Music Capital proudly presents:
Brian Kennedy
& Special Guest TBA
Doors 6.45pm
Starts 7.30pm
www.briankennedy.co.uk
Check out all our upcoming events at www.musiccapital.org
Stage times are approx and subject to change.
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Brian Kennedy is one of Irelandโs most inspired and revered ambassadors of music. He is not only a prolific songwriter but a master interpreter of lyrics as well, and audiences around the world continue to praise his exceptional vocal talents.
Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, the multi-platinum recording artist remains one of Irelandโs most popular singing stars. With โa voice to charm the angels,โ Brian survived a childhood on the infamous Falls Road, West Belfast, at the height of its hellish history against all the odds to carve an extraordinary career in music. โItโs a miracle that I survived my childhood and became a singer really, given where and how my life started, but somehow my voice had other plans and saved me in the end." That voice set him on a course that changed his life forever. From harmonizing with ambulance sirens as a child to finally overcoming stage fright, his gradual ascent was nothing short of incredible.
He busked on the dangerous streets of his hometown whatever the political climate until a sudden escape to London at 18 where he survived the only way he knew how. He sang unaccompanied in the underground stations and outside the Dominion Theatre, sometimes literally in order to eat and until he finally saved up enough money for a guitar. Soon thereafter, Brian was discovered by British entrepreneur/manager Simon Fuller.
Brian is first and foremost a live performer and songwriter declaring โmusic is my lifeblood.โ His constant touring from Ireland and the UK to Australia, Europe, Asia and the USA, including the major global festivals, has resulted in an ever-growing international fan base, over a phenomenal three-decade career. Spotted by Belfast legend Van Morrison, Brian was invited to a rehearsal one day which resulted in Morrison recruiting him to join his now unforgettable โBlues & Soul Revueโ tour as guest lead singer.
Thanks to Vanโs ongoing mentoring and generosity, Brian found himself sharing vocal duties on stages across the globe over a six-year period with Morrison and a breathtaking array of some of the greatest artists in history: Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker to name a few. Performing at Madison Square Garden in New York was a far cry from the Falls Road. His unique voice can be heard harmonizing and answering Van on five of his major hit albums including โA Night In San Franciscoโ and โDays Like This.โ Throughout the relentless touring with Van Morrison, Brian somehow managed to maintain a stream of chart-making albums. โA Better Manโ (1996) and โNow That I Know What I Wantโ (1999), both went platinum at No.1 and earned him the awards of Irish Best Male Artist and Irish Best Male Album, as did the highly acclaimed โHomebirdโ (2006) and cover album โInterpretationsโ (2008).
Brian has done impromptu performances with Stevie Wonder at Ronnie Scotts in London and, incredibly and proudly, he is one of only a few to have also sung with the late legendary Jeff Buckley at Sin-ร in New York. Brian was the very first international artist to record the now famous uplifting anthem โYou Raise Me Upโ by Secret Garden in 2001, today one of his most popular signature songs. His heart-wrenching LIVE performance of โYou Raise Me Upโ at the funeral of Irish football legend George Best was released as a single and earned him a spot in the top 5 of the UK charts. This song has since been recorded by over 1,000 artists.
Brian is a natural TV (The Voice-Ireland coach) and radio host (ClareFM) as well as lead performer on diverse international stages. From his role in Riverdance-On Broadway in New York (nine months/over 300 performances) to Eurovision 2006 in Athens, Brian also found time to write and publish two fiction novels that were an instant success. He continues to receive many prestigious awards, including the 2019 West Belfast Legend Award, 2010 Ireland Meteor Lifetime Achievement Award for Music, and an even rarer Honorary Doctorate Degree of Letters by the University of Ulster for his contribution to Literature and Arts.
2016 found Brian busy in the studio recording a 32-track double CD โThe Essential Collectionโ comprising all brand-new recordings from the past and present including a duet with Boy George of โChristopher Streetโ. Brian maintains that โmusic is the language of emotion,โ and after all his years performing and recording with Van Morrison, he favors the live shows above all else. โVan always said youโre only as good as your last gig.โ
Also in 2016, Brian began the most challenging journey of his life with a cancer diagnosis and he cites singing and performing as the motivation for staying positive. โThe gigs make everything worthwhile, the fans' support means the world to me,โ he said. โIf anything, the diagnosis and treatment has given me greater focus and determination to get through it all.
Music is the ultimate healer and my voice has never let me down.โ The same year, Brianโs iconic album โA Better Manโ turned 20 and what better place to celebrate than on stage doing what he loves best. He performed the entire album in Dublinโs prestigious Vicar Street venue on October 13, 2016. In 2017, following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, he released the โLive at Vicar Street, Dublinโ double CD and bonus DVD before heading to China for a tour with Secret Garden where they had a huge hit with Brian performing โYou Raise Me Up." Brian recorded his first ever collection of his most beloved Christmas songs with brand new, breath-taking arrangements for some old and new classic Christmas songs resulting in the 2018 release of the album โChristmassy.โ That same year he had to have a nine hour lifesaving double stoma surgery and took time out to start his recovery.
Unbelievably two weeks after leaving hospital he sang at a fundraiser for a friend in Dublin. In June 2019 Brian completed an exhaustive 6 month chemotherapy chapter and was gladly given the all clearโฆcancer free! During his period of healing, he wrote new songs which reflect his incredible journey. The result: the poignant and inspiring EP aptly entitled โRecovery.โ He performed these new songs for the first time at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
It has long been a desire of Brianโs to perform at New Yorkโs famed Carnegie Hall. He realised that dream on December 9, 2019 and had the 3,000 plus SRO crowd in the palm of his hand as they sang along with him. Brian recorded and co-wrote the song โThings Are Gonna Changeโ with Boy George (released April, 2020).
Throughout lockdown Brian presented a fortnightly up close and personal show live on Facebook called โA Night In With Brian Kennedyโ. Each show has a new set of his most popular songs, guests and chat, all streamed live from Dublin at 8.00pm. The shows have so far reached a combined audience of over 150,000+
Unfortunately, in late June 21 Brian suffered a major heart attack and he needed a quadruple bypass operation that saved his life. It was the third time that he had to learn to walk again but as ever he soldiered through that with incredible success. As if that wasnโt enough, he contracted Covid but because he was doubly vaccinated, he was able to recover fully at home and his spirit and voice are stronger than ever.
As his Song RECOVERY says, โYou just canโt keep a good man down, thatโs what my doctor saysโ. He has recently returned to the stage now Covid restrictions have lifted and itโs an understatement to say heโs singing better than ever. Bring on the gigs!
๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ, ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฌ ing ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ.
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