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Liam Clancy and Odetta first met in Greenwich Village in New
York City in the late 1950's. He, a young Irish lad running
away from the oppression of Catholic Ireland and a life in the
Insurance business, she a strident young black woman escaping
the segregation and injustices of the US.
There in the melting pot of The Village they shared the songs
of their respective heritages in the back room of the White
Horse Tavern surrounded by such luminaries as Theo Bekel, Richard
Farina, Gene Raskin Jimmy Baldwin, not to mention Paddy and
Tom Clancy and Tommy Makem. In among the crowd was another escapee,
a young Robert Zimmerman, fresh from Hibbing, Minnesota.
An evening with Liam Clancy and Odetta brings together these
two magnificent performers who are still performing their solo
shows to audiences around the world nearly 50 years later.
With the help of some classic audio and film footage, and slide
from the archives Liam the consummate storyteller brings the
audience back to the backroom of the White Horse Tavern, and
sings some of the classic numbers from his repertoire.
With serene elegance Odetta takes up the story for the second
half with a breathtaking performance which is filled with both
laughter and tears.
While musically Liam and Odetta have came from very different
traditions they are inexorably linked by a passionate hatred
of oppression, and a connection to those formative years in
The Big Apple at the heart of the folk revival in the late 50's
and early 60's.
In 1959, Liam Clancy and his brothers Tom and Paddy together
with Tommy Makem were invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan show.
With the other bands scheduled for that night dropping out The
Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem got an unprecedented 20 minute
slot. Clad in four Aran pullovers sent over from Ireland by
Mrs Clancy, the group was an instant success. Over the next
20 years the group and later Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy played
to packed houses throughout the States Britain, Ireland and
Australia. A consummate storyteller, steeped in Irish literature
and folk history Liam has been performing a solo show of poetry
storytelling and song for over a decade, which he delivers with
an undeniable charm and a precious talent, which is a joy to
behold.
In 1964 Odetta was anointed "Queen of American Folk Music" by
Martin Luther King. In 1999, some 35 years later the New York
Times called her "Mother Goddess of Folk/Blues". In short she
is one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century with
no less than 26 solo recordings in her catalogue.
Fifty years on from the heady days in the White Horse Tavern
these two legendary troubadours are back together, trading stories
and songs from their extensive repertoires in an evening of
magical promise.
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