Celtic Thunder

Celtic Thunder
Origin Ireland
Genres
Years active 2007–current
Labels Verve
Website Official website
Members Neil Byrne
Ryan Kelly
Damian McGinty
Michael O'Dwyer
Emmett O'Hanlon
Past members Paul Byrom
Emmet Cahill
George Donaldson (deceased)
Daniel Furlong
Keith Harkin
Colm Keegan

Celtic Thunder is an Irish singing group and stage show known for its eclectic, theatrical style show. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic set pieces (often invoking symbols of ancient Celtic mythology), visual effects, and highly choreographed staging.

Since the original group's formation in 2007, Celtic Thunder has released twelve albums:

As well as ten live performances on DVD entitled Celtic Thunder: The Show, Take Me Home, It's Entertainment!, Christmas, Heritage, Storm, Voyage, Voyage II, Mythology, Live & Unplugged, and their newest, "Legacy".

History

Celtic Thunder debuted in August 2007 at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland.[1] They are accompanied by the Celtic Concert Orchestra under the direction of Phil Coulter, the musical director of the group.

In December 2008, 2009 and 2011, Billboard magazine named Celtic Thunder Top World Album Artist.[2] Their first three albums also placed in the Top 10 for World Albums.

In March 2009, Celtic Thunder opened the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City.

On November 28, 2010, Celtic Thunder member Paul Byrom announced his resignation from the group to begin a solo career. He left the group when the 2010 concert tour was over. Byrom released his album "This is the Moment" in November 2011. He has also appeared as a singer of the National Anthem at Boston Celtics' games. In March 2013, he recorded his first PBS special to be aired later in the year.

In 2011, Damian McGinty (the group's youngest member) entered and won the Oxygen reality show The Glee Project. On August 21, 2011, Damian McGinty announced on The Glee Project's Live Viewing Party, that he would be stepping down from Celtic Thunder due to his new role on Glee.[3]

During their 2012 tour, Colm Keegan was asked to stand in for Ryan Kelly who was hurt in a fall. After Kelly returned, Colm was asked to become a permanent member of the group.

On October 15, 2012, Celtic Thunder performed at The Pentagon.

In December 2012, Celtic Thunder performed an unplugged concert at the Sullivan Hall, New York, in front of a small audience of just over 300 people. The concert was in aid of the victims of Hurricane Sandy and resulted in approximately $50,000 being raised.

On January 13, 2014, after only 3 years with Celtic Thunder, Emmet Cahill announced his decision to leave Celtic Thunder via his Facebook fan page.

On March 12, 2014, Sharon Browne announced that George Donaldson, one of the 5 original Celtic Thunder principal singers since the Celtic Thunder auditions in August 2007, died of a heart attack. He was preparing for the Celtic Thunder Australian tour in May. Celtic Thunder made their ‘Mythology’ tour as a homage to him.

On April 3, 2014, Emmet Cahill announced that he would once again be joining the "Thunderheads" on the Australia tour to pay homage to George.

On April 5, 2014, it was unofficially announced that Emmett O'Hanlon would be filling the place of Emmet Cahill after his departure. His last appearance with Celtic Thunder will be on the Celtic Thunder Cruise II in November 2014.

On November 24, 2014, it was announced that Damian McGinty will be rejoining Celtic Thunder as a temporary guest artist for their 2015 Very Best Of Celtic Thunder Tour.

On December 16, 2015, Colm Keegan announced that he will be taking a break from touring with Celtic Thunder for a year and will be recording a new solo album.

On April 26, 2016, Keith Harkin announced his departure from the group to focus on his solo career. On that same day, it was announced that Michael O'Dwyer will be replacing him.

Members

Creative Team

Musical Director, David Munro

Current members

The current members of Celtic Thunder are (in alphabetical order of family name):

Past members

The past members of Celtic Thunder are (in alphabetical order of family name):

Member Timeline

Band

Concerts, tours, and discography

On December 17, 2008, Celtic Thunder completed their 2008 US tour of fifty cities. They also toured the United States extensively in the fall of 2009. For spring 2009 they focused on touring Canada, while also playing some concerts in the northeastern US.[10]

During their 2008 fall tour, Celtic Thunder sold over 125,000 tickets in 49 shows and placed twentieth in the poll Star Tour Poll.

Celtic Thunder's first studio album and first concert special DVD were released on March 18, 2008. The album was titled Celtic Thunder and the concert special was titled The Show. It was filmed at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland, on August 2007.

The second studio album was released on September 16, 2008, titled Act Two. It included the rest of the songs from The Show.

