Interview with Nathan Carter Country Singer.
With Jerry Burn on this and Saint Patrick's day and boy it's a St. Patrick's day with a difference i'm delighted to have online one of the top entertainers in Ireland. He's toured in many other countries as well a truly incredible  talent spoke to him uh back last year in the first lockdown and he was busy doing the grass and having the the lawn looking pristine at that stage I'm delighted to catch up with them again and say a very very happy Saint Patrick's day to Nathan Carter.

 Nathen how are you ? I'm great Jerry, thanks for having me on the show and happy Saint Patrick's day to you and all your listeners. Nathan listen it's lovely to lovely to catch up with you again now the last time we spoke you were it was the it was the height of summer and uh the grass was growing like like uh like heck and you were you were busy keeping it keeping the lawn uh good so where uh after all of that water what have you been doing you've been a busy lad doing other things. Yeah the grass kept me busy last year normally I'm not here to uh to do anything you know  but obviously with no gigs last year I got stuck into becoming a bit of well I wouldn't say a gardener you know, of any means. But I was in the garden anyway trying my best um but uh not been doing too much since to be honest I've been doing a bit of writing. Songwriting, a bit of recording and I released an album at the end of last year and called the the best of the last 10 years and it featured some some brand new singles that i'd written a song with the high kings called made a road rise single call Sarah Jane and my latest single which is called wings to fly, in memory of Nicki James.

 So they  tracks the role on that album and it had some some older songs from the last 10 years as well um and it did extremely well it's it's it was my most successful album in the chat today it stayed at number one for two weeks running and we were we were delighted with the success right now because obviously with covid 19 I couldn't get out to promote the album. I would do signings or anything like that so  we were absolutely shocked when it went to number one for two weeks indeed indeed yes the album it was an astounding success and it had some fantastic material and that particular song wins to fly in tribute to your late friend and a gentleman who has been just so good to so many many people under gone too soon Nikki James yeah yeah i mean Nikki passed away only a year ago now a year last month and uh Nikki was kind of one of my best friends uh he was my kind of inspiration growing up to get into music and he paid for my first album to get done and got me my first ever gigs in London and Manchester and Liverpool and um just an overall great guy and wants to help anyone he could and so he he sadly missed and I sat down in in march of last year to do a writing session with John Ferry my manager.

 And I said it'd be and I think it'd be very fitting to maybe write a song in memory of Nikki so uh we sat down and we came up with the song wings to fly and um again i've been kind of overwhelmed by the the uh feedback from us uh we stuck i made a video for it and we put it up on facebook and it actually went to a million views on on the actual year anniversary of his death which was kind of spooky as well it reached a million that day it was kind of like he was looking down on us but he sadly missed and and you know I'm actually performing that song.

 I performed it on the late late show there recently and it's a song that seems to touch a lot of people who've lost someone close to them as well which is always nice to hear. indeed so i did so it's uh definitely a song of a sort of true feeling and that uh it's you know it certainly did a storm and did mean an awful lot to uh to an awful lot of people uh so how are you how are you how are you coping with the whole situation you obviously the same as so many other singers and uh entertainers i i speak to uh you know you really miss going out and performing and miss meeting people. 

I do surely yeah, I mean it was my life for the last um probably 12 or 13 years since I left school it was music and gigs and shows and radio and tv and it kind of all stopped over a year ago now and it definitely left a big hole in in my time and figuring out what to do with myself was was it took a while but yeah I mean I'm pretty lucky in the fact that I've stuff to be out at the house and I can i can get outside and i can do a bit of recording a lot of the lads who work with me they've all had to take jobs you know whether they're driving or my fiddle plane I actually started a mobile coffee van and he's he's working with that so a lot of musicians have had to turn their hands to other things which is very sad to me.

 I really do hopefully come back to music whenever we're allowed and whenever gigs can get going again um because you know everybody needs music it's a it's a serious therapy to a lot of people and then you know we all have stuff going on and you forget about it whenever you put go out to a gig or listen to a bit of music. So you know definitely thinking of all the musicians out there and hopefully get back as soon as possible. indeed, so and  but you're lucky enough in that uh you've got your brother with you yeah my brother didn't took me on and off really for the last two years he's he's been here um and he's he's actually teaching a lot of children guitar lessons now on piano lessons via zoom which has its difficulties as well trying to get some children to hold the guitar for the first time it can be tricky.

 So he's busy with that and he helps his partner out Karen who's a a very professional dancer who works on dancing with the stars here in Ireland and he helps her with them classes as well so they're busy thank God indeed they did yeah that's it's a it's a it just goes to show you you know the times that we've got it at the sheer ingenuity of man like when you i can appreciate the difficulty on a zoom call you know for to get a child to hold a guitar for the first time i cannot we can understand those problems but I mean there's been there's been tremendous ingenuity uh shown by uh so many you know by so many people and we're blessed i think in the times we've got in it uh you know that we've we've got the communications and the and the the technology that we have yeah I mean at the start of this i kept saying could you imagine if we were actually 20 years ago in in this situation and you couldn't contact anybody you know you could only speak via the phone.

 At least nowadays I can facetime my my nan or my granddad or my mom and dad and you know you'd be seeing them most days  which you know we're blessed that we can do that in this in this day and age indeed so I did so I mean i said it is it is truly incredible as you said 20 years ago we certainly would not be in this  in this situation and uh you know it's great that at least you know uh there is the technology and you're actually able to we're actually able to to to speak and actually see  parents or whoever it may be you know and uh that's i think that's gotta be identified oh without a doubt without a doubt I believe last week that you're, your nan who's gonna be your biggest fan she celebrated her 81st birthday she did yeah we um unfortunately I obviously couldn't be there to celebrate with her but uh i was on facetime to her and we we organized presents and uh you know family called around outside and seen her and stuff which was which was nice for her you know because to be honest uh jerry i think she's missing the gig more than me even you know she she loved to be at the shows and meeting people and the whole buzz of the gig and obviously if anyone doesn't know she saw my merchandise at the shows.

