Paul Brady receives music legend award

PAUL Brady has long been classed as a music legend in Tyrone – and now it’s been made official.

Brady’s extraordinary ability as a musician and lyricist is no secret around the county and further afield. However, last week the Strabane man’s brilliance was recognised in a more official capacity when he received a prestigious award at the Northern Ireland Music Awards.

Last Wednesday night in the Ulster Hall, Belfast, the Strabane bard was bestowed with Oh Yeah Legend Award, reserved for those recognised as having made an exceptional contribution to music in the North.

Brady, a multi-instrumentalist who has transcended the confines of genre since first stepping onto the scene in the early 1970s, was presented with his award by the Irish Music Rights Organisation.

Starting out as a teenager, singing to swaying punters in pubs across Tyrone and Donegal, Brady went onto play with some of the most iconic groups in the history of Irish music, including The Johnstons, and Planxty.

Following the breakup of Planxty, Brady and fellow band member Andy Irvine continued to play together, and in 1971 released their eponymous masterpiece, ‘Andy Irvine and Paul Brady’.

This ten-track-record, which alone was enough to immortalise Brady in the realm of Irish folk, catapulted the Strabane man far beyond his perceived horizons, opening up musical possibilities far beyond his craziest dreams.

In the decades that followed, Brady’s star continued to rise, as he swam effortlessly between folk, rock and pop, eventually going on to record songs that were covered by some of the heaviest hitters in music history, such as Bob
Dylan, Cher and the late Tina Turner.

Also on Brady long list of musical collaborators glitters other great names such as Carole King, Art Garfunkel, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Trisha Yearwood, Phil Collins and Cliff Richard.

Closer to home, Brady has worked with Ronan Keating, Joe Dolan, Dickie Rock, Maura O’Connell, Liam Clancy, Mary Black, and just about every other big name.

Now 76, Brady is still writing songs and making music that connects with the souls of his fans.

When the final history of Tyrone is written, under the chapter entitled ‘Music Greats’, foremost among the many names listed with be that of the truly one-of-a-kind Paul Brady.