The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem was an Irish folk music singing group t… Read Full Bio ↴The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem was an Irish folk music singing group that formed in America in 1956. Widely credited with popularising Irish traditional music in the United States, and revitalising it in Ireland (paving the way for an Irish folk boom with groups like The Dubliners and The Wolfe Tones), Tommy Makem left the group in 1969, after which the three brothers (Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, and Liam Clancy) became The Clancy Brothers subsequently joined by the fourth Clancy brother (Bobby Clancy).
Formed while the members were working in America, the initial impetus was to record an album of Irish rebel songs (released as "The Rising of the Moon") as one of the first releases in 1956 of new folk label, Tradition Records. Paddy Clancy's harmonica provided the only musical accompaniment for this debut album.
Little thought was given at that point to continuing as a singing group. The four were all were busy establishing careers (in the theatre) for themselves, in addition to their work at Tradition Records. With the album being a local success, requests were often demanded for the brothers and Makem to sing some of their songs at parties and informal pub settings. Slowly, the singing gigs began to outweigh the acting gigs and by 1959, serious thought was given to a new album. Liam had developed some guitar skills, Tommy's hand, which hasd been injured, had healed enough that he was again able to play tin whistle and Uilleann pipes, and the times spent singing together had improved their style. No longer were they the rough, mostly unaccompanied group of actors singing for an album to jump-start a record label; they were becoming a professional singing group.
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group. Most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy and Liam Clancy. Paddy, Tom, Bob, and Liam are best known for their work with Tommy Makem, recording dozens of albums together as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. They were a primary influence on a young Bob Dylan and on many other emerging artists.
The release of their second album, this one of Irish drinking songs called "Come Fill Your Glass with Us", solidified their new careers as singers. The album was a success, and they made many appearances on the pub circuit in New York, Chicago, and Boston. It was at their first official gig after "Come Fill Your Glass With Us" that the group finally found a name for themselves. The nightclub owner asked for a name to put on the marquee, but they had not decided on one yet. Unable to agree on a name (which included suggestions like "The Beggermen", "The Tinkers", and even "The Chieftains") the owner decided for them, simply billing them as "The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem". The name stuck. They decided to try singing full-time for six months. If their singing was successful, they would continue with it; if not, then they would return to acting. The Clancy brothers and Tommy Makem proved successful as a singing group and in early 1961, they attracted the attention of scouts from The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Clancy Brothers' mother read news of the terrible ice and snow storms in New York City so she sent Aran sweaters for her sons and Tommy Makem to keep them warm. Paddy and Liam Clancy stated they wore the sweaters for the first time in the Blue Angel club. When Marty Erlichman, their manager, saw the sweaters, he was beside himself! "That's it!" he exclaimed. I've been looking for a special costume for the group. It was also the night that Barbra Streisand sang in the Blue Angel for the first time. The sweaters became the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem's trademark. When back in their hometown, the band purchased their Aran jumpers from Babington, on the main street. Babington had a local woman by the name of Betty McGillivray nรฉe Duggan knit the jumpers and supply the shop on regular occasions.
On 12 March 1961, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed for 16 minutes in front of a televised audience of 80 million people on The Ed Sullivan Show. As Pearl Bailey did not show that night, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem were given her time. The televised performance instantly attracted the attention of John Hammond of Columbia Records. The group was offered a five-year contract with an advance of $100,000, a huge sum in 1961. For their first album with Columbia, they enlisted Pete Seeger as backup banjo player for the live album A Spontaneous Performance Recording It included songs that would soon become classics, such as "Brennan on the Moor," "Jug of Punch," "Reilly's Daughter," "Finnegan's Wake," "Haul Away Joe," "Roddy McCorley," "Portlairge" and "Moonshiner." The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1961.
By the end of 1961, they had released two more albums, one final one with Tradition Records, and another with Columbia, Hearty and Hellish: A Live Nightclub Performance, and they were playing Carnegie Hall. Additionally, they were making appearances on major radio and television talk-shows in America.
1962 proved to be an even better year. Ciarรกn MacMathuna, a popular radio personality in Ireland, was visiting America when he heard of the group. He collected the few albums they had out at the time, brought them back home to Ireland and played them on his radio show. The broadcasts skyrocketed the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem to fame in Ireland, where they were still unknown. In Ireland, songs like "Roddy McCorley," "Kevin Barry" and "Brennan on the Moor" were slow, depressing songs full of melancholy, but the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem had transformed those songs (the disgruntled purists in Ireland said "commercialized") and made them lively. For generations the songs had been a reminder of the troubles in Ireland and therefore they weren't anything anybody sang proudly. The Clancy Brothers changed all that, and the transformed songs reinvigorated Ireland's pride in her music. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were brought over for a sold-out tour of Ireland in late 1962. Popularity in England and other parts of Europe soon followed, as well as Australia and Canada. By 1963, appearing on major talk-shows in America, Canada, England, Australia and Ireland, as well as their own TV specials, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were "the most famous four Irishmen in the world" as said by Ireland's Late Late Show host, Gay Byrne, in a retrospective interview in 1984. In 1964, one third of all the albums sold in Ireland were Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem records.