Especially around the U.K. so she she's mad to get on the road again and to get kicking and and meeting people yes well i'd well believe it she certainly uh you know what every time I better she just absolutely loved it and uh was doing cracking stuff and loved meeting the people yeah she is she's a real people person you know and uh she she celebrates first birthday day but I think it's heart she's still 21 and um she's mad for the road anyway she can't wait to see everyone again I'd well believe it listen just look at your head Nathan later on in the year I believe you're actually headlining the British country music festival?.

I am yeah, we got boots for that last year and that's happening in Blackpool it's one of the few gigs that i think we will be actually doing this year uh live and we also got booked for an irish festival there in july a festival called crack by the creek which has only just been released as myself a great folk band called all up and Lisa McHugh is on the the build plus others and that's happening the 23rd the 24th of July and so delighted to see that festivals will be happening this year we're keeping everything crossed that will mostly get outside some live music at some stage indeed that will be that will be helpful but I think it's easier in the you know when the weather is good in the summertime to be able to do you know or to be able to organize things like that because really  the witcher time it's it's a new goal.

Ooh without a doubt and listen especially if we're outside social distancing can be you know put into practice a lot more and you know people can be spaced out and everybody can feel safe hopefully going to a show and hearing some live music. indeed indeed, now listen you've got you've got a a a cracking event happening tonight it's uh the St. Patrick's day live stream yeah it's my first ever live stream and um obviously with with the goodwill of technology um we're able to to broadcast live tonight over uh throughout the world to America, Australia obviously the U.K. and Ireland as well and I'm doing an hour and a half tonight with my own band um from a little place in Enniskillin just where I live we've got a little Shebeen there that way that I'm using for tonight's show as myself six piece band I'm going to be answering a few questions a lot of requests and doing some of the new material from that album we spoke about um and some of the old songs as well like wagon wheel and Caledonia and my other obviously a very heavy irish influence with the day that's in it so we'll be doing some some irish songs as well from Donegal all over the place so looking forward to that tonight though great stuff but it's on it's on at 8pm so it doesn't matter where in the world you live it's on at 8 p. m so it's 8 p. m tonight in if it's Australia New Zealand.

 Yeah yeah exactly yeah the poster was a little bit confusing but yeah wherever you are at 8 p. m it's going to be on there yeah and listen for details the the website to go to is dice fm d-i-c-e dot fm yeah or you can just go to my website Nathan cartermusic. com and you'll get all the details there to just click the link and watch the show tonight at eight o'clock indeed that should be uh that should be crap it must be great to uh uh you know to be able to meet up with your band you know all be at the distance and all the rest of it but it must be great to actually sort of be with your band again performing yeah we were on a group watts up there and half of us were saying we we won't recognize each other after the lockdown some of us have put weight on some of us have lost weight so you know because we haven't seen each other in 12 months  so and obviously I've been having to re-learn lyrics again because i haven't sang a lot of these songs in over a year so I've been practicing the last couple of weeks now trying to remember all the lyrics for them so looking forward to it now it'd be great great to meet up again and play a bit of live music indeed indeed i bet it is i bet it is you know and uh and also the fight you're saying but that's requested to that no doubt you'll have a because you've got a huge huge fan base and no doubt they'll be as well as others will be will be watching the show as well please God you know what and  originally this gig was meant to be in Belfast Crumlin road jail but due to unforeseen circumstances we had to move the venue.

 but listen it doesn't really matter where the venue is does it really because everybody's watching online um so you know everybody can be together listen to a bit of music and in the day that's in it celebrates everything that's good about being Irish and an island itself so we're looking forward to it indeed indeed you know that stuff definitely definitely it seems somewhat amazing that you know on a day like today which uh you know is is usually just a hectic schedule of events and events happening and parades and celebrations and all the rest of that all of that is being done sort of  social distance and online for a lot of people  you know it's it's uh it's it's the second year in a row really that a lot of people haven't been able to celebrate St. Patrick's day in person with other people in a pub or at a gig you know we've done a good couple of shows from the London Palladium on St. Patrick's day.

I think, but uh you know we at least we can be in people's homes and celebrate with other people online that's that's the main thing indeed now you were also one of the many people who's involved in the uh the song reach out uh which had a an absolute stack of uh singers and artists i i don't know a singer in Ireland that wasn't on that record would you believe i think there must have been a hundred things by the time it was finished uh but yeah it was great to be involved in um i think i made about 40 phone calls to fans across islands U.K. America as part of the retail campaign which Trudy Lawler and it was her brain brainwave and it was a great idea it was really lovely to speak to some of the farmers see how they were keeping and you know everybody's having good weeks and bad weeks at the minute so uh a phone call it goes a long way just to speak to someone indeed indeed and the song the song reach out where you you were involved with the you know one of the many voices there you know together with Daniel O' Donald Margo Foster And Allen and Mike Denver et cetera et cetera.

 There was just too many numerous to mention uh that song actually was a huge huge chart success as well yeah it did very well I think online I didn't follow it too much to be honest uh because uh the week it came out I was actually in the recording studio all week um but uh yeah it did very well and you know like as as you say it was great to see so many fingers and and performers all uh getting together for a great cause indeed so yeah so he said you were at the recording studio so will it be something new coming out uh at some stage a little later on in the year yeah for sure jerry i've written and recorded about five new tracks um which I'm very excited about and hopefully going to have a summer single ready to go um the end of may for my birthday maybe june time um for uk and irish radio that's the plan excellent excellent that's uh that's right absolutely brilliant to hear Nathan has been lovely to to catch up with you and uh i wish you all the success in in the world no doubt the gig tonight will go an absolute storm and at least I'm looking forward to getting the singles and you know to yourself and all the family uh stay safe and well you too jerry big big happy saint patrick's day to yourself and all your listeners stay safe and please God we'll meet again before too long.
Nathan Carter Songs

