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A place to get to know individual musicians a little better as they tell their stories in their own words. If you want to create your own page, complete with photos, discography, or any other band related info, just send us an email and it's done. Click on a title or photo to read the "whole story."

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Stage Two evolved from The Dixie's split in 1972. The band was based out of two cities, Cork: Joe McCarthy (drums) & Brendan O'Brien (vocals) and Dublin: Alan Cranny (lead guitar/vocals), Ernie Durcan (bass/vocals), Paul Duffy (keyboards/vocals), Dermot Ryan (vocals/tenor/baritone sax and flute), Danny Ellis (trombone/vocals), Mike Nolan (trumpet). That lineup however did not last more than a few months (musical differences and all that)....
Click here to read more of
Alan James' "The Stage Two Story"

I started by career in showbands playing in my home town of Downpatrick, Co. Down with a group called "Sweet Neglect" starting in 1969.  In the band were Liam Taggart (guitar) who went on to play with Lyttle People, and Seamus Mahon (rhythm guitar) who went on to play with The Sands and Roly Daniels - I think he also won or was runner up in the Cavan Song Contest at one time.....
Click here to read more of Jimmy Compton's "My Showband Years"

My name is Brian O’Kane, but most people know me as Shorty. I am a bass player/vocalist, and was a member of Belfast based pop/rock band Dirtywork in the mid seventies. At the request of Louis Walsh, we moved to Dublin and became Tony Kenny’s backing band, after he had finished the runs of Jesus Christ Superstar & Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Click here to read more of  Shorty O'Kane's "Living the Band Life"

The Blue Aces Band was formed in Waterford round about 1957/58 from an earlier band called the MELLOCHORDS. Rehearsals used to take place in bass player, Seamus Carew's front room. How everyone fitted in remains a mystery. The bass in those days was a full size upright bass fiddle!! Jerry O'Shea used to carry his drum kit there in an old pram... Sophistication at its finest!!
Click here to read more of Mickey Gilligan's "Flying with the Blue Aces"

John here, bass guitar around my neck as it has been since 1969 when I started with The Sundowners in my native Donegal. After leaving the Sundowners, and being what I thought was "young and sexy," I decided to join the most popular local band, which was the Blue Glows. So, the Glows got a sex symbol at last, but there were too many sex symbols around so I decided it would be better to go "national."
Click here to read more of John McGrenra's "Lifetime in Music"

We decided on the name "The Phantoms" for our first" beat group" back in 1962-3. The Merseybeat thing was becoming all the rage in England so we did all the top twenty tunes, Stones, Beatles, Searchers, Pretty Things, Them etc. The group consisted of Colm Maher/gtr/vocals, Patrick Hoye/bass/vocals, Frank "Monty" Montgomery/rhythm/vocals and Aidan "kyd" Graham/drums.
Click here to read more of Patrick Hoye's "Just A Drifter"

The website fascinates me in so much as the old photos of Belfast bands throw up so many of my old mates from years ago from Katmandu to The College Boys, Cousins, Freshmen, Green Angels etc. My great friend and ex school mate the late magnificent Gerry McIlduff ex: Fontana, Green Angels, Jimmy Johnson, Plattermen, Pogues and Pretenders deserves an epitaph on your site. Gerry was my inspiration and motivator. A Drummer's drummer who is sadly missed.
Click here to read more of Mike Arkins' "Belfast to a Land Down Under"

When I entered the Technical Training Squadron of the Irish Air Corps in 1955 and living at Baldonnel Aerodrome, my trumpet went with me. No doubt my family were pleased not to have to listen to my practice sessions for a while. My ‘room mate’, Tom Murphy and those in adjoining rooms, however, uncomplainingly endured the noise for a while. One of the ‘senior apprentices’ offered me the use of a ‘mute’; perhaps he was trying to tell me something in a diplomatic way. .
Click here to read more of Archies Raeside's "Swinging Sixties"

When I first joined the band they were still performing as the Easybeats, the name of their previous group which had split up.  I suppose it was easier to fulfil existing gigs booked under this name. It was an eight piece consisting of Hughie Kelly on drums, Danny McLaughlin on bass guitar and vocals, Dessie on rhythm guitar, Paul McGreevey on lead guitar, Liam Shepard on trumpet, Howard Fleming & yours truly on tenor saxophones and vocals....
Click here to read more of Ronnie Campbell's "Presidential Years"

More personal pages are on the way....


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In Loving Memory of Grant Gallagher: Sept. 21, 1990 - Nov. 18, 2006