The 1960s continued to be a successful decade with the release of approximately two albums per year, all of which sold millions of copies. They continued to peak with television appearances in front of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Their popularity is the result of several factors. There was already an American folk revival beginning in the United States, and men such as Ewan MacColl popularizing old songs on the other side of the Atlantic. But it was the Clancys' boisterous performances that set them apart, taking placid classics and giving them a boost of energy and spirit (not that they took this approach with all their songs; they would still sing the true mournful ballads with due reverence).
But by the late 1960s, rock music had taken full swing, and the ballad and folk boom was waning. To keep the band at the top, Teo Macero began producing their records for Columbia. Macero introduced new instrumentation to their music, including Louis Killen coming in to play concertina on backup, particularly on their 1968 album of sea songs, Sing of the Sea. But their last three albums for Columbia Record in 1969 and 1970 are considered by many to be overproduced, with a multitude of string instruments and synthesizers added to the simpler traditional Clancy mix of guitar, banjo, tin whistle and harmonica.
In 1969, the group recorded a song for a two-minute-long TV ad for Gulf Oil: "Bringin' Home the Oil". They adapted a traditional Scottish tune they had recorded, "The Gallant Forty Twa," with new words about large-capacity supertankers. The song and commercial featured the then-largest supertanker in the world, the Universe Ireland, which operated with sister ships Universe Kuwait, Universe Japan and Universe Portugal, all mentioned in the song and which operated from the seaport at Bantry Bay.
1969 marked the amicable departure of Tommy Makem from the group. Giving them a year's notice, Makem left in April 1969 to pursue a solo career armed with such recent compositions as "Four Green Fields", debuted on 1968's Clancy Brothers album, Home Boys Home.
The "other brother", Bobby Clancy, filled Tommy Makem's vacancy and the band became The Clancy Brothers.
Formed while the members were working in America, the initial impetus was to record an album of Irish rebel songs (released as "The Rising of the Moon") as one of the first releases in 1956 of new folk label, Tradition Records. Paddy Clancy's harmonica provided the only musical accompaniment for this debut album.
Little thought was given at that point to continuing as a singing group. The four were all were busy establishing careers (in the theatre) for themselves, in addition to their work at Tradition Records. With the album being a local success, requests were often demanded for the brothers and Makem to sing some of their songs at parties and informal pub settings. Slowly, the singing gigs began to outweigh the acting gigs and by 1959, serious thought was given to a new album. Liam had developed some guitar skills, Tommy's hand, which hasd been injured, had healed enough that he was again able to play tin whistle and Uilleann pipes, and the times spent singing together had improved their style. No longer were they the rough, mostly unaccompanied group of actors singing for an album to jump-start a record label; they were becoming a professional singing group.
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group. Most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy and Liam Clancy. Paddy, Tom, Bob, and Liam are best known for their work with Tommy Makem, recording dozens of albums together as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. They were a primary influence on a young Bob Dylan and on many other emerging artists.
The release of their second album, this one of Irish drinking songs called "Come Fill Your Glass with Us", solidified their new careers as singers. The album was a success, and they made many appearances on the pub circuit in New York, Chicago, and Boston. It was at their first official gig after "Come Fill Your Glass With Us" that the group finally found a name for themselves. The nightclub owner asked for a name to put on the marquee, but they had not decided on one yet. Unable to agree on a name (which included suggestions like "The Beggermen", "The Tinkers", and even "The Chieftains") the owner decided for them, simply billing them as "The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem". The name stuck. They decided to try singing full-time for six months. If their singing was successful, they would continue with it; if not, then they would return to acting. The Clancy brothers and Tommy Makem proved successful as a singing group and in early 1961, they attracted the attention of scouts from The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Clancy Brothers' mother read news of the terrible ice and snow storms in New York City so she sent Aran sweaters for her sons and Tommy Makem to keep them warm. Paddy and Liam Clancy stated they wore the sweaters for the first time in the Blue Angel club. When Marty Erlichman, their manager, saw the sweaters, he was beside himself! "That's it!" he exclaimed. I've been looking for a special costume for the group. It was also the night that Barbra Streisand sang in the Blue Angel for the first time. The sweaters became the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem's trademark. When back in their hometown, the band purchased their Aran jumpers from Babington, on the main street. Babington had a local woman by the name of Betty McGillivray nรฉe Duggan knit the jumpers and supply the shop on regular occasions.