Irish Singer Hugo Duncan Radio Interview

My next guest is a gentleman who started out in April of 1971 and has covered many songs and many miles and uh has sang to thousands upon thousands of people, a gentleman who's  not alone. singer and  entertainer but  also in  the more later years  a radio presenter I'm delighted to say hello to the wee man from Strabane himself Hugo Duncan. Hugo how are you, how are you doing right now, too bad at all. Nice to nice to catch up with you Hugo  you're still going after all these years you know jerry I, I'm like an old antique now at the moment but I'm still going thank God and I get the biggest buzz out of it that I ever got out of it because it keeps us going through this this uh  today you know we're moving through it all and we're we're pandemic sorry when we're going through it all and  we're trying our best to keep people happy indeed and you're well done doing uh all of that i mean it was it was an incredible start to a career i mean you you started off with the tall man in 1971 and then you recorded the the iconic hit and it was a huge huge  success the song Dear God. That's right you know do you know what I played for and played with the way back in the in the in the 70s and 1970s 69 70. about you might have known them going back a year ago the melody aces thank you's band and in youtube Stuart only direction and David Coyle was the lead singer and Shea Hutchinson who was a great country singer he was there as well and I played that bass guitar with them for a while and sang as well and it just went on from there and then I got an audition with that peel McCann God rest his soul, he died there recently, and pew got me an audition for the for the for the tall men but they weren't the tall man at that time they were Frankie McGrady's old band the polka dots so I got the addiction with some and I went for the edition and there was a bit of a sort of a disagreement at the end of the whole a lot of it not with me but with Pio and the manager and the manager was going to be great Hughes and  with khan hinds was involved at one stage and and Danny Curley was there as well.

But what happened was they said i was a good enough singer but it was too small because Brendan Boyer was six foot. Brian Cole was six foot. All the singers were all six foot and here was me five foot nothing right ,so  repeal stowed the guards and Peter says what are you looking for now he didn't put him as nice as I'm putting it but he didn't say he said what are you looking for are you looking for a singer or a male model yes so I got the job through the help of pop you got me the job in the back right excellent stuff uh I mean, from that like you you know you never looked back you were you were very very fortunate to record the song dear God I was you know and there was a song that marvel had recorded it Brendan Shine had recorded it. Lots of people have recorded and  was just a new face I was only 20 on the 26th of March I was mine on the second April the same year and uh you know my mom died that year as well so i was a one-parent family so it worked out very everything just worked out at the same time and it left but I was never on my own and I didn't have because my wife June was always there with me as well and then we had another, Suzanne in 71 and we just kept on going and I was very lucky and very fortunate that I recorded the stuff and the stuff worked well and  had a good band behind me good motion behind me.

But we didn't realize what we were doing you know I was young for 21 years of age and stars in the eyes and and no brain there at all you know what in a way and uh but thanks be to God and his holy Mother I got rid of it and and I enjoyed it very well indeed that was excellent. I mean it would on I mean you you have worked right through from then in music and you know and singing i mean you you've recorded uh one thing that you you've you have recorded a huge amount of albums over the years. I have, I was very lucky I went to outlet records in uh 1982-83 now I was was riffs and release records and rip strikers and the whole lot up until uh I'm not rips with release up until uh the mid 70s and then I tell them the fortune that a lot of entertainers fell on was I got a fondness for drinks and  i took a third drink at the time and I started doing myself no favours.

But thanks be to God I caught myself on after I would say was it the 28th of December 1983 I took my last drink and the first day sober was the 29th of December 1983 and thanks for the God and his holy Mother again I haven't drank since. well done well done that's uh you know that that that does take some going and then because I hadn't done anybody any harm the only person that done harmed you was myself uh a lot of people give me a second chance, and it's good when you get a second chance when you get it you make the best you can.

But and thank God I've been working since very thick and thin and I had me ups and my downs but I'm there and what we struggled on and thank God it worked for us indeed it certainly did it handsomely worked for you and also something that you've done for many many years is that you've um you've done a huge amount of charity work I have been on a great field Charlie work as a matter of fact I'm away tomorrow again to a place called sinfield and then I'm going to fall on Saturday to another place called Tedion county but you know i always maintained what you do for charity you're given one hand but you get it back in the other and it's not a one-way system and you know god's good yeah and and and I have been very fortunate I've got a daughter and my daughter too over the last number of years, three years ago and she had a big operation for cancer but thanks pretty god she's doing great now and she got a a good a good scan and a good result the last time so it's all good and you know we had our ups and downs i went through our team myself as far as uh the business and was concerned and uh you know it you have to just watch everything you do and and and try and keep going but it's not easy no it's not it's not it can be  you know life can throw some rather tough uh tough curveballs at you at times oh it doesn't like i haven't seen one there too  you know everything comes towards you and then you realize that as long as you've got your health you've got everything and when your family's got their health you're like i am very lucky I'm blessed with four lovely grandchildren.

I've got three girls and a boy and then my daughter Suzanne so I'm very very lucky that  God was good to me in a lot of ways and you know at times didn't deserve it you know because when you're young when you're going about you you think that you're infallible you think you're you could  walk through walls but you can't you need somebody to lean on all the time indeed indeed that's uh that is uh so true and then how did it come about uh thank you uh we did to the the radio broadcaster working for the B.B.C. well you know I started off during the private sessions and don't go up I don't know him for a while I did a donny gold community radio and I did  the one and Letterkenny and one and one krannert and I was doing them all the time and then I got the opportunity to go in one time in in the mid 70s late 70s to standing for a great radio presenter called Donald Dougherty he was going to weigh in five weeks holidays so i would then and I stood in front of the B.B.C. and then they brought me back to do a 50-minute show once a week and then i went up to a 15-minute show on two occasions a week and then we just kept on going in and out and then i know now I've got a study program and i've got a Sunday program and we kept on going and going and in 1998 I started off uh on the fifth of October I think it was October September and I started off there with a job for six months.

So I did it for six months and I thought it was gone at the end of it because I had no academic qualifications I was a man on there and uh I didn't I had had no uh fluent speech or nothing at all but i tried to do it and i got it for six months and now over 20 years later i'm still doing it yet well done well done excellent stuff  you know fantastic achievement people you know tribute you go for you like from the from the days of starting off like in the tall bed uh you know yeah what i have to say to i was very lucky I've got uh three girls who work with me all the time two weeks sir and i have uh joe murphy I've got Mary, Mark, and I've got Julian who comes in there two attempts and the three of them are there but i remember Joe was put on to me as my producer and he took him in as my producer and with me having no academic qualifications at all I was finding it very difficult to read big long pages and stuff.

