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The Bothy Band
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Bothy Band was an Irish traditional group that existed in the mid-1970s and soon came to be regarded as one of the most influential bands in Irish folk music. The bouzouki player Dónal Lunny founded it in 1975, after leaving Planxty to start his own label, Mulligan. He brought in the piper Paddy Keenan, the flautist Matt Molloy and the fiddler Paddy Glackin. Later Mícheál Ó Domhnaill on acoustic guitar and his sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill on clavinet and vocals joined. The group began under the name Seachtar, Irish for seven people. The debut was on 2 February 1975 at Trinity College in Dublin.
Music and breakthrough
The first album, 1975, appeared that year. It was described as a very powerful mix of driving folk-rock rhythms. Old Hag You Have Killed Me followed in 1976 and Out of the Wind Into the Sun in 1977, and in 1979 a live record, After Hours. The band played its last performance in August 1979. Afterwards the members continued to play a large part in Irish music, including in Planxty, Moving Hearts and The Chieftains.
Influence
The group played old jigs and reels with the power of a rock band, and that changed how young musicians thought about traditional music. Its influence on Irish folk music continued, long after it had stopped.
Listening
The Kesh Jig / Give Us a Drink of Water / The Flower of the Flock / Famous Ballymote · The Bothy Band, 1975
Discography
Studio albums
- 19751975
- 1976Old Hag You Have Killed Me
- 1983The Bothy Band 1975: The First Album
- 1985Out of the Wind Into the Sun