DESCRIPTION:
Heres Mick O'connor one of Londons finest Banjo players and Scots folk alrounder Bob N Along giving us their superb rendition of 3 pieces on Banjo and guitar "Cotton eyed Joe",Mountain Top",and "The Silver Spear".

Kind Regards

Jim Clark
All rights are reserved on this video sound recording copyright Jim Clark 2011

Mick O'connor biographical info...............


Mick O'Connor is a tenor banjo and mandolin player of great virtuosity who began performing in his teens and recording not much thereafter. by the time he had turned 40, he had amassed a tremendous number of credits. It all began when as a small lad, Mick, like so many other Irish musicians, found a great love of traditional music in his home, growing up in a family in which just about every member played some kind of instrument. Rebelling against one's parent's musical taste might be par for the course for American teenagers, but it certainly wasn't the story for Irish musicians. The banjo playing of Barry McKenna of the Dubliners group was what inspired him to pick up the instrument in 1967. Within a few years, he was hanging out in London learning from all the great Irish musicians there, such as John Bowe, Bobby Casey, Tommy McCarthy, Roger Galway, and many others. Making rapid progress on his instrument, he was picked as the all-Ireland champion banjo soloist in 1971. As a member of a trio with Jo Burke and Paddy Glakin, he toured the United States in 1975 and the U.K. the following year, both tours organized by the Irish Traditional Music Association. This was the beginning of his role as something of an ambassador of Irish music, and outside the sensationally successful band the Chieftains, one would be hard pressed to find a traditional Irish musician who has logged as many road miles. This includes tours in Canada, South Africa, and throughout Europe. He is also frequently asked in on recording sessions by the likes of artists such as Tommy Makem, Kevin Burke, Brendon Shine, Donal Lunny, Noel Murphy, and Paddy Carty. In the case of the latter artist, an early album recording session matched up the then quite-young O'Connor with an elderly flutist and statesman of Irish music to create one of the great generation crossing events of the genre. This beautiful album was re-released on CD in 1998 by the Shanachie label. A quite different collaboration would be his appearances in 1992 as part of the backup band of pop singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. The band Wraggle Taggle was formed in 1967 by guitarist and vocalist Mick Bailey and included O'Connor, accordion player Barbara Hackett, and sometimes other musicians, depending on how much money the gig organizer was willing to cough up. In 1998, he toured with Ronnie Drew of the Dubliners, closing one of the musical circles that had begun forming in the beginning of his musical life. Besides performing, O'Connor has taught both banjo and mandolin out of his London base for more than 14 years

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/mick-o-connor-world-artist#ixzz1Pog59wLl

Kind Regards

Jim Clark
All rights are reserved on this video sound recording copyright Jim Clark 2011