Larry Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Larry Cunningham is an Irish country music
singer, who was one of the leading figures of the showband scene in the 1960s and 1970s.
parish, near Granard
, Co. Longford, in a farming family of seven children. After leaving school at 16 he went to England and worked as a carpenter
, playing Irish traditional music and gaelic football
during his spare time. In 1958 he returned to Ireland. Still working as a carpenter, he soon joined the part-time Gowna-based Grafton Showband, but left it in 1961 to become fully professional as the lead singer of the Mighty Avons, based in Cavan
. That band initially specialised in covers of Jim Reeves
songs and similar country material.
The band's first taste of fame came when they were supporting Jim Reeves during the Irish leg of his European tour in 1963; when Reeves walked off the stage during a concert in Lifford
in protest at the poor condition of the supplied piano
, the Avons (as they later became popularly called) took over and entertained the crowd, to much subsequent publicity and acclaim.
In December 1964, Cunningham and the Mighty Avons had a Top-10
hit with the song Tribute to Jim Reeves, which also entered the British charts (the first time for an Irish artiste), and played on Top of the Pops
(also an Irish first), which further boosted their career. Their major hit was Lovely Leitrim
in September 1965, which stayed at number one in the charts for four weeks. As well as regularly touring Ireland to large crowds, the Avons made many appearances on television, and often played in Britain, the USA, and other places.
In late 1969, he left the Mighty Avons and merged with Edenderry
band The Fairways to form Larry Cunningham and the Country Blue Boys, leaving Gene Stuart to front the Avons. Cunningham continued having success with his new band, but after his marriage in 1972 he gave up regular touring in favour of occasional concerts and recording. He continued to have top-10 hits until the mid-1970s, and still performs occasionally. In recent years, audio and video compilations of his music have been released, as well as a biography.
In February 1972, Cunningham married Beatrice Nannery, who worked for him managing a supermarket which he owned. They have had four children and, as of 2011, two grandchildren.
Country and Irish
Country and Irish is a musical subgenre in Ireland formed by mixing North American country style music with Irish influences. It is especially popular in the rural Midlands and North-West of the country, but less so in urban areas or in the South-West where more traditional Irish music is favoured...
singer, who was one of the leading figures of the showband scene in the 1960s and 1970s.
Life and career
Cunningham was born on 13 February 1938, and grew up in the townland of Clooneen in MullinalaghtaMullinalaghta
Mullinalaghta , also officially referred to as Mullanalaghta, is a half-parish in the north-eastern part of County Longford, Ireland, located about eight kilometres north of Granard...
parish, near Granard
Granard
Granard is a town in the north of County Longford, Ireland and has a traceable history going back to 236 A.D.. It is situated just south of the boundary between the watersheds of the Shannon and the Erne, at the point where the N55 national secondary road and the R194 regional road...
, Co. Longford, in a farming family of seven children. After leaving school at 16 he went to England and worked as a carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
, playing Irish traditional music and gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
during his spare time. In 1958 he returned to Ireland. Still working as a carpenter, he soon joined the part-time Gowna-based Grafton Showband, but left it in 1961 to become fully professional as the lead singer of the Mighty Avons, based in Cavan
Cavan
Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland...
. That band initially specialised in covers of Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves
James Travis Reeves , better known as Jim Reeves, was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter. With records charting from the 1950s to the 1980s, he became well-known for being a practitioner of the Nashville sound...
songs and similar country material.
The band's first taste of fame came when they were supporting Jim Reeves during the Irish leg of his European tour in 1963; when Reeves walked off the stage during a concert in Lifford
Lifford
Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the administrative capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken for fulfilling this role...
in protest at the poor condition of the supplied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, the Avons (as they later became popularly called) took over and entertained the crowd, to much subsequent publicity and acclaim.
In December 1964, Cunningham and the Mighty Avons had a Top-10
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
hit with the song Tribute to Jim Reeves, which also entered the British charts (the first time for an Irish artiste), and played on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
(also an Irish first), which further boosted their career. Their major hit was Lovely Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
in September 1965, which stayed at number one in the charts for four weeks. As well as regularly touring Ireland to large crowds, the Avons made many appearances on television, and often played in Britain, the USA, and other places.
In late 1969, he left the Mighty Avons and merged with Edenderry
Edenderry, County Offaly
Edenderry is a town in the north of County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal passes immediately south of the town through the Bog of Allen and there is a short spur to the town centre....
band The Fairways to form Larry Cunningham and the Country Blue Boys, leaving Gene Stuart to front the Avons. Cunningham continued having success with his new band, but after his marriage in 1972 he gave up regular touring in favour of occasional concerts and recording. He continued to have top-10 hits until the mid-1970s, and still performs occasionally. In recent years, audio and video compilations of his music have been released, as well as a biography.