The third studio album and second concert special DVD, both titled Take Me Home, were released July 14, 2009. Take Me Home was filmed at Casino Rama, Orillia (north of Toronto) while the group was on tour in 2009. It is considered a live concert DVD rather than a studio production.

The fourth studio album and third concert special DVD, both titled It's Entertainment!, were released on February 9, 2010. It was filmed alongside Storm at the Toronto International Centre Hall 5 (aka Arrow Hall), Toronto, Ontario, on October 1, 2009, and October 2, 2009.

After It's Entertainment!, Celtic Thunder fans sent many requests to Sharon Browne for a Christmas-themed album and an album containing more Irish music. Through these efforts, Christmas and Heritage came to be, postponing the release of Storm.

The fifth studio album, titled Christmas, was released on October 12, 2010, and the concert special DVD, also titled Christmas, was released on November 22, 2010. Christmas was filmed alongside Heritage at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, on September 17, 2010.

The sixth studio album and fifth concert special DVD titled Heritage was released on February 22, 2011. Heritage was filmed alongside Christmas at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, on September 17, 2010.

The seventh studio album and sixth DVD, titled Storm, was released on September 20, 2011 (originally recorded in 2009). Storm, unlike Celtic Thunder's other DVDs, is not just a filmed concert but has a storyline, an elaborate set establishing a location, and costumes which help to define the singers' and dancers' characters within the story. It makes use of the It's Entertainment cast which is Celtic Thunder's largest to date (25) and adds singer Dierdre Shannon.

The eighth studio album and seventh concert special DVD, titled Voyage, was released on February 28, 2012. It was originally set to be filmed on September 27, 2011, but due to changes, this filming was cancelled. The search for a new venue began on October 3, 2011, and resulted in a filming date of October 18, 2011, in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Midland Theater.

The eighth concert special DVD, companion DVD to Voyage for online purchase only, is titled Voyage II and was released on June 25, 2012. The CD of the same name was released on September 1, 2012, not available in stores.

The 2012 Celtic Thunder North American tour was called the Voyage tour.

The ninth concert DVD special is called "Mythology". It was filmed in early 2013 at the Helix Theater in Dublin, Ireland. Featuring a Celtic Cross, the stage setting is one of the most ambitious. The tour began in August 2013, with stops in Canada and the United States and to finish in Australia June 2014.

The tenth DVD, entitled "Live and Unplugged" features a live more personal show at Sullivan Hall in New York. The concert was a benefit concert for the victims effected by Hurricane Sandy.

The eleventh DVD put out by Celtic Thunder was titled "Home." The DVD has many fan favorites and pre-recorded CT songs in the background of the beautiful Irish scenery.

In November and December 2014 Celtic Thunder will be touring the Eastern United States with songs from their Christmas CD Christmas Voices. This will be the first Celtic Thunder Symphony Tour with symphonies such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and many more!

Other bands by the same name

The Celtic Thunder played its first show in May 1977 at the Harp Pub in Baltimore, and went on to become one of the most influential traditional music groups in the U.S. Called "a great Irish band" by the Village Voice and "one of the best Irish folk acts in America" by The Washington Post, Celtic Thunder has released three albums. The band's second album, The Light of Other Days, won the Indie award for Best Celtic Album.

The band's founders are brothers Jesse Winch (bodhran, bouzouki, guitar, harmonica) and Terry Winch (button accordion). The Winches, first generation Americans, learned their craft alongside their father, Patrick Winch, and his friend P.J. Conway, as they played for traditional Irish ceilis in New York City in the 1950s.

Along with another original member, Linda Hickman (flute, whistle, vocals), the band has featured Laura Murphy (lead vocals), Regan Wick (piano, Irish step-dance), Nita Conley (vocals, guitar, piano), Steve Hickman (fiddle, harmonica, vocals), Tony DeMarco (fiddle), Dominick Murray (vocals, guitar), Rob Thornburgh (fiddle, vocals), Marty Somberg (fiddle), and Patrick Orseau (fiddle).

The original Celtic Thunder was able to retain rights to the name after submitting to a non-competition agreement with the Celtic Thunder Production.

