Eamon McLoughlin
Encyclopedia
Eamon McLoughlin is a British musician who plays fiddle, viola, mandolin and cello, and was a founding member of the American bluegrass
band The Greencards
. He currently lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee
as a freelance session musician, and performing live with MCA Recording Artist Josh Turner
. He has appeared as a session musician for acts including Kim Richey
, Robert Earl Keen
, Caroline Herring
and Jimmie Dale Gilmore
, Matthew Perryman Jones
, Matthew Ryan
and others.
, McLoughlin began to perform country music shows with his family on weekends, influenced by George Jones, George Strait and Ricky Skaggs. Born to Irish
parents, McLoughlin's father was head of a London-based country band. At age nine, McLoughlin moved away from piano lessons to play fiddle, and performed with his father's band. McLoughlin had earlier relocated from London
to Austin in 1997, after leaving college with a degree in Politics and American Studies. McLoughlin also toured with the Asylum St. Spankers, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis and the Austin Lounge Lizards
after arriving in the United States.
McLoughlin met Kym Warner, at a recording session. Warner was producing an album for the recording artist Aaron Watson, and found they needed a fiddle player, which led to the recruitment of McLoughlin. Initially the immigrants got to know one another through their mutual love of Monty Python
, Benny Hill
, and Fawlty Towers
. They began to have jam sessions afterwards, and according to Warner, there was evident chemistry between the trio, which led to their writing songs together. They eventually began to perform shows locally in Austin to finance the recording of what would become their debut album, 2003's Movin' On. In the process, they became one of the most popular musical groups in Austin. Representative of an emerging "newgrass" movement, The Greencards' acoustic sound was said to incorporate eclectic influences from Irish traditional, European gypsy, and Latin American sources.
Their first performance together as a band was at the Austin Irish pub, Mother Egan's. Given a noon to 3 pm time slot, they surprisingly began to fill the pub with patrons week after week, with fans there calling them the "Bluegrass Bunch". Several months later, The Greencards began performing an additional three to five times per week in Austin, in addition to their Mother Egan's Sunday show. Warner credited the frantic pace of their performance schedule during their Austin formation for their cohesion as a group and for driving them to create more new original music. During their time performing locally in Austin, they toured with various local Texas musicians, including Robert Earl Keen
.
The lyrics on "When I Was in Love With You" were cited as among the most striking on Viridian
, the Greencards's 2007 release, and were based in part by McLoughlin on an 1896 poem, "A Shropshire Lad
", by Alfred Edward Housman, the English poet. The song was described as a "Pogues
-like romp."
Eamon McLoughlin is a regular blogger for Country Music Television. After the 50th Grammy Awards
, where The Greencards were nominated, he wrote about the band's experience at the event.
On 1 December 2009, McLoughlin announced his departure from The Greencards to pursue other musical challenges. In the Autumn of 2010 he began working for MCA Recording Artist Josh Turner, playing fiddle, mandolin and singing principal harmony vocals.
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
band The Greencards
The Greencards
The Greencards are a progressive bluegrass band that formed in Austin, Texas, and are currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. The band was founded in 2003 in Texas by Eamon McLoughlin, an Englishman, and Australians Kym Warner and Carol Young. The musicians originally performed in local Austin...
. He currently lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
as a freelance session musician, and performing live with MCA Recording Artist Josh Turner
Josh Turner
Joshua Otis "Josh" Turner is a country music singer and actor signed to MCA Nashville Records in 2003, Turner has released four studio albums for the label. The first of these was 2003's Long Black Train, whose title track was his breakthrough single release...
. He has appeared as a session musician for acts including Kim Richey
Kim Richey
Kimberly Kay "Kim" Richey is an American singer/songwriter. Though her work fits into the general country music category, her sound is not easily categorized. Her songs have been hits on both the country and pop charts...
, Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen, Junior is an American Texas Country singer-songwriter. He is popular with fans of traditional country music, folk music, college radio, and alt-country. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.-Early life:Growing up in Houston, Texas,...
