The Irish Rovers

The Irish Rovers er en gruppe af irske musikere fra Toronto, Canada. Gruppen blev dannet i 1963 og tog navn efter den traditionelle sang "The Irish Rover". De er bedst kendt for deres internationale tv-serie, hvor de bidrag til at popularisere irsk folkemusik i Nordamerika, og for deres sange "The Unicorn", "Drunken Sailor", "Wasn't That a Party", "The Orange and the Green", "Whiskey on a Sunday", "Lily the Pink" og "The Black Velvet Band".

Der primære stemmer i bandets tidligere sange var Will Millar (tenor), Jimmy Ferguson (baryton), George Millar og Joe Millar, men i deres seneste 20 år har det også været John Reynolds og Ian Millar. Wilcil McDowells harmonikaspil har været en signaturlyd for bandet igennem hele deres karriere.

George Millar og hans fætter Ian er begge fra Ballymena, Davey Walker fra Armagh, Sean O'Driscoll fra Cork, Gerry O'Connor fra Dundalk, mens Morris Crum er fra Carnlough og percussionist Fred Graham er fra Belfast. Fløjtenisten Geoffrey Kelly blev født i Dumfries, Skotland.

I 1980'erne omdøbte gruppen sig kortvarigt til The Rovers. I denne periode ledte deres sang "Wasn't That a Party" til en crossoversucces i country rockgenren.

The Irish Rovers har repræsenteret Canada ved fem Verdensudstillinger, og i 2018 blev de æret som en af Irlands største eksporter i EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum i Dublin.

Personel

Nuværende medlemmer 
 George Millar – vokal, guitar, bouzouki (1963–nu)
 Wilcil McDowell – harmonika(1968–present, retired from touring since 2018)
 Sean O'Driscoll – mandolin, tenor banjo, bouzouki, guitar, vocals (1997–nu)
 Ian Millar – vokal, basguitar, guitar (2005–nu)
 Fred Graham – trommer, bodhran, bones, vokal (2007–nu)
 Geoffrey Kelly – tin whistle, fløjte, uilleann pipes, vokal (2008–nu)
 Morris Crum – accordion, keyboards, vokal (2012–nu)
 Gerry O'Connor – violin(2013–nu)
 Davey Walker – keyboards, vokal(2019–nu)

Former members 
 Will Millar – vokal, guitar, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle (1964–94)
 Jimmy Ferguson – vokal(1963–97; død1997)
 Joe Millar – vokal, harmonika, harmonica, bass guitar (1963–68, 1969–2005)
 Kevin McKeown – trommer, bodhran, bones, vocals (1984–2008)
 John Reynolds – vokal, guitar, harmonica (1986–2012)
 Wallace Hood – mandolin, Irish bouzouki, cistern, tenorbanjo, guitar, tin whistle (1995–2005)
 Paul Lawton – trommer, bodhran, bones (2002–2005)

Diskografi

Albums 
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| År
! rowspan="2"| Album
! colspan="5"| Højest ehitlisteplacering
|-
! width="45"| CAN
! width="45"| CAN Country
! width="45"| US
! width="45"| US Country
! width="45"| US World
|-
| 1966
| The First of the Irish Rovers
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1967
| The Unicorn
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| 24
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1968
| All Hung Up
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| 119
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1969
| The Life of the Rover
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| Tales to Warm Your Mind
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| 182
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1971
| On the Shores of Americay
| align="center"| 73
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1972
| The Best of the Irish Rovers
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| The Irish Rovers Live
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1973
| Emigrate! Emigrate!
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1974
| Greatest Hits
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1976
| Children of the Unicorn
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| The Irish Rovers in Australia
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1979
| Tall Ships and Salty Dogs
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1980
| The Rovers
| align="center"| 26
| align="center"| 1
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| Wasn't That a Party
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| 157
| align="center"| 38
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1981
| No More Bread and Butter
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1982
| Party Album
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| Pain in My Past
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| It Was a Night Like This
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1984
| Twentieth Anniversary
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1985
| Party with the Rovers
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1989
| Hardstuff
| align="center"| 67
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| Silver Anniversary
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1992
| The Boys Come Rolling Home
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1993
| Years May Come, Years May Go
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1994
| Celebrate! The First 30 Years
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1995
| Celtic Collection: The Next Thirty Years
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1996
| The Irish Rovers' Gems
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1998
| Come Fill Up Your Glasses
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 1999
| Best of the Irish Rovers
| align="center"| 93
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| 14
|-
| 1999
| Songs of Christmas
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2000
| Down by the Lagan Side
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2002
| Another Round
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2003
| Live in Concert
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2005
| 40 Years a-Rovin'''
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2007
| Still Rovin' After All These Years| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2010
| Gracehill Fair| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2011
| Home in Ireland| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| 11
|-
| 2011
| Merry Merry Time of Year| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2012
| Drunken Sailor| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2014
| 50 Years| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2015
| Songs for the Wee Folk| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2016
| 50th Anniversary, LIVE on St. Patrick's Day| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2017
| The Unicorn, The Continuing Story| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2019
| Up Among the Heather, The Scottish Album| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|-
| 2020
| Saints And Sinners| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
| align="center"| —
|}

 Singles 

 TV 
 TV specials / VHS eller DVD 
 America's Music: Folk 1 [Volume 7] – VHS, 1983
 Party with the Rovers – VHS, 1988
 The Irish Rovers Silver Anniversary – CBC, 1989
 The Irish Rovers Celebrate 30 Years – CBC,1994
 Celebrate! The First Thirty Years – VHS, 1994
 Live and Well – VHS, 1995
 Home In Ireland – PBS TV / DVD, 2011
 The Irish Rovers Christmas – PBS TV / DVD, 2012
 50th Anniversary, LIVE on St. Patrick's Day – SHAW TV on Demand / 2 DVD Set, 2017

 Tv-serier 
 The Irish Rovers – 1971, 7 år. CBC
 The Rovers Comedy House – 1981, 2 år. Global Television / Ulster TV
 Party with The Rovers – 1984, 3 år. Global Television / Ulster TV
 Superspecial'' – 1980's. CBC

Referencer

Eksterne henvisninger 
 
 
 Will Millar's Website 
 The Irish Rovers' discography at the Balladeers
 Canadian Encyclopedia entry 
 canadianbands.com entry
 Entries at 45cat.com
 Irish Rovers YouTube Channel
 

Musikgrupper fra Irland
Musikgrupper fra Canada
Folkemusikgrupper
Musikgrupper fra 1963