Imelda May
Encyclopedia
Imelda Mary Higham, Clabby (born 10 July 1974), known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...

 and guitar. She won the Best Female Artist of the Year award at the 2009 Meteor Awards.

Early life and career

May was born in Dublin on 10 July 1974 in the Liberties
The Liberties
The Liberties of Dublin, Ireland were jurisdictions that existed since the arrival of the Anglo-Normans in the 12th century. They were town lands united to the city, but still preserving their own jurisdiction. The most important of these liberties were the Liberty of St...

 in the south inner city. She is the youngest of five siblings, with sisters Edel Foy and Maria O'Reilly, and brothers Brendan Clabby and Fintan Clabby. Her early musical influences were Folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 and Rock & Roll, especially the music of Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

, Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...

 and Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...

. By the age of nine, she was a fan of Rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...

 and Blues, particularly Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...

 and Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...

. At fourteen, she sang in an advertisement for Findus
Findus
Findus is a company that produces and retails frozen food. Its products include Crispy Pancakes, which were invented in the early 1970s.- Origins :...

 Fish Finger
Fish finger
Fish fingers, known as fish sticks in North America, are a processed food made using a whitefish such as cod, haddock or pollock which have been battered or breaded....

s. However, her career began at age 16 when she began touring the Dublin club circuit and she was occasionally barred from her own shows at Dublin's Bruxelles club for being underage. "I was getting tips from the best musicians in Dublin," May said. "One of them said, 'your voice is great, but it needs to roughen.'" It was around this time, when driving a tearful Imelda to a gig after a boyfriend break-up her father asked her, "Is your heart broken? Excellent. Now you can sing the blues." After moving to the UK in 1998, May began singing with Blue Harlem and Mike Sanchez
Mike Sanchez
Jesus Miguel "Mike" Sanchez is a rhythm and blues singer, pianist and songwriter of Spanish-English heritage. Sanchez is known for his work with the Big Town Playboys and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, and also for his solo career...

.

Professional career

May began her professional career in 2003, forming her band and releasing No Turning Back (Foot Tapping Records) under her maiden name, Imelda Clabby. Specializing in rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...

 music, the album was later re-recorded and re-issued by Foot Tapping Records under her married name in 2005.

In 2007, she joined a recording contract with Ambassador Records (a subsidiary of Foot Tapping Records), and recorded her second album. Love Tattoo
Love Tattoo
Love Tattoo is the second album by Irish singer Imelda May. "Johnny Got A Boom-Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man" were released as singles. The album reached number 1 in the Official Irish Top 100 Album Chart.-Track listing:...

reached No. 1 in Ireland and received wide critical acclaim. It caught the attention of Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...

, whom she later supported on tour, which led him to request that she appear on his well-known music show Later... with Jools Holland. She was well received in the United Kingdom, performing to an audience that included Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...

, Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...

, and Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...

. Her first two singles, "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man", were released on 23 January 2009. She performed on Ireland's most popular television show, The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...

. She won Female Artist of the Year at the 2009 Meteor Awards. May has also toured the United States including, most recently, a tour with Jamie Cullum
Jamie Cullum
Jamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...

. On 14 August 2009, she appeared on RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

's Other Voices singing "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" and an unplugged version of "Big Bad Handsome Man".

On 31 January 2010, she performed at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...

 with Jeff Beck in tribute to Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...

. After some promotional performances at festivals, such as the Eurosonic Festival
Eurosonic Festival
Eurosonic is Europe’s largest showcase festival and takes place on a yearly basis on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday previous to Noorderslag festival in the dutch city Groningen. Eurosonic is part of The European Music Conference and Showcase Festival Eurosonic Noorderslag. During the festival 250...

 in Groningen, Netherlands, she released her third studio album, Mayhem, in Ireland on 3 September 2010 — again reaching No. 1 in the Irish Album Charts — and in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2010. On 18 July 2011, May made her network television debut on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...

, performing "Mayhem," in promotion of the album's recent release in the U.S. and later appeared on Conan on 8 August.

May contributed a cover of Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

's "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" for the tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly, released on 6 September 2011.

Performances with other artists

May has shared the stage with Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist...

, Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...

, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...

, David Gilmore
David Gilmore
David Gilmore is an American jazz guitarist.Gilmore studied at New York University with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. In 1987 he began working professionally with the M-Base Collective and Ronald Shannon Jackson...

, Sharon Corr
Sharon Corr
Sharon Helga Corr is a musician and member of the Irish pop-rock band The Corrs along with elder brother Jim and younger sisters Caroline and Andrea. She plays the violin, piano, and guitar, and sings backing vocals. She began learning the violin when she was six years old...

, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...

, Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...

, The Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...

, Madeleine Peyroux
Madeleine Peyroux
Madeleine Peyroux is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Peyroux is noted for her vocal style, which has been compared to that of Billie Holiday....

, Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....

, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...

, Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...

, Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...

 and Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...

 . She has worked with producers Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...

 and Peter Asher
Peter Asher
Peter Asher is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He first came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a record producer.-Early life:He was born at the Central Middlesex Hospital, a child actor and...

. She also sings in The Candy Box Burlesque Club in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

. She has appeared alongside The World Famous Palookaville! Burlesque Orchestra at every Candy Box show since it started in February 2006.

May has sung for the Flashmonkey burlesque band, a popular night at Cafe De Paris in London, also featuring trumpeter/composer John Eacott
John Eacott
John Eacott is a British composer and Principal Lecturer in Music at the University of Westminster.-Life:Eacott's career started in the 1980s with anarchic jazzers Loose Tubes, post-industrial metal bashers Test Dept, Roman Holliday, acid jazz group Vibraphonic, and a diverse array of artists...