On 12 March 1961, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed for 16 minutes in front of a televised audience of 80 million people on The Ed Sullivan Show. As Pearl Bailey did not show that night, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem were given her time. The televised performance instantly attracted the attention of John Hammond of Columbia Records. The group was offered a five-year contract with an advance of $100,000, a huge sum in 1961. For their first album with Columbia, they enlisted Pete Seeger as backup banjo player for the live album A Spontaneous Performance Recording It included songs that would soon become classics, such as "Brennan on the Moor," "Jug of Punch," "Reilly's Daughter," "Finnegan's Wake," "Haul Away Joe," "Roddy McCorley," "Portlairge" and "Moonshiner." The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1961.
By the end of 1961, they had released two more albums, one final one with Tradition Records, and another with Columbia, Hearty and Hellish: A Live Nightclub Performance, and they were playing Carnegie Hall. Additionally, they were making appearances on major radio and television talk-shows in America.
1962 proved to be an even better year. Ciarรกn MacMathuna, a popular radio personality in Ireland, was visiting America when he heard of the group. He collected the few albums they had out at the time, brought them back home to Ireland and played them on his radio show. The broadcasts skyrocketed the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem to fame in Ireland, where they were still unknown. In Ireland, songs like "Roddy McCorley," "Kevin Barry" and "Brennan on the Moor" were slow, depressing songs full of melancholy, but the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem had transformed those songs (the disgruntled purists in Ireland said "commercialized") and made them lively. For generations the songs had been a reminder of the troubles in Ireland and therefore they weren't anything anybody sang proudly. The Clancy Brothers changed all that, and the transformed songs reinvigorated Ireland's pride in her music. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were brought over for a sold-out tour of Ireland in late 1962. Popularity in England and other parts of Europe soon followed, as well as Australia and Canada. By 1963, appearing on major talk-shows in America, Canada, England, Australia and Ireland, as well as their own TV specials, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were "the most famous four Irishmen in the world" as said by Ireland's Late Late Show host, Gay Byrne, in a retrospective interview in 1984. In 1964, one third of all the albums sold in Ireland were Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem records.
The 1960s continued to be a successful decade with the release of approximately two albums per year, all of which sold millions of copies. They continued to peak with television appearances in front of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Their popularity is the result of several factors. There was already an American folk revival beginning in the United States, and men such as Ewan MacColl popularizing old songs on the other side of the Atlantic. But it was the Clancys' boisterous performances that set them apart, taking placid classics and giving them a boost of energy and spirit (not that they took this approach with all their songs; they would still sing the true mournful ballads with due reverence).
But by the late 1960s, rock music had taken full swing, and the ballad and folk boom was waning. To keep the band at the top, Teo Macero began producing their records for Columbia. Macero introduced new instrumentation to their music, including Louis Killen coming in to play concertina on backup, particularly on their 1968 album of sea songs, Sing of the Sea. But their last three albums for Columbia Record in 1969 and 1970 are considered by many to be overproduced, with a multitude of string instruments and synthesizers added to the simpler traditional Clancy mix of guitar, banjo, tin whistle and harmonica.
In 1969, the group recorded a song for a two-minute-long TV ad for Gulf Oil: "Bringin' Home the Oil". They adapted a traditional Scottish tune they had recorded, "The Gallant Forty Twa," with new words about large-capacity supertankers. The song and commercial featured the then-largest supertanker in the world, the Universe Ireland, which operated with sister ships Universe Kuwait, Universe Japan and Universe Portugal, all mentioned in the song and which operated from the seaport at Bantry Bay.
1969 marked the amicable departure of Tommy Makem from the group. Giving them a year's notice, Makem left in April 1969 to pursue a solo career armed with such recent compositions as "Four Green Fields", debuted on 1968's Clancy Brothers album, Home Boys Home.
The "other brother", Bobby Clancy, filled Tommy Makem's vacancy and the band became The Clancy Brothers.
