The Voice Squad
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The Voice Squad was a traditional Irish singing group from Ireland. The members included Gerry Cullen, Phil Callery[1] and Fran McPhail. They recorded four albums and toured Ireland, the UK and the US.
The Voice Squad had a repertoire of Irish traditional songs and always sang unaccompanied.
They have been compared to English family groups of similar style, such as The Watersons and The Copper Family.[2]
Performances
[edit]The group has performed in Ireland, the UK, Europe, and the United States. In October 2002, they performed at the opening of Dublin's newest concert venue, The Helix at Dublin City University. Ireland's President, Mary McAleese, was present at the event. The concert was recorded by RTÉ television for later transmission. The track they chose was Shaun Davey's arrangement of "The Parting Glass".[2]
In June 2003, the group performed at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games in Ireland. Along with Rita Connolly and Ronan Tynan, they sang "May We Never Have To Say Goodbye," composed by Shaun Davey. This was the theme song for the games.
"The Voice Squad represent the melding of two related but separate traditions — a British harmony-singing tradition (as exemplified by the Copper Family and the Watersons) and the unaccompanied solo singing tradition of Northern Ireland (as exemplified by such legendary artists as Paddy Tunney and Joe Heaney). By taking the traditional Irish repertoire and harmonizing it in a generally British style, the three members of the Voice Squad have created something new and absolutely wonderful. All three singers have excellent voices, but tenor Fran McPhail is the one who brings something tonally unique to the ensemble; his voice has an eerie, almost horn-like quality that blends beautifully with the harder-edged voices of tenor Phil Callery and baritone Gerry Cullen. - Rick Anderson, Allmusic[2]
Recordings
[edit]The Voice Squad recorded four albums, including Good People All which was a re-release of Holly Wood with the same tracks.[3]
- Many's The Foolish Youth, 1987, Tara, TARACD4004
- Holly Wood, 1992, TARA 4013
- Good People All, 1993
- Concerning of Three Young Men, 2014, Tara, TARA4013
References
[edit]- ^ The death has occurred of Philip Callery
- ^ a b c "Background information for Irish Close Harmony Group THE VOICE SQUAD".
'It is the union of the distinct tenor voices of Fran and Phil plus the bass of Gerry, along with their own particular arrangements of good songs, that has made them one of the most distinctive unaccompanied singing groups of recent times.'
- ^ Sleeve notes to 'Holly Wood' album
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