Joanie Madden
Encyclopedia
Joanie Madden is an Irish-American flute
and whistle
player of Irish Traditional Music. She is best known as leader of the all-female group Cherish the Ladies
, but has also recorded and performed with numerous other musicians, and as a solo artist. She also teaches master classes and workshops.
. In 1983, at the age of 25, she became the first American to win the Senior All-Ireland Championship
for tin whistle. Shortly after, Mick Moloney
contacted her about performing in a concert series called "Cherish the Ladies". This developed into the band by the same name
, which Joanie has headed since its inception. Since then, she has performed and recorded with numerous musicians. While the majority of her work is within the Irish tradition, she has also played on film scores and with artists of varied styles such as Sinéad O'Connor
and Pete Seeger
. Her solo albums Song of the Irish Whistle and its sequel are often categorized as "New Age" or "Space Music". On February 17, 2007, Madden was honored in the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame.
In 2011, Joanie Madden received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
in recognition of her artistry and her support of Irish-American music and culture.
(sometimes referred to as a "classical" or "silver" flute), in contrast to the majority of flute players within the Irish Traditional genre who play simple-system wooden flutes. The classical flute is widely considered an inferior choice of instrument for this style of music, since it is difficult or impossible to perform certain ornamentation (most notable slides) on it.
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
player of Irish Traditional Music. She is best known as leader of the all-female group Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies is an American all-female Irish-American super group. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985, the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene...
, but has also recorded and performed with numerous other musicians, and as a solo artist. She also teaches master classes and workshops.
Biography
Madden was born in the Bronx to Irish immigrants. Her father, Joe Madden, was a respected accordion player, having been inducted into the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame in 1992. Madden began as a musician by learning the piano, but the instrument didn't hold her interest. She eventually became enamored with the tin whistle, and paid for her own lessons with neighbor Jack Coen. As a teenager and young adult, she gained experience playing with her father's band, and with classmate Eileen IversEileen Ivers
Eileen Ivers is an Irish-American musician.Eileen Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents and grew up in the Bronx. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of nine. Her teacher was the Irish fiddler Martin Mulvihill. She toured with Mick Moloney's band The...
. In 1983, at the age of 25, she became the first American to win the Senior All-Ireland Championship
Fleadh Cheoil
The Fleadh Cheoil is an Irish music competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann or more commonly known as "Comhaltas" ....
for tin whistle. Shortly after, Mick Moloney
Mick Moloney
Michael "Mick" Moloney is a traditional Irish musician and scholar. Born in Limerick, County Limerick, he was an important figure on the Dublin folk-song revival in the 1960s. In 1973, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
contacted her about performing in a concert series called "Cherish the Ladies". This developed into the band by the same name
Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies is an American all-female Irish-American super group. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985, the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene...
, which Joanie has headed since its inception. Since then, she has performed and recorded with numerous musicians. While the majority of her work is within the Irish tradition, she has also played on film scores and with artists of varied styles such as Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
and Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
. Her solo albums Song of the Irish Whistle and its sequel are often categorized as "New Age" or "Space Music". On February 17, 2007, Madden was honored in the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Mid-Atlantic Region Hall of Fame.
In 2011, Joanie Madden received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Ellis Island Medal of Honor
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor was founded by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations and intended to pay homage to the immigrant experience. The medals honor the contribution made to America by immigrants and the legacy they left behind in the successes of their children and grand-children...
in recognition of her artistry and her support of Irish-American music and culture.
Choice of instrument
Madden plays a Boehme-system fluteWestern concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
(sometimes referred to as a "classical" or "silver" flute), in contrast to the majority of flute players within the Irish Traditional genre who play simple-system wooden flutes. The classical flute is widely considered an inferior choice of instrument for this style of music, since it is difficult or impossible to perform certain ornamentation (most notable slides) on it.
As a solo artist
- Whistle on the WindWhistle on the WindWhistle on the Wind is the first solo album by flute and tin whistle player Joanie Madden.-Tracks:-Musicians:*Liam Clancy : Performer, Poetry*Mary Coogan : Guitar*Gabriel Donohue : Bass, Bass , bodhrán, Bouzouki, Engineer, Guitar, Piano...
(1994) - Song of the Irish Whistle (1996)
- Song of the Irish Whistle, Vol. 2 (1999)
As a guest artist
- Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
– Am I Not Your Girl?Am I Not Your Girl?Am I Not Your Girl? is the third album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor and the follow-up to the hugely successful I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. It is a collection of covers of mostly jazz standards, which Sinead describes as "the songs I grew up listening to [and] that made me want to be a...
(1992) - RockapellaRockapellaRockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. Their name is derived from the words "rock" and "a cappella". They sing original vocal music and a cappella covers of pop and rock songs; over time, their sound has evolved from high-energy pop and world music...
– Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? (album)Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? is the soundtrack to the popular educational children's TV game show of the same name that ran from 1991 to 1996...
(1992) - John Boswell – Count Me In (1993)
- Hearts of SpaceHearts of SpaceHearts of Space is a United States weekly syndicated public radio show featuring music of a contemplative nature drawn largely from the ambient, New Age and electronic genres, while also including classical, world, Celtic, experimental, and other music selections...
(label compilation) – Celtic Twilight (1994) - Nóirín Ní RiainNóirín Ní RiainNóirín Ní Riain is an Irish singer, writer, teacher, theologian and an authority on Gregorian Chant . She is primarily known for spiritual songs, but also sings Celtic music, Sean-nós and Indian songs. Nóirín plays an Indian harmonium , Shruti box and Feadóg...
– Celtic Soul (1996) - Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
– Pete (1996) - The Boston Pops – Celtic Album (1998)
- Black 47Black 47Black 47 are a New York City based celtic rock band with Irish Republican sympathies, whose music also shows influence from reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz...
– Bittersweet Sixteen (2006)