I didn't actually read them. I skipped over the whole that one and  I remember one day in berlin for about six months and I got to know Joe fairly well, and I knew she was a decent person so i have to say to joe one day what is that word there and joe said the media says there was Joe was Olivia who had uh degrees she was a French like a language teacher an aries language teacher and an English language teacher she had all these degrees and she was at queen's university so I said there isn't joe would you mind tell me what that word is there which is i think that word there means stamp collection but she used she she knew quite well what it was but she said i think it means stamp collecting and it's called philately so she wrote it out for me and she wrote it phonetically from me and then what happened there because she was so nice she didn't turn around and say are you stupid are you this is that you're gone she said to me  that's what I think it is so I went back again here and i went back again here so I started to actually learn to read at,

I was 40 odd years of age and started to learn to read, wow if you don't answer the person the right way if a young person comes and asks you or a grandson or a son or a daughter or a grandson or a granddaughter come and ask you a question ask them with respect because as you give them the wrong answer they might never ask another question or learn another thing indeed so it's very very true and you you always kept sort of developing yourself and uh you know improving yourself along the way have you seen my figure you know well developed well i did that i like i love recording i love singing i have a new album out this year at one out uh uh 18 months or two years before that and unfortunately the one we brought out last Christmas. It didn't get the same uh push because of the covert and all that uh but uh I'm very lucky we keep on going and I get a lot of I do a lot of comparing I do a lot of concerts and guest spots at concerts and then the younger ones coming on now like Nathan and Derek Ryan and Mike Denver and Jimmy Buckley all these ones uh you know they give all the old people a chance to as well so we're we're actually creating work for each other.

We're working out there we're singing and and and  it's just nice to get out and enjoy it indeed so is it just that's one thing with the I think that that's one of the main major casualties indeed of the pandemic uh where uh you know the the music and the performing arts has been  affected incredibly badly well you see Jerry we were the first to come out and we'll be definitely the last to go back in again and i remember the first the last night that i played i was over in uh the royal theatre in Glasgow Brendan Shine, Dominic Kerwin, Mary Duff, Jean Fitzpatrick, Barry Kirwan and the whole elephants were there and we were singing over there and that was my last night professionally singing on the 13th of march and no professional works and said and you know it's a big loss to you at the same time even though I'm walking at the same time as a presenter but I love getting out at night I'm  I have uh I'm an ambassador that make people smile and I enjoy that I go on stage and I just kill a quick buzzer of myself and i really I said you know it's like losing a limb i go out some weakness here because over the last 10 months now nearly i have been working uh from uh home here where i'm sitting now at the moment looking at the wee wonder here uh at home and uh i belong to the studio here it was actually a study i had before that but now it's Mr Bond studio for the B.B.C. I got it but we're down there and we do it and uh it's like a big community station where we walk right through Northern Ireland and further freely get calls in from America Australia, Europe all over there and England Scotland and Wales I'm very lucky and they just stick to it and it's very light-hearted there's no seriousness about it you know the program is for the people and I've found a lot of people over the last um over the last 10 months have turned your radio because we are as radio presenters we are getting a grit a great opportunity to go into people's homes and you know people take us in there and probably there are people sitting in their homes every day that we are the only guests they have coming under the house we're the only voice coming into that house to them.

So  they take a a great interest in you and you become more of a personal friend than a radio presenter and you know I think radio over the last 10 months of any if anything happened it's got stronger indeed so yes definitely yeah that would be my my feeling as well I've spoken to a number of other people with the exact same thing you know what it's it's it's really it's it's it's streaming really like radio as in streaming and all that and it's interesting actually that uh the likes of netflix amazon youtube all of those have increased uh dramatically as well since all of the all of the lockdown and the thing that i miss most enjoy the whole lot is when I was going out when we were doing our outside we did outside broadcast and we could have had shows on in every uh part of northern ireland you know different countries all around the place in northern Ireland and we had all the different artists we had all the artists foster now we had Brendan Shine we had Nathan Carter, the whole that came out and sang with us and that's just to mention a few all the the the the mainstream artists come out and performed on a roadside broadcast but unfortunately over the last 10 months over this year we haven't got out at all and it's so sad because people love getting out it was like a community event because uh radio Ulster is another station that brings people together and music company music is always any kind of music at all has always brought people together and you know it's sad we've lost that for now but please God will get back to doing it again indeed so that's the thing you know I'd say it has it's it's that it has as you said you know the live performing and performing arts so the first thing out and uh indeed unfortunately will be the last thing back but the thing I think everybody's got to remember Hugo is that you know we we all will be back all the secrets you see i always maintain it's like uh i always say you have to look i came through very difficult times myself and you know talking about my daughter being sick and myself going through different problems but especially this time of year.

It's very black it's very dark, because of the the short days and the long nights and what happens is you get very discard and loneliness is another thing it says and and you know people don't have to be sitting on their own to be lonely you know you get people working in big offices you get people working all maybe all over the place and different big enterprises but the fact is when you're on your own you could have one problem bothering you and that puts you into a little loneliness so you have to get out there and keep it going and i always say every day when I'm doing the program here if you're going out late at night I say that I'd literally afternoon and you're gonna come back and you live on your own always leave a wee light in the house because i had a godmother god bless her she's passed away now but she used to always say if you've got a light on the house you have always somebody with you so i always tell people if you're going out now and they're going to come back in the dark to leave a wee light on and they're not coming into an early dark house because I find when i was going through about our time at night i kept a wee light on my bedroom and that kept me focusing on different shadows in the wall instead of lying in a darkness and not even thinking about anything so there's always that be light of hope you know you have to pray for that wee bit of hope and hopes that they say hope begins when you look out of a darkness and see a light indeed a great positive  your thoughts on  something which you know is very very positive for to you know to get out there and have a nose at the moment everybody needs all the positivity of the account they can't surely you have you know there's people in there on their own and they could be going through illness they could be completely deaf and danger you wouldn't know what they're gonna say because of family members who are maybe going astray or maybe you know going the wrong way and it's very hard for people to keep focused but.