, Caroline Herring
Caroline Herring
Caroline Herring is a country and folk singer-songwriter. Born in Canton, Mississippi, she has lived in Oxford, Mississippi and Austin, Texas, but now lives in Atlanta with her son, daughter, and husband. Many of her songs deal with slavery and her Mississippi upbringing...
and Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Jimmie Dale Gilmore is a country singer, songwriter, actor, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
, Matthew Perryman Jones
Matthew Perryman Jones
Matthew Perryman Jones is an American singer-songwriter who currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.Jones began his career as a singer-songwriter in 1997, playing his first public performances at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, GA...
, Matthew Ryan
Matthew Ryan
Matthew Ryan is an American alternative country singer-songwriter. Ryan has also collaborated with Neilson Hubbard to form the band Strays Don't Sleep...
and others.
Biography
Raised in South LondonSouth London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, McLoughlin began to perform country music shows with his family on weekends, influenced by George Jones, George Strait and Ricky Skaggs. Born to Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
parents, McLoughlin's father was head of a London-based country band. At age nine, McLoughlin moved away from piano lessons to play fiddle, and performed with his father's band. McLoughlin had earlier relocated from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Austin in 1997, after leaving college with a degree in Politics and American Studies. McLoughlin also toured with the Asylum St. Spankers, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis and the Austin Lounge Lizards
Austin Lounge Lizards
The Austin Lounge Lizards are a band from Austin, Texas formed in 1980. The band includes founding members Hank Card and Conrad Deisler, along with Darcie Deaville and Bruce Jones...
after arriving in the United States.
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
, Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
, and Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
. They began to have jam sessions afterwards, and according to Warner, there was evident chemistry between the trio, which led to their writing songs together. They eventually began to perform shows locally in Austin to finance the recording of what would become their debut album, 2003's Movin' On. In the process, they became one of the most popular musical groups in Austin. Representative of an emerging "newgrass" movement, The Greencards' acoustic sound was said to incorporate eclectic influences from Irish traditional, European gypsy, and Latin American sources.
Their first performance together as a band was at the Austin Irish pub, Mother Egan's. Given a noon to 3 pm time slot, they surprisingly began to fill the pub with patrons week after week, with fans there calling them the "Bluegrass Bunch". Several months later, The Greencards began performing an additional three to five times per week in Austin, in addition to their Mother Egan's Sunday show. Warner credited the frantic pace of their performance schedule during their Austin formation for their cohesion as a group and for driving them to create more new original music. During their time performing locally in Austin, they toured with various local Texas musicians, including Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen, Junior is an American Texas Country singer-songwriter. He is popular with fans of traditional country music, folk music, college radio, and alt-country. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.-Early life:Growing up in Houston, Texas,...
.
The lyrics on "When I Was in Love With You" were cited as among the most striking on Viridian
Viridian (album)
Viridian is a 2007 studio album by the Austin, Texas bluegrass band The Greencards. Their third Dualtone Records studio album, it was released on March 6, 2007. In 2007, The Greencards were joined by Matt Wingate, a guitarist from Alabama, for their work on Viridian...
, the Greencards's 2007 release, and were based in part by McLoughlin on an 1896 poem, "A Shropshire Lad
A Shropshire Lad
A Shropshire Lad is a cycle of sixty-three poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman . Some of the better-known poems in the book are "To an Athlete Dying Young", "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now" and "When I Was One-and-Twenty".The collection was published in 1896...
", by Alfred Edward Housman, the English poet. The song was described as a "Pogues
The Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
-like romp."
Eamon McLoughlin is a regular blogger for Country Music Television. After the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
, where The Greencards were nominated, he wrote about the band's experience at the event.
On 1 December 2009, McLoughlin announced his departure from The Greencards to pursue other musical challenges. In the Autumn of 2010 he began working for MCA Recording Artist Josh Turner, playing fiddle, mandolin and singing principal harmony vocals.
External links
- Official site, thegreencards.com
- Official MySpace for the Greencards
- Country Music Television Profile
- The Greencards collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive