High Kings in Concert