I hope and an old prayer now and then just do any harm either and you know uh hope hope is if you haven't got hope you've got nothing it's it's very true it's very true we you said there about prayer would you say that you know your religion or Christianity is important to you okay I'm gonna say something I think might believe this but I work four days a week here at home and the four day I start at a half one and I link up with B.B.C. around about 11 o'clock or so and make sure everything's going and everything's right  but before that I would go out to a mass every morning come back and again and then do my  program then and it's not because I'm religious because I probably will the biggest sinner listen to this really of the night you know I'd be probably the the biggest sinner but uh it's my way of having my own being beaten with the man I want to meet with you like know right so I go out there and when I came off the drink when I came off as an alcoholic years ago I used to go every day too as well not to sit in a a church or a chapel to pray pray pray pray pray repel the prayer just to sit and have a chat to so many even if you're you see the great thing about chatting yourself Jerry the boy your chat is no smarter than you are.

So I chatted with myself all the time too and trying to look at a positive view yes yes that's a that's uh absolutely superb it's a you know superb way of a a special way of you know looking at it and a superb way of especially of living i think you know you know and having continually having the positivity well that's what it's all about and you have to get out there I am possible i get up this morning  before about a half five or so i get up this morning and I was leaving the house after uh getting a shirt and all that you know a bowl of cornflakes and heading out the road and and then i travelled 90 miles to work and uh I got up to work in good enough time i wasn't work uh about a half eight quarter to nine and then I got five programs together. I did today's program i did a monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday's program and then uh Mary and Mack take the hole out and joe takes the hole out of it and then we leave it and another engineer comes and puts all that into the computer and we've got each day down for each day next week and i do the program uh down here at home as i said and it's wonderful technology now because I'm sitting here at home and there's about five or six people in Belfast and there's other people different parts of Belfast there who are tuned early work in the program and they all just help us out and we all work together good crack and I got home the night there after leaving a half six this morning I was home about 20 past seven tonight right it's a pretty pretty long day I'll have to say well it's only once a week right okay okay that probably takes the day it takes the sting out of us.

But then again you're used to that you're used to long hours how could you see each other there was times out of their car and sold the cork and go back again and then vote down it doesn't like snipe until back again and you're coming up and then you're used to the long journeys there was a time i was doing 60 or 70 000 by the year I remember just after this this this  this code that started that i filled my car one Saturday and i went back the next Saturday I'm not thinking to fill it up again and she was still full that never happened for for 50 years yes yes indeed I can well I cannot believe it  I guess I would have filled my car up at least three or four times a week yes yes well you're doing that doing the long months Hugo listen fair play to you for doing you know for doing it all out for a you know a great positive attitude and and you know for all the uh all the good you do all the uh the charity work uh that you've done and the helping out that you do uh for the the community listen it's been lovely to uh to catch up with you lovely to chat to you listen to yourself and your family uh you know stay safe stay healthy unless I'm looking forward to uh as soon as it's safe to do so i can see you on a stage somewhere where along the way yeah i have a couple of models there and i always say to go with your guts training because you know we are not saying they're going to do the right thing and always talk to somebody never keep yourself bottled up or worried off talk to people i can do it all so I let give them a good advice now and then now that they know everything but always talk to somebody even young people if there's anybody or anything boring and always chat to somebody and another thing which is very popular and you're uh and very positive and you've done it and I have done it and we hope everybody else can do it get a job you like because if you do a job you like your week's five days shorter exactly Hugo great motto thanks a million for speaking to me god bless you guys thank you. [ Interview done during the Covid ]
Pretty Little Girl From Omagh by Hugo

Introduction
The Irish music scene has produced many talented artists over the years, but one name that stands out is Robert Mizzell. With his unique blend of country and Irish music, Mizzell has become a household name in Ireland and beyond. From his humble beginnings in Louisiana to his rise to fame as one of Ireland's most beloved singers, his journey and music have captivated audiences worldwide. In this thesis, we will delve into the life, career, and impact of Robert Mizzell on the Irish music industry.

Early Life and Musical Influences
Robert Mizzell was born on July 21, 1971, in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. Growing up, he was surrounded by music, with his father being a musician and his mother a singer. He was exposed to a variety of genres, including country, rock, and gospel. Mizzell was particularly drawn to country music, and at the age of 13, he began performing at local venues and events.

In 1990, Mizzell moved to Ireland to pursue his music career. He quickly fell in love with the country and its music, and it became a significant influence on his sound. He immersed himself in the Irish music scene, performing at pubs and festivals, and even joining the popular Irish band, The Bards. Mizzell's fusion of American country and Irish folk music was well-received, and he began to gain a loyal fan base.

Rise to Fame
Mizzell's breakthrough came in 1996 when he released his debut album, 'Kick Ass Country,' which topped the Irish charts and earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Irish Country Music Awards. His follow-up albums, 'The Louisiana Man' and 'Pure Country,' were also successful, establishing him as a rising star in the Irish music scene.

In 2002, Mizzell's popularity reached new heights when he joined forces with legendary Irish singer, Big Tom, for a duet album, 'The Two of Us.' The album was a massive success, reaching number one on the Irish charts and earning Mizzell and Big Tom a nomination for Best Duo at the Irish Country Music Awards.

Since then, Mizzell has released numerous albums, including 'Redneck Man,' 'Thanks a Lot, Texas Troubadour,' and 'Cowboys and Heroes,' all of which have been well-received by fans and critics alike. He has also collaborated with other renowned artists such as Margo, Philomena Begley, and Ray Lynam, solidifying his status as one of Ireland's top country singers.

Musical Style and Impact
Robert Mizzell's music is a unique blend of traditional American country and Irish folk, making him stand out in the Irish music scene. His smooth, deep voice combined with his energetic stage presence has won the hearts of audiences worldwide. Mizzell's ability to connect with his audience through his music has made him a fan favorite, and he has sold out concerts in Ireland, the UK, and the US.

Mizzell's music has also had a significant impact on the Irish country music industry. His fusion of country and Irish music has opened doors for other artists to explore and incorporate different genres into their music, making the Irish music scene more diverse and exciting.

In addition to his music, Mizzell is also known for his philanthropy and charity work. He has been involved in various fundraising events and has used his platform to raise awareness for various causes, including mental health and suicide prevention.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Robert Mizzell's journey from Louisiana to becoming an Irish country music superstar is nothing short of remarkable. His unique blend of American country and Irish folk has brought a fresh and exciting sound to the Irish music scene. His impact on the industry and his ability to connect with audiences through his music have cemented his place as one of Ireland's most beloved singers. Mizzell's legacy will continue to live on, and he will undoubtedly inspire generations of artists to come.


