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Eleanor McEvoy
It was obvious from an early age where Eleanor McEvoy's interests lay. The career
of one of Ireland's most popular songwriters started at age four when she performed
at an Irish music competition as the lead singer in her sister's band. At eight,
she took up the violin, and attended the College of music in Dublin for piano
and violin up until 1985. Upon finishing school she attended the prestigious
Trinity College in Dublin where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras
by night. She graduated from Trinity with an honours degree and was accepted
to the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Eleanor worked with the Symphony
Orchestra for five years before she finally took the plunge and left the classical
world behind her to concentrate on her real passion - songwriting.
Eleanor McEvoy achieved star status in Ireland in 1992 when her song "Only A Woman's Heart" inspired the title for and appeared on, the "A Woman's Heart" anthology album. It has since become the best selling album in Irish history, even eclipsing records by such legendary Irish artists as Van Morrison and U2. "A Woman's Heart" stayed in the Top 10 for over a year. 1994 saw the world-wide release of her self-titled debut on Geffen Records, "Eleanor McEvoy". Eleanor toured the USA, Europe and the Far East in support of the album, building up a loyal fanbase and racking up international sales. Leading Irish music magazine Hot Press placed the album amongst the top debuts of that year. 1996 was a busy year for Eleanor starting with the release of her second album "What's following Me?" described by Billboard magazine as "a...as must hear album.." this release featured the single "Precious Little". Eleanor again toured internationally playing to sold out venues in the USA and Europe. The second single, "Whisper A Prayer To The Moon" was featured in the Pierce Brosnan film, " The Nephew", which was released August 1998. Eleanor's involvement with film continued with her performance of "The Seabird" for the soundtrack of "Some Mother's Son" staring Helen Mirren , written by "Riverdance" composer Bill Whelan. Eleanor released her third album "Snapshots" in 1999. Produced by Rupert Hine, the album recieved rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. The Boston Globe described the album as "a gem...Its traversal of country, Celtic, and cosmic bar room styles is exhilarating..... SNAPSHOTS effectively freezes the listener in its frame". It was on the third US tour for this album that she began her collaboration with the Belfast pianist Brian Connor. On the release of the latest album Yola, UK Magazine MOJO wrote that "....the glorious simplicity of this release feels like a homecoming in every sense. ...the performances are beautifully restrained.." With co-writing credits going to Lloyd Cole, and Henry Priestman (The Christians), the album is available on the new "super audio" SACD format. Eleanor and Brian Connor have spent 2002 touring throughout Ireland, the UK, USA and Canada and will be returning to the USA and Canada for an additional series of dates in Sept- Oct 2002. As a songwriter Eleanor has had her songs covered by artists as diverse as
Emmylou Harris, Phil Coulter and Mary Black. Caroline Lavelle's version of
the McEvoy/Lavelle composition "All I Have" features in the latest
episodes of the cult USA television series "Six Feet Under". |
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