Anyone here heard of The Irish Rovers? Or Doug Kershaw?

Question

Any Irish or Cajun music fans?

EEEK!
It's a culture site??!!
Sorry--I wasn't aware of that.
I'll go put on my formal black dress...
Or maybe just my denim bibs...LOL!!

Answer 1

The Irish Rovers is a popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group created in the 1960s. They took their name from the old song The Irish Rover, the story of a fabulous Irish sailing ship. They have also been known as just "The Rovers". The group consists of Will Millar, Jimmy Ferguson, George Millar, Joe Millar and Wilcil McDowell.

The group is best known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn" (1968), and also hosted several variety TV programs in the 1970s on Canadian television. "The Unicorn Song", despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, is popular in Irish pubs all over the world to this day. Although they recorded many albums after that, they weren't as successful commercially as "The Unicorn" until 1980, when the band had a crossover hit with a cover of Tom Paxton's "Wasn't That a Party." The success of this out-of-character recording, that was performed in a country-rock style rather than the band's familiar folk style, led to the band rebranding itself as The Rovers and changing styles for the remainder of the 1980s, scoring follow-up hits with songs such as "Chatanoogie Shoeshine Boy", "No More Bread and Butter", and the morbid Christmas hit "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." By the 1990s, the band was once again the Irish Rovers.

Answer 2

G'day Sunny,

Thank you for your question.

The Irish Rovers are a popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group created in the 1960s. They took their name from the old song The Irish Rover, the story of a fabulous Irish sailing ship. They have also been known as just "The Rovers". The group consists of Will Millar, Jimmy Ferguson, George Millar, Joe Millar and Wilcil McDowell.

The group is best known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn" (1968), and also hosted several variety TV programs in the 1970s on Canadian television. "The Unicorn Song", despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, is popular in Irish pubs all over the world to this day. Although they recorded many albums after that, they weren't as successful commercially as "The Unicorn" until 1980, when the band had a crossover hit with a cover of Tom Paxton's "Wasn't That a Party." The success of this out-of-character recording, that was performed in a country-rock style rather than the band's familiar folk style, led to the band rebranding itself as The Rovers and changing styles for the remainder of the 1980s, scoring follow-up hits with songs such as "Chatanoogie Shoeshine Boy", "No More Bread and Butter", and the morbid Christmas hit "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." By the 1990s, the band was once again the Irish Rovers.

Doug Kershaw, born January 24, 1936, is an American fiddle player from Louisiana known as "The Ragin Cajun"1

Born Douglas James Kershaw in Tiel Ridge, Cameron Parish in an area known as the Cajun country, his ancestors are Acadians who were part of the Great Expulsion by the British authorities from their homeland in eastern Canada in 1755. He grew up surrounded by Cajun fiddle and accordion music and as a 19-year-old, in 1955 he performed with his brother Rusty Kershaw on the Louisiana Hayride radio broadcast. The two were so popular that they were invited to perform at the Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia and in 1957 appeared at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

After fulfilling his military obligation, Doug Kershaw returned to the music business scoring with an autobiographical song he wrote called "Louisiana Man." The song not only sold millions of copies but over the years has become the symbol of Cajun music. In June of 1969, Kershaw made his first network television appearance on the debut "Johnny Cash Show." His dynamic performance in front of a national audience led to Warner Bros. Records, signing him to a long-term contract. In November of that year, "Louisiana Man" was broadcast back to earth by the crew of the Apollo 12 moon mission. Beyond the southern venues, Kershaw's popularity soon extended to mainstream urban America, playing for packed audiences at such places as New York City's Fillmore East.

Singing in both French and English, Kershaw's stage performance is marked by his abundant energy. Simultaneously playing fiddle, singing, and dancing, it is not unusual for him to break several bow strings, sometimes during just one song. With more than twenty-five albums to his credit and a five decade-long career, Doug Kershaw has a loyal following and continues to tour worldwide.

I have attached sources for your reference.

Regards

Answer 3

Okay. I'm not going to cut and paste a bunch of stuff you already know, or don't care about, so I will just say...
Yes, I have heard of both, and am a fan of all four.

Answer 4

I think I have one of their tapes from many years ago that my grandmother gave me when I was younger.....I think there were like 4 singers in the group. I know one of their songs that made it big was "good night Irene"

Answer 5

Of course. This is a culture site, after all...