|
Christie Hennessy
I was doing a gig at the Wee Folk Club in Edinburgh in June 2008, I said to the audience that I had learned 'The Galway Shawl' from Christie Hennessy, Paddy Bort, the club organiser said 'He Died'.... When I was about 16 or 17 years old I tripped about the London Folk Clubs, and often came across Christie. The clubs were always packed for him and he kindly took a shine to me. He lived in Croydon then and I live in Streatham so I often got a lift in the right direction if not to the door. Christie did not drive that was another chap, once in a while I would be waiting, with guitar, late at night for a bus and Christie's car would pull up along side me and I would be helped on my way. One evening I was invited to dinner, he had the most beautiful wife, and we had the most wonderful evening. I still have the album that he gave me way back then. In 2004 I started to revive my career and I produced a new album which includes 'The Galway Shawl' it is called 'My Passport Says Planet Earth'. I tried, without success, to contact Christie to tell him. What I really wanted to tell him was how many times that song had got me out of bother... I like to do Folk Clubs but to earn a proper living I have always been more main stream, so often I would spend a Saturday evening singing in a Pub. One such - but there were many others - was in North London, I had sung for a couple of hours, it was an huge pub with lots of people in it and not one showed any liking of me or my music. It was coming on 11 and time to drink up and go home, I decided to sing 'The Galway Shawl' - the whole pub when silent and then erupted in to a thunder of applause as I finished - I was booked regularly there after that. In June 2007 I went to Edinburgh to promote my shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The airline forgot my Guitar I had to sing on the radio and at the British Legion 'The Galway Shawl' saved the day. In May 2008 I did a concert in Switzerland, which was videoed and should become a DVD, the encore of the concert was 'The Galway Shawl' I wish I had met Christie again he gave me a priceless gift and I only wish I had been able to come close to his fantastic ability to love his audience and to have that instantly reciprocated |