Irish Singer Robert Mizzell Interview

Welcome back now our next guest is a Louisiana man who has called Ireland his home for over 30 years much loved at home and abroad for his country music fans are thrilled at the release of his brand new album called forever country and we are delighted to have Robert Mizzell join us in studio this morning but before we chat to Robert let's take a look at the very special duet with his late father from the new album this is like father like  like son two rose become one the father and the son  the father and the son  well there you go Robert good morning well thank you thank you for that what a beautiful tribute to your dads yeah I know it's tough to watch that but it's bringing back good memories too and yeah we're chatting about your dad and he's a great voice yeah he he is uh nicknamed him the possum which was a nickname that they used for George Jones yeah and  he done Johnny Cash stuff and George jones stuff he could sing anything and in that clip um people might not know that but he's after recovering from throat cancer wow so he had a little bit of a raspiness to his voice yeah yeah but I think it even enhanced him yeah because he just sounded he was just like an old leather boot when he sang and it was brilliant was that something you did as kids growing up would you you know in on a car journey or around the table on a Sunday have a bit of a sing song well I'd like to say yeah that would be a nice story but yeah unfortunately like when we were growing up my dad and my mother both were singers they at certain times of the year they played in churches and other times you they played in the bars they were they were sort of it was a sort of a funny setup and my dad didn't really know that I sang until later on in life it was not until I came to Ireland wow and developed my career my dad was like you sing he must be very proud though of what you've achieved in terms of the world of entertainment.

Yeah well you see that we had we had a sort of a rough upbringing and yeah our lives we separated for so many years and and I when I came here I think it was 15 or 20 years before we spoke but the music brought us back together yeah and in the last 15 years of his life um the music was was the glue that held the whole family together from Louisiana to here and then of course to have to lose him you know i think i think he missed the vaccines by two months wow you know that's that's that was the sadness how how did you know your background you mean you're a former military man you know I mean but when did music appear in the radar in terms of hang on I can have a go this is as a career well I've talked about it before there was actually a thing in the Sunday world last week about it that Garth Brooks was sort of the reason I started in music wow because when I first got here back in the early 90's around 94 Garth was coming and a friend of mine had a cd that he played of Garth Brooks and i used to sing along and he said hey you know you you can sing and I said yeah I'm sure my you know my dad sings and my mom's things so when I seen what Garth was doing and I've seen the success he had with music I thought to myself hold on a second because I was doing i was selling mops and buckets at the time I was an insurance salesman I was terrible at all of that so I said I need to find something to do here yeah yeah.

So Garth Brooks sort of paved the road for me whether he knows he chose the safety and security of the music business I think i might go back to the buckets you know I'm just thinking with all the chat there's been in the last 32 weeks about Garth Brooks coming and the five five gigs sold out somebody like you is working okay up until covet non-stop and I know this because like I'm from Roscommon and I know that the dance is on a Sunday night and a Monday night are a big deal and people drive for miles to get to them but equally you guys as performers are driving for miles all over the country was it the crazy hectic schedule that we might think it is always nuts I mean before the lockdown I didn't realize until the lockdown came how much work I was doing uh you know I have the three amigos which has been on tour for the last number of years and um then I have my own band you know I have a young family at home Leo was three and Maisy seven and my wife and all.

so I mean I didn't realize I actually it was almost like going downhill and hitting a tree at the bottom just stopped yeah yeah just it just stopped and now of course we're deja vu we're back into the to this Christmas but then again as I said to Adele you know only the other day i said look I'm going to take something good from it I'm going to sit back and beside the Christmas tree and watch the kids play yeah yeah what else can I do because you never get them at that age again isn't it yeah has kind of been something that we've all you know it's it's come across all our minds over the last 18 months and it has made us reevaluate particularly losing your dad as well during the pandemic it does make you realize how important those near and dear g are and spending quality time with them yeah yes you've got to feed them so you're on the motorways and highways and by ways this is it I mean it's all like you look at the it you know people lie to you and say that money's not important because yeah you know because if a guy a guy who tells you that money's not important or lie about other things as well yeah yeah you never have to worry about it you know but at the same time it's not just about the money it's also about the you know the the creativity that we bring yes like the new album that we're talking about today I mean the the love that went into that album because of of the times that we're in.

Yeah being able to do it with my with my my brother my sister or my brother brother my sister my dad my wife you know so that we we the creativity and going out and touring those albums and touring the shows and the the musicians that the friendships that  have with I was only talking one of my musicians yesterday and you know I could really feel the despondence  could really feel it's tough and so far it hadn't happened we were sort of you know okay we're gonna get back yeah yeah but this this time yeah it's a real kick in the stomach business you know for the music industry it's a real now look at as I say look I'm trying to think positive i know we're gonna come back I know we will and but this is a difficult difficult time let's talk about the new album because you mentioned that Robert it's it's very collaborative you've got lots of people singing on there with you when you're putting an album like that together just talk us through your process in terms of what ends up on the album you know new stuff covers what way do you normally do this well this album sort of happened organically because it was my father you know who who started the album because we had we had like father like son recorded for an upcoming tour that was happening yeah the Nashville songbook which was to be done just before covid um and then we were in the studio we had the other song on the album it's all gone to pot which i think is a great sign the new single you know it's it could be our new Irish National Anthem so we we had those two songs and when my father passed i thought to myself what do I do with these songs now how do I feature them how do I honor them so then my wife is a beautiful lady and she she sings around the house much more than I do oh and she got a beautiful beautiful soft but but meaningful voice yeah so I said Adele you know she's done the odd wedding singing the odd wedding she's not a professional singer but I said would you come in would you come into the studio with me and she says no no no I won't it won't I won't but I eventually convinced her to come in and it's actually, it's my favorite song on the album for many reasons.

when you hear her sing it's just she's got like I'm trying a Nancy Griffith right type sound to her voice um if I can use that it sounds like a real love letter at the album to yeah to your family it is well let's see look it look Adele as I always say Adele Johnny Cash had June Carter and I have it yeah you know because i know without her I'd be in it oh she can't do anything somewhere and you know so to have her on the album and and and the fact that she is sort of shy and reserved yeah you know and to hear their her voice it makes it even more the better yeah you know because for the kids to have as well and to have mom and dad singing yeah nine years to come I know I know and hope I'm hoping that the two children now we're only talking about little Maisie we're trying to get her on the piano and yeah Leo of course I mean he he'd eat the piano at the minute yeah he's not really I'm not sure what he's going to do but to have that and then and then the mix in my sister in Louisiana I haven't I haven't seen my sister much in probably 30 years wow but when my dad died we we met up again um and as a matter of fact i don't I don't even know if she was going to the funeral at the time but I went down to Louisiana I found her I we went to the funeral together and I asked her then when all this was taken I said look I know she could sing down through the years.

