Pierce Turner
Encyclopedia
Pierce Turner is an Irish
singer-songwriter
. After forming a duo with Larry Kirwan
he went solo in the mid-1980s and has since released several albums to critical acclaim.
, where his mother ran a record shop and led her own band. A classically trained musician, by the age of seven he was a member of a traditional Irish tin-whistle
group, and at eight, he was playing in a brass and reed orchestra.
His first professional job was as a musician with the pop showband The Arrows. He later moved to New York
and formed The Major Thinkers with fellow Wexfordian Larry Kirwan
(now the frontman of Black 47
), and recorded several acclaimed album
s, also performing as Turner and Kirwan. Turner and Kirwan released two albums - Bootleg and Absolutely and Completely - the latter issued on the Cosmos label as well as a single "Neck and Neck"/"When Starlings Fly" recorded at Electric Lady Studios/New York and issued on the Audio-Fidelity subsidiary label Thimble in 1973.
His first solo album, It's Only a Long Way Across (1987), was produced by American avant-garde composer Philip Glass
. It was nominated for 'Best Debut Issued by an Independent Record Company' at the New York Music Awards. He went on to make two more albums for Beggars Banquet
: The Sky and the Ground (1989) and Now Is Heaven (1991). The latter was released to great critical acclaim, with Hot Press dubbing him "Ireland's greatest living poet", and he was voted 'Irish Solo Performer of the Year' in the Hot Press Awards by a panel drawn from the national media. This album was produced by John Simon
.
In 1998 Beggars Banquet released a Best of Pierce Turner compilation. In June 2001, 3 Minute World was released, Hot Press giving it a 12 out of 12 rating, while Tony Clayton-Lea of the Irish Times described Pierce as one of the most important Irish artists of the last twenty years. Meanwhile, Turner embarked on what he called his "Parlour Tour", performing in over seventy private houses in Ireland, accompanied by London-based Wicklow film maker Colin Murnane who was making the documentary The Song For The Year (2007).
Other songs by Turner were featured in the film Snakes and Ladders and the HBO TV show The Wire
(his version of "Dirty Old Town
"). Christy Moore
recorded Turner's songs "Wicklow Hills" and "Musha God Help Her". Moore's 2004 box set includes the track "I Love the Way Pierce Turner Sings".
In 2005, "Wicklow Hills" was voted among the top twenty-five Irish songs of all time by Today FM in a nationwide poll. His album The Boy to Be With was released in 2006 and includes Turner's tribute to the late Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher
.
Turner commented on his lack of commercial success in 1993:
Compilations:
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. After forming a duo with Larry Kirwan
Larry Kirwan
Larry Kirwan is an expatriate Irish writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band, Black 47....
he went solo in the mid-1980s and has since released several albums to critical acclaim.
Biography
Turner grew up in the port town of WexfordWexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
, where his mother ran a record shop and led her own band. A classically trained musician, by the age of seven he was a member of a traditional Irish tin-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...
group, and at eight, he was playing in a brass and reed orchestra.
His first professional job was as a musician with the pop showband The Arrows. He later moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and formed The Major Thinkers with fellow Wexfordian Larry Kirwan
Larry Kirwan
Larry Kirwan is an expatriate Irish writer and musician, most noted as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band, Black 47....
(now the frontman of Black 47
Black 47
Black 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...
), and recorded several acclaimed album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, also performing as Turner and Kirwan. Turner and Kirwan released two albums - Bootleg and Absolutely and Completely - the latter issued on the Cosmos label as well as a single "Neck and Neck"/"When Starlings Fly" recorded at Electric Lady Studios/New York and issued on the Audio-Fidelity subsidiary label Thimble in 1973.
His first solo album, It's Only a Long Way Across (1987), was produced by American avant-garde composer Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
. It was nominated for 'Best Debut Issued by an Independent Record Company' at the New York Music Awards. He went on to make two more albums for Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
: The Sky and the Ground (1989) and Now Is Heaven (1991). The latter was released to great critical acclaim, with Hot Press dubbing him "Ireland's greatest living poet", and he was voted 'Irish Solo Performer of the Year' in the Hot Press Awards by a panel drawn from the national media. This album was produced by John Simon
John Simon (record producer)
John Simon is an American musician, record producer, and composer. He is best known for his work with The Band as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink and The Band.-Biography:...
.
In 1998 Beggars Banquet released a Best of Pierce Turner compilation. In June 2001, 3 Minute World was released, Hot Press giving it a 12 out of 12 rating, while Tony Clayton-Lea of the Irish Times described Pierce as one of the most important Irish artists of the last twenty years. Meanwhile, Turner embarked on what he called his "Parlour Tour", performing in over seventy private houses in Ireland, accompanied by London-based Wicklow film maker Colin Murnane who was making the documentary The Song For The Year (2007).
Other songs by Turner were featured in the film Snakes and Ladders and the HBO TV show The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
(his version of "Dirty Old Town
Dirty Old Town
"Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by The Dubliners and has been recorded by many others since.-History:...
"). Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
recorded Turner's songs "Wicklow Hills" and "Musha God Help Her". Moore's 2004 box set includes the track "I Love the Way Pierce Turner Sings".
In 2005, "Wicklow Hills" was voted among the top twenty-five Irish songs of all time by Today FM in a nationwide poll. His album The Boy to Be With was released in 2006 and includes Turner's tribute to the late Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher, ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995, was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste...
.
Turner commented on his lack of commercial success in 1993:
"I find that the American people really like what I do when I'm put in front of an audience of normal people, but when the recording industry gets my records, they tend to think the public won't understand or won't care about it. Maybe it's not happy enough or something. There's no use complaining about it. I'm choosing to go around that and go directly to the people."
Discography
- It's Only a Long Way Across (1987), Beggars Banquet
- Sky & the Ground (1990), Beggars Banquet
- Now Is Heaven (1993), Green Linnet
- Manaña in Manhattan...Live (1994), Virtual
- Angelic Language (1998), Blutarski
- Mr. Smith (2004), LoveCat
- 3 Minute World (2004)
- The Boy to Be With (2006), 5030
- Catch a Wave mini-album (2008), Pierce Turner
- Beyond The Blue (2010), LoveCat
Compilations:
- Pierce Turner (1998), Beggars Banquet