Dixies

Probably one of the most flamboyant, exciting and popular of Irish showbands, the Dixies was a solid live appeal and enjoyed considerable graph achievement in Eire through the 60s. That they had first get together as the Dixielanders and, in 1954, performed inside a jazz music group led by clarinettist Sean Lucey, and presented trombonist Theo Cahill (b. Eire, d. 24 July 1988, Region Mayo, Eire) as well as the outrageous drummer Joe McCarthy (b. August 1936, Eire). They quickly became a five-piece with the help of pianist Mick Murphy and trumpeter Larry Neville. Influenced from the Clipper Carlton, they performed a varied arranged and by the finish from the 50s experienced added bass participant Chris O’Mahony, second saxophonist and vocalist Jimmy Mintern and guitarist Steve Lynch. Neville, in the mean time, had been changed by John Sheehan (b. Eire, d. 1999) and Murphy by Finbar O’Leary (b. Eire, d. 2002). In 1961, after a fantastic performance in the Olympia Ballroom in Waterford (where they rivalled the Royal Showband), the machine switched professional. Determined to magnify their charm, they changed Mintern with vocalist Brendan O’Brien (d. 3 Apr 2008, Blackpool, Eire), who quickly became probably one of the most well-known singers around the showband circuit. An archive agreement with Decca Information saw the discharge from the Cahill-composed instrumental ‘Cyclone’ in 1963. Quickly later on, the Dixies had been in the Irish graphs with ‘Xmas Time’, accompanied by ‘I’m RELYING ON You’ and ‘It’s Just Make Believe’. During 1964, they made an appearance at Carnegie Hall and came back house as conquering heroes. The departure of Sheehan during this time period reduced the music group to a septet. O’Brien was enamoured with Friend Holly, and launched his music to a fresh era of listeners with graph strikes including ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Peggy Sue’ and ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’. With O’Brien’s solid vocal skills and McCarthy’s acrobatic, zany humor, the music group had been a marvellously complementary device. With over 20 Irish strikes with their credit, like the participating ‘Katie’s Kisses’ and a chart-topping cover of Leapy Lee’s ‘Small Arrows’, they finished the 60s by moving their attentions to NEVADA. Lucrative bookings implemented, but, much like lots of the best showbands from the period, they divide in the first 70s. The mainstays from the music group, O’Brien and McCarthy, shaped the aptly called Stage Two, as the remainder from the music group continued with brand-new vocalist Sandie Jones. Their ‘Ceol An Ghra’ symbolized Ireland in the 1972 Eurovision Tune Competition and reached #1 1 in the Irish graphs, before Jones was changed with a succession of vocalists including Joe O’Toole, Rory O’Connor, and Tara. With the mid-70s, the rest of the members of the initial line-up got shifted. In the first 80s, O’Brien, Lynch, O’Mahony, McCarthy, Lucey and Cahill reunited for some displays, with Teddy Moynihan changing the absent O’Leary. Terry McCarthy took over from O’Brien in 1985, however the last mentioned returned towards the line-up by the end of the 10 years. Various personnel adjustments followed prior to the Dixies finally known as it per day in 1999.