I remember as a child she could sing and she does a beautiful version with me of grandpa the old Jude song wow yeah yeah and then my brother then of course Kentucky he's he's a karaoke king in Kentucky people love him the controversies he's also genius of this because all the royalties stay within the family that you know well you see with kobe if you keep things tight but I can well imagine Roberts you know that you cannot wait to take this album out to see our fans and so people who come and see your shows and their thousands you know and I want to mention i want to mention too Mary Byrne you you probably know Mary from x factor yes of course beautiful lady yeah and and uh you know Mary is very flamboyant and you know I rang her uh what are you bothering me for what do you want I said Mary I want you to come and sing a song okay but she came in and she's she there's actually a video clip on a couple of videos on facebook and we have a we have a series of shows that are going out that'd be streamed right and she's performing with me on that as well but a wonderful talent she's a hoot as well no more than more than yourself so the album is currently available yeah it's it's in all good record shops Tesco's golden discs all the good dogs as well and there's some bad ones as well yeah as a matter of fact if you come to the booth but listen we appreciate you coming down and having a chat with us uh give our best to all the family thank you great Christmas thank you lovely to see you thanks you can't get your hand on Robert's brand new album forever country at all good record stores across all the digital platforms and on his own website robertmizelle.Com Say you love me lyrics by Robert

Singer Songwriter Michael S Togher Interview 

You've written a number of uh cracking songs one of them was a you you can't park here which uh really was absolutely hilarious yeah you can'T park here it with a song actually that I actually got that song from like uh one night i was playing in a bar and uh he gave me that a rough copy of it and i kind of changed the words around to suit myself then and uh that without that when that came out it was really really popular to start playing all the radio stations all around the country and and far beyond your own in your own area there as well uh jerry and on all the Irish radio  interest stations as well then I suppose if you talk about songwriting you know um i went on to write a few different songs and I uh put probably the one that was most most famous for it would be my darling kathleen 

That was Mike Denver's first uh first hit when he came on the road many years ago and uh to this day that's a very popular song indeed so I did a absolutely huge  huge song that from Mike Denver I mean it was a that song really was uh in in in new small way uh the song which uh possibly launched mike Denver to some huge success because it was absolutely uh a massive song yeah  mike actually did a great job on the song anyways but it came about very simply actually we're playing at a charity function in a star outside and Westport in continental called digger James at the time it's gone at the conference but then i actually gave him the song and uh i said we never listened to that see with his future he was only starting out from the road at the time and his manager Willie Carty  was there on the night as well and i was in actually in a in a shop in London on on quickbooks Broadway one uh one day about maybe three weeks after that when he rang me and he said um he said look i'd love to recall this song i'm sure look that i was on a high after it's very very funny because I had written lots of songs before and on the one day in that year was that about 12 years ago. 
Actually PJ morgy recorded one of my songs at the same time and the two songs came out the same day which was you know very lucky one that one pj recorder was called the thieves of Eric uh tell the story of around the uh the famine times and the two songs my darling Kathleen and at the field of virus came out the exact same day so that was a bit of a good opportunity that is incredible yeah that was some coincidence you know well done another song i believe you wrote was the old county home uh that that's actually an old song jury that would have been saying around here for a long time I actually i'd love to have written it but I didn't write it but uh it's a thought that you know was being forgotten about and there would have been so in all the houses here i'm from Belmont in county now as you might you might have mentioned earlier in your in your interview but i just found it was kind of renowned around ben mullers and all the old people would sing it and when we grew up like the mother of the kind of songs we were kind of into and uh yeah.

 I decided to kind of change it around a little bit again and kind of bring it up to days and yeah that was really successful that's got lots and lots of hits on the youtube channel indeed absolutely huge I think it's actually yeah it's a song i mean the other artists who recorded was Seamus Moore on an album but uh you you i think were initially you know renowned for seeing it uh back in the day and it sort of became associated with uh being a song of yours yeah yeah shameless recorded after me yeah but actually shane shameless actually recorded one of me one or two of my own songs is what you've recorded the song that I wrote years ago called the bloody pension officer and that was another song that i wrote a couple years ago but she wasn't trying to record that one then and another song that i had at the time the two of them were actually on remember called Maggie flan and drawers I didn't know you familiar with it or not jerry yeah he recorded both of them and  look at James is a great guy he's a lifelong friend and a great entertainer very very interesting indeed indeed absolutely fabulous a gentleman who's been uh you know who's been going a long long time since uh you know what sort of uh he hit big forum in about 1988 89 and  going strong since yeah yeah look at that excitement.

 The longevity of him that proves how popular he has been and um every summer uh of course this summer 2020 he would be doing Irish tour and that was very very popular and better sure that he's gone that length of time that you mentioned there jerry and he's still so popular it's really accredited for him and and actually Flynn and Paul Rooney the players as well to do a great job indeed so indeed so another song that uh you uh recorded with another from your native male the fair and lenimoy was another one of those songs  local songs written by Mcmanaman from Bangor Eris um and that that that was another one of those songs that were sang around they just used this area for years and years that hadn't been recorded and um so yeah I actually recorded that song with the martin, Eugene Kelly and Eugene was a great musician from Galway and who died suddenly a couple of years ago while on two in America and he had his little own little studio out in Canada there sounds like the city and yeah that's where I recorded that from many moons ago 

But it was very popular as well indeed it was it did well another song actually that uh digged out it was a very very sort of a different tempo on it uh was I want to be in Ireland for the Christmas yeah that was yeah I want to be known for the Christmas there was another one that yeah actually it was I suppose there's a story behind every song Joey and I was in at a dentist a thousand months before Christmas and one when the girl said to me he wrote this song for the summer she said would you change the words for that for she said and put it make it iron for the Christmas she said I absolutely loved I loved the song she said and I love the melody of the song but i just wish that it was about Christmas yourself because I love Christmas as well so I came home and i started scripting away and yeah, I came up with that and the couple of days before the Christmas i went into tour and I handed her a cd copy I said have a listen to that I said there's your christmas present Ireland for the Christmas  right cracking one of this and uh at the  mike Denver actually also recorded but he called it I want to be in Ireland for the summer.

