Tommy Makem

Biographical

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• 1955:
  • American song-collector Diane Hamilton comes to the Makem home in Keady, Co. Armagh while on a song-collecting tour to meet Tommy's mother, singer Sarah Makem.
    • Diane is accompanied by Liam Clancy.
    • This is the first meeting of Tommy and Liam.
    • This "song-collecting tour" results in the release of The Lark in the Morning; featuring Tommy and Liam and their mothers, Sarah and Joan, respectively.
  • In December, Tommy immigrates to America, arriving in New Hampshire, where he has relatives.

• 1956:
  • The Clancy Brothers (Paddy, Tom & Liam) and Tommy record The Rising of the Moon for Paddy's "Tradition Records" label.
    • Tommy and the Clancys continue to sing together on a part time basis.
    • Tommy pursues an acting career.

• 1959:
  • Tommy appears at the Newport Folk Festival. Paddy Clancy also appears — Tommy accompanies him on the penny-whistle.
  • Tommy and the Clancys release their 2^nd album together, Come Fill Your Glass with Us.
  • The group decides to try singing fulltime for six months.
    • They offically became known as "The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem", after a club owner uses that billing on the marquee.

• 1960:
  • Tommy again appears at the Newport Folk Festival.

• 1961:
  • Tommy and Joan Baez are named the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene at the Newport Folk Festival.
  • CBTM appear on the Ed Sullivan show. Columbia records offer the group a five year recording contract — they accept. Twelve Columbia albums follow between 1961-1969.
  • CBTM release their third and final, self-titled album for Tradition Records.
  • Tommy releases his first solo album, Songs of Tommy Makem.

• 1966:
  • Tommy Makem compositions, "Freedom's Sons" and "Lord Nelson", appear for the first time on a CBTM recording — Freedom's Sons.

• 1968:
  • "Four Green Fields" is recorded on the CBTM album, Home Boys Home.
  • Tommy releases his 2^nd solo album, Tommy Makem Sings Tommy Makem, while still with the group.

• 1969:
  • Tommy leaves the group to solo, after giving a year's notice.
  • Between 1969 & 1975, Tommy releases eight solo albums.

• 1975:
  • The musical variety series, Tommy Makem and Ryan's Fancy is broadcast in Canada.
  • After an appearance by Tommy on Liam Clancy's Canadian TV series, a string of events leads to the full time formation of Makem & Clancy.
    • The duo remains together for 13 years, releasing six albums.

• 1982:
  • Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion, a bar and restaurant on East 57^th Street in New York city, opens.

• 1984:
  • Tommy Makem reunites with Clancy Brothers for the first time since 1969.

• 1988:
  • Makem and Clancy amicably split. Tommy, once again, goes solo, releasing seven more albums.

• 1990:
  • Tommy Makem appears The BBC/RTE documentary "Bringing it all back Home: The Influence of Irish Music in America".
    • The four Clancy Brothers also appear in separate segment (from Tommy).

• 1992:
  • In October, Tommy Makem appears (as a "special guest") with The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell, to perform at Bob Dylan's 30^th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden.
    • This is the last public/professional appearance (to my knowledge) of Tommy Makem with the Clancys.
  • Tommy hosts a series of television specials (over the next ten years) for WMHT, a Public Television station serving Eastern New York and Western New England.
    • Most of these shows were commercially released on video.

• 1998:
  • Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion closes.
    

• 1999:
  • The World Folk Music Association awards Tommy its "Lifetime Achievement Award"

• 2000:
  • Tommy establishes the "Tommy Makem International Festival of Song" in South Armagh,

• 2007:
  • Tommy Makem passes away on August 1, 2007, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer in Dover, New Hampshire.
  • He continued to perform until very close to the end.

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