Discography & Videography

Studio albums

Title Date of release Media format Featured soloists Notes
Celtic Thunder- The Show March 18, 2008 CD & DVD Byrom, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: Act Two September 16, 2008 CD Byrom, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: Take Me Home July 14, 2009 CD & DVD Byrom, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: It's Entertainment! February 9, 2010 CD & DVD Byrne, Byrom, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: Christmas October 12, 2010 CD & DVD Byrne, Byrom, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: Heritage February 22, 2011 CD & DVD Byrne, Byrom, Cahill, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: Storm September 20, 2011 CD & DVD Byrne, Byrom, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty recorded in 2009
Celtic Thunder: Voyage February 28, 2012 CD & DVD Byrne, Cahill, Furlong, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty
Celtic Thunder: Voyage II June 25, 2012 CD & DVD Byrne, Byrom, Cahill, Furlong, Donaldson, Harkin, Kelly, McGinty for online purchase only, re-released 2015 as New Voyage
Celtic Thunder: Mythology February 19, 2013 CD & DVD Byrne, Cahill, Donaldson, Harkin, Keegan, Kelly also available as 2 CD deluxe edition
Celtic Thunder: Christmas Voices October 11, 2013 CD Byrne, Cahill, Donaldson, Harkin, Keegan, Kelly re-released 2014 as Holiday Symphony, 2015 as The Classic Christmas Album
The Very Best Of Celtic Thunder March 13, 2015 CD Byrom, Byrne, Cahill, Donaldson, Harkin, Keegan, Kelly, McGinty, O'Hanlon also features re-recorded tracks to include Keegan and O'Hanlon
Celtic Thunder: Legacy, Vol. 1 February 26, 2016 CD, DVD, Blu-ray, Vinyl Byrne, Harkin, Keegan, Kelly, McGinty, O'Hanlon McGinty is credited as "special guest"
Celtic Thunder: Legacy, Vol. 2 tba (fall 2016) CD Byrne, Harkin, Keegan, Kelly, McGinty, O'Hanlon only available through PBS pledge drive until it will be officially released in fall 2016

In 2015 Legacy re-released the whole Celtic Thunder back-catalogue, including re-releases of Celtic Thunder, Celtic Thunder: Act Two, Take Me Home, It's Entertainment!, Christmas (with new art work), Heritage, Storm, Voyage, New Voyage (originally entitled Voyage II), Mythology and The Classic Christmas Album (originally entitled Holiday Symphony). Some of the songs originally sung by Paul Byrom got re-recorded by Emmett O'Hanlon or Colm Keegan. All tracklists got revised.

Compilations

Title Date of release Media format Notes
Celtic Thunder: Ireland's Call 2010 CD QVC bonus CD released along with It's Entertainment!, includes 5 tracks
Celtic Thunder: The Irish Collection 2011 CD 11 track compilation released along with Storm, includes 1 new recording
Celtic Thunder: Heartland 2012 CD plus DVD 15 track compilation
Celtic Thunder: Islands 2013 CD 12 track compilation released for Celtic Thunder Cuise 2013; includes 2 new recordings
Celtic Thunder: Home 2013 DVD includes fan favorites from previous DVDs
Celtic Thunder: Myths & Legends October 25, 2013 CD plus DVD Australian exclusive package; behind the scenes DVD plus 14 track CD Mythology leftovers
Celtic Thunder: My Land April 18, 2014 CD plus DVD Australian exclusive package; documentary DVD plus 8 track CD including Mythology leftovers
George 2014 CD & DVD 16 track George Donaldson tribute album
Celtic Horizons 2014 CD 16 track compilation released for Celtic Thunder Cuise 2014
Celtic Thunder: Celtic Roots Myths & Legends October 30, 2015 3 CDs plus 3 DVDs amazon.com exclusive set including the complete Mythology recording session

Live albums

Title Date of release Media format Featured soloists Notes
Celtic Thunder: Live & Unplugged at Sullivan Hall New York 2013 CD & DVD Byrne, Cahill, Donaldson, Harkin, Keegan, Kelly filmed in December 2012

References

  1. 21, WLIW (2008-06-30). "Celtic Thunder in Dublin". WLIW21. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  2. The Glee Project
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Celtic Thunder (2008-06-30). "Biographies". Celtic Thunder. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  4. Celtic Thunder (2011-05-12). "Ryan Kelly's blog". Celtic Thunder. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  5. Celtic Thunder (2011-08-22). "Wow, What A Night - August 22, 2011 in". Celtic Thunder. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  6. "Individuality". The Glee Project. Season 1. Episode 1. June 12, 2011. 12:07 minutes in. Oxygen.
  7. Celtic Thunder. "Celtic Thunder - Artists". Celtic Thunder. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  8. "Emmet Cahill Official Music Facebook". Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  9. Celtic Thunder (2010-03-17). "Celtic Thunder Tour Dates in". Tour Dates. Retrieved 2010-03-17.

External links

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