THE CHIEFTAINS

Formed: 1963, Dublin, Ireland

Members: Derek Bell, harp, timpani, dulcimer, harpsichord, organ, piano, oboe, keyboard, synthesizer (born Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1935; died 17 October 2002); Kevin Conneff, bodhran, vocals, percussion (born Dublin, Ireland, 8 January 1945); David Fallon (born Ireland); Martin Fay, fiddle, bones (born Ireland, circa 1937); Sean Keane, fiddle, tin whistle (born Dublin, Ireland, 12 July 1946); Matt Molloy, flute, tin whistle (born Ballaghaderreen, Roscommon, Ireland, 12 January 1947); Paddy Moloney, uilleann pipes, bodhran, tin whistle (born Donnycarney, Dublin, Ireland, 1 August 1938). Former members: Peadar Mercier, bones, bodhran (born, Cork, Ireland, 1914); Sean Potts, tin whistle, bones, bodhran (born Dublin, Ireland, 1930); Michael "Mick" Tubridy, flute, concertina, tin whistle (born Kilrush, Clare, Ireland, 1935).

Genre: World

Best-selling album since 1990: Bells of Dublin (1991)

Hit songs since 1990: "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," "Factory Girl," "Over the Sea to Skye"

The supergroup the Chieftains were one of the first bands from Ireland to bring their country's music to the rest of the world. Hard work and dedication to Irish traditional music and other musical forms, an ambitious approach to collaboration with musicians of every stripe, and a tireless approach to touring and recording account for their success. In their forty years together the Chieftains recorded dozens of albums, won six Grammy Awards, and performed all over the world, including numerous appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The Chieftains' classic sound stems from Paddy Moloney's uilleann pipes. The group was formed as a mostly professional outfit, culled from the top tier of the country's folk musicians. The early incarnation of the Chieftains came from Moloney, who had worked with a group called Ceoltoiri Cuallann, which specialized in instrumental music and consisted of Sean Potts (tin whistle), Martin Fay (fiddle), David Fallon (bodhran), Mick Tubridy (flute and concertina), and Sean O'Riada.

Ironically, the Chieftains came together at a time when most Irish musicians were putting down their traditional instruments in favor of guitars, saxophones, and other sounds of rock and roll. The band was successful nearly from the start in Ireland and England, and within ten years, they were known worldwide. Their first few albums were reissued in the United States through Island Records.

From the late 1970s through the 1980s, the Chieftains achieved the peak of their success with American audiences. O'Riada and Fallon left after the first album, Peadar Mercier came in on bodhran, and fiddle champion Sean Keane joined them for the second album. After they recorded Chieftains 4, Ronnie McShane joined as a percussionist, and Derek Bell came on board as harpist, oboist, and timpanist.

Like their fellow Irish musicians Clannad, the Chieftains' first break with American audiences came through a film. They were commissioned to provide the music for Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975). One song in particular, "Women of Ireland," gained airplay on radio stations with adventurous play lists, which gave them the confidence they needed to mount a full-scale tour of the States. They also won an Academy Award for the soundtrack.

With a new contract with Island Records, the Chieftains were free to be as prolific and productive as they could, and they released albums nearly annually through 1980, when they switched to Columbia Records. Their album Chieftains 9 was the first to feature vocals by Kevin Conneff; at this time Tubridy and Potts departed, and Matt Molloy came in to play whistle and flute. Their 1981 release, Chieftains 10: Cotton-Eyed Joe, expanded their sound; one critic called the title track "Texas meets the Chieftains."

From the late 1980s through the 1990s, the Chief-tains's albums were available on the American label Shanachie, known for its strong stable of folk and traditional musicians. Comfortably ensconced in the folk-Celtic world, the Chieftains started collaborating with other musicians, most notably Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones. Perhaps their most successful and natural collaboration was with the Irish musician Van Morrison, on the album Irish Heartbeat (1988), which features two disparate though equally Irish musical acts at the top of their game; the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Folk Recording.

A few years later, in 1991, the group recorded a Christmas album, The Bells of Dublin, which features many popular musicians, including Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull, Rickie Lee Jones, and Jackson Browne. During this time the Chieftains drew on a connection to Brittany, a Celtic region in northwest France. They also acknowledged their northwest country's connection with Celtic Spain, producing the 1996 album Santiago, which acknowledges Spanish music with Celtic roots.

After several nominations in their twenty years together, the Chieftains finally earned a Grammy Award by 1992 for Best Traditional Folk Recording and brought home six by 1998, in traditional and contemporary folk categories as well as world music and pop vocal collaboration. In 2002 the Chieftains created Down the Old Plank Road, an album that acknowledges the kinship between American Appalachian/folk/roots music and Celtic music; in a display of the group's multigenre appeal, the album reached number 21 on Billboard 's Country chart, number ninety-one on the Billboard 200, and number one in the World Music Chart.

The Chieftains did much to change the previously held view of Irish folk musicians as either carousing and boisterous like the Irish Rovers or sentimental and nostalgic like Mary O'Hara. The Chieftains's longevity is due to an adventurous spirit, exceptional musicianship, and the beauty and timelessness of the Irish music they perform.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

The Chieftains 1 (Shanachie, 1964); The Chieftains 2 (Shanachie, 1969); The Chieftains 3 (Shanachie, 1971); The Chieftains Live (Shanachie 1977); The Chieftains 9: Boil the Breakfast Early (Columbia, 1980); The Chieftains 10: Cotton-eyed Joe (Shanachie, 1981); The Chieftains in China (Shanachie, 1985); Celtic Wedding: Music of Brittany Played by Irish Musicians (RCA, 1987); Irish Heartbeat (Mercury, 1988); The Bells of Dublin (RCA, 1991); The Best of Chieftains (Legacy, 1992); Santiago (RCA, 1996); The Chieftains: Claddagh Years (RCA, 1999); Water from the Well (RCA, 2000); The Chieftains: Claddagh Years Volume 2 (RCA Records, 2000); Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions (RCA, 2003).

carrie havranek