| Shawn Cuddy, the people’s musician
by JAMES McKEEFRY
Shawn Cuddy is one of the most consistent, entertaining Country and Irish
acts on the circuit today.
I have personally booked Shawn regularly over the past eight years to
play at our festivals and functions and Shawn always delivers a top-quality
show with an excellent stage presentation.
His show is an evening of lively music that has the floor packed from
the beginning of the performance until after the last encore has died
down — and Shawn is then busy meeting all of his fans.
Indeed, so loyal is Shawn to his fans that he has been “thrown out”
of theatres and dance halls by staff who just have to close-up and go
home, and so the meeting and greeting carries on in the pathways outside
the theatres and dance halls
Born in Camross in Co. Laois, Shawn combined working as a driver in a
local hospital, working on the family farm and being the eldest of 11
children, along with performing with his sisters at local functions and
weddings.
As his sisters grew-up and got married Shawn decided to take the plunge
and turn professional and form his own band.
In his early days he toured with Johnny Cash and supported Foster and
Allen all over Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Shawn learnt a lot about his trade from these top-class professionals
and has many happy memories of those early days.
Shawn and his band are a regular act at Daniel O’Donnell’s many
festivals in Donegal and at the many Birthday Party functions organised
throughout England with Daniel as the chief guest.
To catch Daniel and Shawn on stage together at one of these “private”
functions is a real treat.
Shawn has now released his seventh album People Like You following on
from previous releases: On Second Thoughts, The Calling Home, Just for
You, Five Little Fingers, Can We Go Round Again and By Special Request.
Shawn also has two videos: The Calling Home and Can We Go Round Again,
which have been very popular with his fans.
Shawn’s latest release People Like You has 12 excellent tracks with
a very emotional version of the Brendan Graham classic Isle of Hope contrasting
with Shawn’s own version of Old Man In The Garret.
Old Man In The Garret is usually sung by a woman and called Old Maid In
The Garret, and this is the first time I’ve heard it sung by a man.
Cotton Fields has been recorded so often that you would imagine it would
be impossible to deliver a new arrangement, but Shawn does just that with
a brass-filled sound and a drum solo towards the end of the track.
Old time waltzes, ballads, classic Country and lively Irish tunes —
Shawn has something for all his fans.
Excellent as this album is you will not appreciate Shawn Cuddy until you
see him live and watch as he finishes a lively set of quicksteps and then
silences the packed hall with his sean nós version of The Rocks
of Bawn.
n Shawn Cuddy’s new album People Like You is being released on the
Ceol label.
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