.

In 2009, she recorded the official Children in Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...

 single alongside Cara Dillon
Cara Dillon
Cara Dillon is an Irish folk singer. In 2001, she launched her career as a solo artist in the UK with the eponymous Cara Dillon album...

, Terry Wogan, Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...

, and others at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

. In 2010, she participated on Emotion & Commotion
Emotion & Commotion
Emotion & Commotion is the tenth studio album by guitarist Jeff Beck, released in April 2010 on ATCO Records. In addition to featuring vocal performances by Joss Stone, Imelda May and Olivia Safe, the album showcases a 64-piece orchestra on several tracks, and includes covers of well-known songs...

by Jeff Beck, singing on the track "Lilac Wine
Lilac Wine
"Lilac Wine" is a song written by James Shelton in 1950. It was introduced by Hope Foye in the short-lived theater musical revue, "Dance Me a Song." It was covered by Eartha Kitt , by Judy Henske on her first, self-named album , by Nina Simone on her album Wild Is The Wind , was a solo hit by...

" and also on the Japanese CD bonus track "Poor Boy". On 11 November 2010, she appeared as a guest on BBC2's comedy panel music show, Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...

.

In 2010, she performed with Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...

 as part of the UK leg of his Hang Cool Tour. During 2011, she and her band toured with Jeff Beck.

In August 2011 she performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...

, Conan and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...

.

Personal life

May is married to her guitarist and band member, Darrel Higham
Darrel Higham
Darrel Higham is an English rockabilly guitarist.-Career:Higham started playing lead guitar with British rockabilly bands in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, he had created the band that would become his main gigging and recording project: Darrel Higham & The Enforcers...

. She is a vegetarian.

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
IRL
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...


UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...


2005 No Turning Back
  • Released: 2002 as Imelda Clabby, re-released in 2005 as Imelda May.
  • Label: Foot Tapping Records
  • Formats: CD
2008 Love Tattoo
Love Tattoo
Love Tattoo is the second album by Irish singer Imelda May. "Johnny Got A Boom-Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man" were released as singles. The album reached number 1 in the Official Irish Top 100 Album Chart.-Track listing:...

  • Released: 20 October 2008
  • Label: Universal
    Universal Records
    Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

  • Formats: CD, Download
  • 1 58
    2010 Mayhem
    Mayhem (Imelda May album)
    Mayhem is the third studio album by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May, released on 3 September 2010 in Ireland and on 4 October 2010 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...

  • Released: 4 October 2010
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, Download
  • 1 7
    "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

    Singles

    Year Single Chart positions
    IRL
    Irish Albums Chart
    The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...


    UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

    2009 "Johnny Got a Boom Boom
    Johnny Got a Boom Boom
    "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" is a song by Irish rockabilly musician Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her debut single, and lead single from her second studio album, Love Tattoo, on 26 January 2009 on Ambassador Records, a sub-label of Universal Music Ireland...

    "
    "Big Bad Handsome Man
    Big Bad Handsome Man
    "Big Bad Handsome Man" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her second single on April 13, 2009 and final single from her second studio album, Love Tattoo.-Origin and recording:...

    "
    2010 "Psycho
    Psycho (Imelda May song)
    "Psycho" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her third single on June 28, 2010 and the lead single from her third studio album, Mayhem...

    "
    "Mayhem
    Mayhem (Imelda May song)
    "Mayhem" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her fourth single on September 13, 2010 and the second single from her third studio album of the same name...

    "
    24 104
    "Kentish Town Waltz
    Kentish Town Waltz
    "Kentish Town Waltz" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her fifth single on November 15, 2010 and the third single from her third studio album, Mayhem...

    "
    28
    2011 "Inside Out
    Inside Out (Imelda May song)
    "Inside Out" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her sixth single on January 16, 2011 and the third, and assumingly final, single from her third studio album Mayhem.-Origin and recording:...

    "
    "Roadrunner"
    "—" denotes a title that did not chart

    Band members

    • Imelda May – vocals, bodhrán
    • Al Gare – double bass
      Double bass
      The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...

      , bass guitar
      Bass guitar
      The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    • Steve Rushton – drums
      Drum kit
      A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

    • Darrel Higham
      Darrel Higham
      Darrel Higham is an English rockabilly guitarist.-Career:Higham started playing lead guitar with British rockabilly bands in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, he had created the band that would become his main gigging and recording project: Darrel Higham & The Enforcers...

       – guitar
      Guitar
      The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    • Dave Priseman – trumpet
      Trumpet
      The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

      , flugelhorn
      Flugelhorn
      The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...

      , percussion, guitar

    Awards and nominations

    Year Organisation Nominated work Award Result
    2009 2009 Meteor Awards Imelda May Best Irish Female
    2010 RTÉ Radio 1
    RTÉ Radio 1
    RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...

    Mayhem
    Mayhem (Imelda May album)
    Mayhem is the third studio album by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May, released on 3 September 2010 in Ireland and on 4 October 2010 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...

    Album of the Year
    2011 Choice Music Prize
    Choice Music Prize
    -Establishment:It was established by journalist Jim Carroll and manager Dave Reid in 2005. as an alternative to the industry-dominated Meteor Music Awards. The Choice Music Prize is modelled after the Mercury Prize which is awarded each year to the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland...

    Choice Music Prize

    External links

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