The Whistling Gypsy
The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Gypsy Rover come over the hills
Down through the valleys so shady
He whistled and he sang โฒtil the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
She left her fatherโฒs castle gate
She left her own fond lover
She left her servants and her state
To follow the Gypsy Rover
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til thะต green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
Hะตr father saddled up his fastest steed
Roamed by the valleys all over
Sought his daughter at great speed
And the whistling Gypsy Rover
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
He came at last to a mansion fine
Down by the river Claydee
And there was music and there was wine
For the Gypsy and his lady
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang โฒtil the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
"He is no Gypsy, my father" she said
"But Lord of those freelands all over
And I will stay โฒtil my dying day
With my whistling Gypsy Rover"
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
Down through the valleys so shady
He whistled and he sang โฒtil the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
She left her fatherโฒs castle gate
She left her own fond lover
She left her servants and her state
To follow the Gypsy Rover
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til thะต green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
Hะตr father saddled up his fastest steed
Roamed by the valleys all over
Sought his daughter at great speed
And the whistling Gypsy Rover
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
He came at last to a mansion fine
Down by the river Claydee
And there was music and there was wine
For the Gypsy and his lady
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang โฒtil the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
"He is no Gypsy, my father" she said
"But Lord of those freelands all over
And I will stay โฒtil my dying day
With my whistling Gypsy Rover"
Ah dee doo ah dee doo dah day
Ah dee doo ah dee day dee
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
And he won the heart of a lady
"The Whistling Gypsy" is a classic folk song that tells the story of a charming and mysterious gypsy rover who captures the heart of a noblewoman and elopes with her from her father's castle. The playful melody, combined with the whistling motif, reinforces the lighthearted and carefree nature of the gypsy rover character.
The lyrics describe the gypsy's journey over the hills and through the shady valleys, where he sings and whistles until the woods ring. He meets and seduces a lady, who leaves everything behind to join him on the road. Her father, outraged by his daughter's betrayal, pursues the couple on horseback until he catches up with them at a mansion by the river. The lady, unwilling to leave her lover, reveals that he is actually a lord and elects to stay with him.
The song's catchy melody and simple lyrics made it a staple of Irish and Scottish folk music. Its playful portrayal of a rogue adventurer who captures hearts and elopes with his lover is reminiscent of the classic trope of the wandering rogue found in many folk ballads. The song also showcases a bit of cynicism and subversion by having the lady elect to stay with her lover despite her father's objections.
Line by Line Meaning
The Gypsy Rover come over the hills
A rover of Gypsy origin came over the hills
Down through the valleys so shady
He traveled through valleys, which were shady
He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rang
He whistled and sang until the woods echoed with sound
And he won the heart of a lady
He won the affection of a lady
She left her father's castle gate
She left the gate of her father's castle
She left her own fond lover
She left her beloved partner
She left her servants and her state
She left behind her servants and social status
To follow the Gypsy Rover
She pursued the Gypsy rover
Her father saddled up his fastest steed
Her father prepared his swiftest horse
Roamed by the valleys all over
He searched for her throughout the valleys
Sought his daughter at great speed
He searched for his daughter quickly
And the whistling Gypsy Rover
He searched for the Gypsy rover who was whistling
He came at last to a mansion fine
He finally arrived at a grand estate
Down by the river Claydee
Located near the Claydee River
And there was music and there was wine
Music played and wine was served
For the Gypsy and his lady
The Gypsy and his lady were celebrated
"He is no Gypsy, my father" she said
She stated that her partner was not a true Gypsy to her father
"But Lord of those freelands all over
However, he is the ruler of the nearby lands
And I will stay 'til my dying day
She declared that she would stay with him until she dies
With my whistling Gypsy Rover
Accompanied by her whistling Gypsy rover
Writer(s): Milton Okun
Contributed by Chase G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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edejan
Thanks for this great vid of the boys when they were younger. That's how I always think of them. They're terribly missed and can never be replaced.
Paper Clip
This song is really nostalgic for me. It was a time me and my late father could spend singing together, being happy together, and enjoying each otherโs company, which wasnโt often. I miss him dearly, yet as a teenager Iโve grown away from irish folk songs after my dad died. It feels so relieving to listen to it, its bittersweet.
kimc0512
Beautiful. I grew up listening to the Clancy Brothers. Thanks for sharing this.
Kessler Watson
Tommy is such a great musician
Kay82Schmidt
Our teacher sang this to us 50 years ago, in a land far far away from where I am now.
jimbob1
Ours too.
Holly Williams
My daddy used to sing this to me! I love this so much! It's so very dear to me. He always called me his Gypsy wench lol which i also love โค๏ธ RIP Daddy i love you forever
Chai'naMarie03
Great song to lull you to sleep. They sound wonderful.
massey driver b
Brings back fond memories of grandmother singing that song
Oceanwanderer
My beloved late husband all over--This tears my Heart out,Lovely song.