 That's right that's right it's a great it's a great song but i suppose the key to any um good song jerry  is a good melody and a good cause and if you have if you've been combination in any song if you're looking into any of the famous songs they don't have to be the the best written songs in the world they don't have to be but if you have a nice easy melody easy to listen to and a nice course that people can remember very easily yeah on a window then yes yeah exactly you know that is a  that is  true er what are the other songs that i believe you may have written this one the shores of ely bay the shores of early day was  written by Eugene Doolin but I think Eugene  is I think he played in the business around London.

Man I never had at the pleasure of meeting but theory again it was one of those songs that hadn't been recorded and i got my hands on it actually one at this guy that was a home on holidays and he was he was friends with eugene and  he gave me the song so here we go shameless shames more recorded that one as well sure the valley bay is a song um about where I come from actually it might new the village that I was born and raised in is actually mentioned in us and all the places around it like ellie bay and binghamton and Belmont they're all mentioning this and of course on the London side you have  Holloway road and high gate and kingfish town in Camden town and then there were all the places that all the people from around here would have gone over the last couple of decades and but a lot of people would have settled in the nearest as well so yeah it's a song that resonates with a lot of people around here indeed indeed so now your latest  you know the single which I've been playing is a recording  I'm also when i when i received the song I was i was surprised that you were that you were recording but I must say I like the that you know the arrangement is of the the old classic song the voyage the voice the voyage is yeah it's a great song as well of course and I'll tell you how that came to record I was working with Tony Maher Tony is a conqueror's keyboard player and Tony is a fantastic musician and we were sitting in his studio in Hedford and he said he said to me we're waiting on a song i was thinking of what what is he going to do what else are you going to do and tony said you know what song is that there was actually recorded this very studio I said many years ago the very first  thing of it I said go on tell me there's probably something else and he actually played the original for me Johnny duke and I think that that wrote it I think I'm not sure and then he played the original track that he had from 2025 30 years ago whenever it was recorded first of all and he said we'd have a go with it.

 I said I don't know and  if you look at I always wanted to do it this way he said we will never go this way i said what happened and I was delighted so we've done it in a kind of a walk slow walls temple and  i was absolutely lighter when i get when it came back from the studio with all the work eight hundred delight with that stuff indeed no it is all I'll have to say it is it's I it really is superb I love the arrangement i'll have to say often because  I have never heard anybody doing that particular arrangement after I won't say it it really does it really it's a cracking job it really does sound it does sound good Michael you were a busy busy man  you know doing your live work up until everybody stopped on the lockdown and all the rest of it in march yeah I was doing about maybe three to four nights a week maybe all the time jerry up to about I did once a week before some Patrick's day and and then little did we know like that that last Saturday night before some Patrick's day when things were closed down that we'd be here where we are today like coming to the end of September and as I say not not a guitar taking out to a box and okay since um it's very strange time for the industry it's it's really it's really frightening because honestly industry because there's no roadmap for for return to music and i suppose we we work in a very unstable kind of situation where we're working so yeah it's strange, it's very strange right indeed so indeed so i mean you know we certainly didn't  see this coming anywhere along the way and the irony is if anybody had to say to us a year ago that something like this could possibly have happened.

 I mean we really would have thought they were cracked let's be honest yeah hundred percent there yeah it's probably the most strangest thing that has happened i suppose in the world not alone the music business but in the world and look yeah it can be very frightening sometimes if you actually sit down and think about it so i think I suppose we're in a war and we we're we're all in it together and we're fighting against those fires that talk about world wars and this is a kind of a war in a way we're all fighting against this virus and you know if we keep fighting if we keep doing the right thing i had no doubt we'll win the war indeed indeed that's exactly you know that's exactly it and it's all we could do is go as best we can tell me this Michael have you done any any streaming or any facebook live things since since the lockdown I did jerry actually for the first couple of months there from i think maybe April time onwards by down about 16 or 17 Tuesday nights and really enjoyed them and we're getting great lessons listenership then over the of the couple of weeks that I've done them and people are saying look at your zero creature keeping us entertained and everything well i can tell them back like I was getting as much out of them in shows as they were because I just needed I need to actually contact with people when you you know yourself jerry from your radio shows that the fine job that you do there on Irish radio and you know the contact and the and the return kind of messages that that keeps you going and gives you the impetus to go forward again and I was doing that every Tuesday night and I really did get a lot out of them  yes that's you know that's that's a you know what it is it's it's an excellent way for in some way or other to be able to connect up to people because one of the things that so many singers say to me is what they really really miss is meeting the people he missed that so much actually Jerry and I have found myself actually over the last of the last while no matter who I've been walking um whatever I'd be doing and if you'd meet somebody and you'd have a conversation with them and I find myself talking about stuff that's that I didn't even know about you because you're in your own little bubbles.

 I suppose when you're you're in the music and you're you're talking about music and you're talking about this and i found myself talking about that like well growing up on a farm I found myself talking about cows and I've talked about land if I meet if I meet a fisherman I can't I can talk about about fishing and stuff like that stuff that we're doing very young so maybe in that way it's no harm to go back to a small bit of nature again and you know basically what I'm saying is it's just lovely to talk to people indeed indeed it is indeed it is you know but but Mikey listen fingers crossed we'll you know we'll all get back there when it's safe to do so Michael is it's been lovely to catch up with you I wish you all the  the look in the world all the success and and good health there is and unless and what it's when it's safe to do so you'll be back flying in action once again thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to speak on your show  to all your listeners stay safe and we'll be out of this before we LONG.