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Vicar Street Gig – 3rd March
On March 3rd a benefit concert will take place in Vicar Street in Dublin for guitarist and singer Henry McCullough who suffered a heart attack in November 2012 and has suffered permanent damage.
Henry started his music career with The Skyrockets and later Gene and the Gents in Enniskillen but came to prominence in the 60’s with his band The People later to be named Eire Apparent. They toured the world with The Animals, Pink Floyd and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Things went well until, in Vancouver, Canada in mid February 1968 while the band was touring with The Animals, McCullough was busted for possession of marijuana and sent back to Ireland.
Henry returned to Ireland and joined the popular folk group Sweeney’s Men for a short time. Soon Henry was back in London as a member of The Joe Cocker Grease Band who was hugely successful worldwide, helped by a stunning performance at the Woodstock festival in 1969.
McCullough played on The Grease Band’s eponymous album after splitting with Cocker, and during his time with the Band he also appeared as lead guitarist on the original 1970 recording of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.
In 1971 Paul McCartney asked Henry to join his post Beatles band Wings and his ad lib solo on the song My Love is considered one of the great guitar solos.
Henry spent 2 years in the band but quit Wings in 1973 and went on to play in The Frankie Miller Band before recording his first solo album for George Harrison’s Dark Horse label.
Sessions with Marianne Faithfull, Donovan, Spooky Tooth, Eric Burdon and Dr. Feelgood, among many others, followed.
In the mid 80’s Henry returned to Dublin and joined The Fleadh Cowboys before resuming his solo career and writing and recording a number of records. His song Failed Christian was covered by Nick Lowe.
Up until his heart attack Henry was gigging regularly with his band from Northern Ireland and The Ed Deane Band in the South.
Sweeney’s Men are coming together for only the second time in decades to perform on this show.
The Fleadh Cowboys are playing together for the first time since 2011
SALUTE TO HENRY
Featuring
CHRISTY MOORE & DECLAN SINNOTT
SWEENEY’S MEN
MICK FLANNERY
THE FLEADH COWBOYS
JOHN SPILLANE
HONOR HEFFERNAN
JOHNNY DUHAN
ALAN MURPHY (SCOTLAND)
ED DEANE BAND
VICTOR McCULLOUGH
JIMMY SMITH
KEVIN DOHERTY
PHILIP DONNELLY
SARA PETITE (USA)
BP FALLON
RONAN COLLINS
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM TICKETMASTER – CLICK HERE