Barney McKenna: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 13:38, 8 February 2010

Bernard Noël "Barney" McKenna or Banjo Barney as he is known amongst his fellow musicians, (born December 16, 1939 in Donnycarney, County Dublin) is an Irish musician who plays the tenor banjo, mandolin, and melodeon. He is most renowned as a banjo player. McKenna has played the banjo since an early age, beginning because he could not afford to buy the instrument of his choice, a mandolin. He has been a member of The Dubliners since 1962 and remains the only living member of the original (1962) formation; prior to joining the Dubliners, he had spent a few months with The Chieftains. In addition to his work on traditional Irish music, he also plays jazz on occasion.

Barney uses GDAE tuning, an octave below fiddle/mandolin and, according to musician Mick Moloney, is single-handedly responsible for making the GDAE tuned tenor banjo the standard banjo in Irish music.

Barney remains a great favourite with live audiences, and some of the loudest and most affectionate applause follows the tunes and songs on which he is the featured performer. He is well known for his unaccompanied renditions of songs such as 'South Australia' and 'I Wish I Had Someone to Love Me'. His banjo solos on tunes such as 'The Maid Behind the Bar', 'The High Reel' and 'The Mason's Apron', where he is usually accompanied by Eamonn Campbell on guitar, are often performed to cries of "C'mon Barney!" from audience or band members. Another featured spot in Dubliners performances is the mandolin duet that Barney plays with John Sheahan - again with Eamonn Campbell providing guitar accompaniment. As Barney often points out to the audience: "It's an Irish duet, so there's three of us going to play it".

Barney's tendency to relate funny, and often only marginally believable, stories is legendary amongst Dubliners fans and friends. These anecdotes have become known as Barneyisms, and Barney's friend, and former Dubliners bandmate, Jim McCann has been collecting them for a book.

Barney is a keen fisherman, and many of the songs he has recorded with The Dubliners have been shanties and nautical ballads.

This article on a musician who plays a string instrument is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article about an Irish musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 '''Bernard Noël "Barney" McKenna''' or '''Banjo Barney''' as he is known amongst his fellow musicians, (born December 16, 1939 in [[Donnycarney]], [[County Dublin]]) is an [[Ireland|Irish]] musician who plays the tenor [[banjo]], [[mandolin]], and [[melodeon]].  He is most renowned as a banjo player.  McKenna has played the banjo since an early age, beginning because he could not afford to buy the instrument of his choice, a mandolin.  He has been a member of [[The Dubliners]] since 1962 and remains the only living member of the original ([[1962]]) formation; prior to joining the Dubliners, he had spent a few months with [[The Chieftains]].  In addition to his work on traditional Irish music, he also plays [[jazz]] on occasion.
-Barney uses fiddle/mandolin tuning (GDAE, 1 octave down) and, according to musician [[Mick Moloney]], is single-handedly responsible for making the fiddle-tuned tenor banjo the standard banjo in Irish music.
+Barney uses  tuning,  octave  and, according to musician [[Mick Moloney]], is single-handedly responsible for making the tuned tenor banjo the standard banjo in Irish music.
 Barney remains a great favourite with live audiences, and some of the loudest and most affectionate applause follows the tunes and songs on which he is the featured performer. He is well known for his unaccompanied renditions of songs such as '[[South Australia (song)|South Australia]]' and 'I Wish I Had Someone to Love Me'. His banjo solos on tunes such as 'The Maid Behind the Bar', 'The High Reel' and 'The Mason's Apron', where he is usually accompanied by [[Eamonn Campbell]] on guitar, are often performed to cries of "C'mon Barney!" from audience or band members. Another featured spot in Dubliners performances is the mandolin duet that Barney plays with [[John Sheahan]] - again with Eamonn Campbell providing guitar accompaniment. As Barney often points out to the audience: "It's an Irish duet, so there's three of us going to play it".
 Barney's tendency to relate funny, and often only marginally believable, stories is legendary amongst Dubliners fans and friends. These anecdotes have become known as [[Barneyisms]], and Barney's friend, and former Dubliners bandmate, [[Jim McCann]] has been collecting them for a book.
+Barney is a keen fisherman, and many of the songs he has recorded with The Dubliners have been shanties and nautical ballads.
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackenna, Barney}}