The Irish Rovers Biography

Home	Music	Video	Stock Footage	Help

Original Recordings by the Original Artists!

The Irish Rovers
Irish Music | 3 CD Set
Reg. $24.99 ON SALE!
$19.99

While the different facets of the folk music scene were gathering steam as the ‘60s bloomed, two Irish immigrants to Canada met and cemented their friendship in the music of the Northern Ireland region they had recently left. That was the beginning of the Irish Rovers, who, in the ensuing 37 years, have continued to bring the joy and fun of the music to a large audience around the world. It began in 1963 when George Millar and Jimmy Ferguson met in Toronto at an Irish party. They ended up singing for hours, decided they would shoot for a career and performed as a duo until Joe Millar, George’s cousin, came over in 1964. Joe added to the group’s repertoire his talent on button accordion and harmonica and also added more traditional ballads. Working their way to Calgary, they added George’s brother, Will, and now the four Rovers were ready to attack the United States. In the mid-‘60s, one of the most popular folk clubs in the United States was the Purple Onion in San Francisco. The Irish Rovers took a gig there and stayed an unbelievable 22 weeks of sold-out shows, bringing them plenty of positive press and then a recording contract with Decca. After a pair of albums that saw increasing interest, they had a hit single in what became their most identifiable song, "The Unicorn." The Rovers then added a fifth member, Wilcil McDowell, and their fortunes continued to go forward, hosting in the ‘70s and early ‘80s a weekly television show in Canada and later a Global Network show with Ulster Television in Ireland. The quintet again broke into the pop charts in the United States in 1981 when they took "Wasn’t That a Party" into the Top 40. The tune, another one connected forever to the group, was written by folk-singer Tom Paxton, who was on hand for one of the group’s after-show parties. They also made a seasonal song in 1982 that still gets play, "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." The year 2000 sees the group still working. Only three of the originals are there, since Will retired in 1995 and Jimmy Ferguson died in 1997. Kevin McKeown, John Reynolds and Wallace Hood round out the Rovers and Sean O’Driscoll plays on recordings and occasionally on tour.

TIMELESS MEDIA GROUP 100% GUARANTEED
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase you may return it for a prompt refund, credit or exchange. Click here for details

All Items Usually Ship Within 24 Hours!