In February 1972, Cunningham married Beatrice Nannery, who worked for him managing a supermarket which he owned. They have had four children and, as of 2011, two grandchildren.
Singles
| Released | Band | Title | Peak chart position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1965 | Mighty Avons | Tribute to Jim Reeves | 9 |
| Apr 1965 | Mighty Avons | I Guess I'm Crazy I Guess I'm Crazy "I Guess I'm Crazy" is a 1955 song composed by Werly Fairburn. The song was first recorded in 1955 by Tommy Collins who peaked at number thirteen on the C&W Best Seller chart.... |
4 |
| Sep 1965 | Mighty Avons | Lovely Leitrim | 1 |
| Apr 1966 | Mighty Avons | Among the Wicklow Hills Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains form the largest continuous upland area in Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into Counties Carlow, Wexford and Dublin. Where the mountains extend into County Dublin, they are known locally as the Dublin Mountains... |
2 |
| Nov 1966 | Mighty Avons | Snowflake | 2 |
| Feb 1967 | Mighty Avons | Fool's Paradise | 5 |
| Jul 1967 | Mighty Avons | Three Steps to the Phone | 8 |
| Dec 1967 | Mighty Avons | Little Nell | |
| Mar 1968 | Mighty Avons | The Emigrant | 10 |
| Nov 1968 | Mighty Avons | The Great El Tigre | 17 |
| May 1969 | Mighty Avons | Bracero | |
| Sep 1969 | Country Blue Boys | Ballad of James Connolly James Connolly James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of... |
10 |
| Dec 1969 | Country Blue Boys | Don't Let Me Cross Over Don't Let Me Cross Over "Don't Let Me Cross Over" is a song made famous as a duet by Carl Butler and Pearl, a husband-and-wife country music duo. Originally released in November 1962, the song needed just four weeks to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart... |
7 |
| May 1970 | Country Blue Boys | Mother, the Queen of My Heart | 13 |
| Jan 1971 | Country Blue Boys | Pride of the West | 17 |
| Dec 1971 | Country Blue Boys | Slaney Valley | 1 |
| Jul 1972 | Country Blue Boys | Four Great Irish Hits, Volume 1 | 4 |
| Oct 1972 | Country Blue Boys | Four Great Irish Hits, Volume 2 | 10 |
| Mar 1973 | Country Blue Boys | Goodbye Comes Hard to Me | 5 |
| Jan 1974 | Country Blue Boys | This Time of the Year | 3 |
| Jun 1974 | Country Blue Boys | Lovely Leitrim | 19 |
| 1975 | Country Blue Boys | My Kathleen | 3 |
| Dec 1975 | solo, with Margo | Hello Mr. Peters | 15 |
| Sep 1976 | Country Blue Boys | Annaghdown Annaghdown Annaghdown is a parish in County Galway, Ireland. It takes its name from Eanach Dhúin, Irish for "the marsh of the fort". The village lies around Annaghdown Bay, an inlet of Lough Corrib... |
6 |
| Apr 1977 | Country Blue Boys | Where the Blue and Lonely Go | 19 |
| 1980 | Country Blue Boys | Where the Grass Grows Greenest | |
| Jun 1983 | Country Blue Boys | The Story of My Life The Story of My Life (song) "The Story of My Life" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and published in 1957.The song became a 1957 hit for US country singer Marty Robbins, staying at number one on the country chart for four weeks and reaching number fifteen on the Billboard Top 100 and number two on... |
16 |
| Nov 1983 | Country Blue Boys | Galway Galway Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the... and You |
30 |
| Aug 1984 | Country Blue Boys | Walk On By | 26 |
Albums
| Released | Band | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1967 | solo | Two Sides of Larry |
| Dec 1967 | solo | Larry Cunningham Sings Country and Irish |
| Jun 1969 | solo | Ramblin' Irishman |
| May 1970 | Country Blue Boys | Country My Way |
| ? | Country Blue Boys | This is Larry Cunningham |
| 1972 | Country Blue Boys | Songs Fresh from Nashville |
| 1973 | Country Blue Boys | Larry Cunningham in Concert |
| 1974 | Country Blue Boys | Tribute to Jim Reeves |
| 1980 | Country Blue Boys | Come Back to Erin |