Brian Kennedy (singer)
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| Brian Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy |
| Born | 12 October 1966 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, author |
| Instruments | Vocalist |
| Associated acts | Van Morrison |
| Website | Brian Kennedy official site |
Brian Edward Patrick Kennedy (born 12 October 1966, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an Irish singer-songwriter and author, known for his ballads, and has represented Ireland at Eurovision Song Contest 2006. He is the younger brother of musician Bap Kennedy.
Contents |
[edit] Personal life
Kennedy was born and grew up on the Falls Road in Belfast. He has described in public the violence of The Troubles, during his childhood and teen years.[1] He once described seeing a young man being chased and then shot dead by a British soldier a few feet away from him. He also would harmonise with police, ambulance and fire engine sirens.[2]
Kennedy came out as gay in 2009.[3] He is a long-term friend of Katherine Lynch.[4]
[edit] Career
 |
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- Kennedy came to prominence with the masses as one of Van Morrison's backing singers, appearing on a string of recordings including A Night in San Francisco, Days Like This, The Healing Game & Back on Top and live in concert, frequently alongside Georgie Fame.[2]
- Kennedy had a minor UK radio airplay hit with the title track from his 2001 album 'Get On With Your Short Life'.
- He was chosen as the Irish competitor for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest in Athens, where he sang the self-penned "Every Song is a Cry for Love". Kennedy's performance in the contest's semi-finals marked the 1000th song[5] to feature in the history of the Eurovision competition. Following qualification, Kennedy finished tenth in the finals on 20 May, with 93 points.
- He performed on the original Secret Garden version of the song You Raise Me Up, which has now been recorded by more than a hundred other artists, such as Josh Groban and Westlife; he also sang this song at the funeral of the footballer, George Best.
- He performed at the opening of new studios for his local station Belfast CityBeat in 2006.
- In July 2008, he joined the judging panel of the Citybeat Young Star Search, Northern Ireland's biggest kids talent search.
- On 23 August 2010, Brian Kennedy played a version of 'Christopher Street' on a small Balcony overlooking Dame Street, Dublin for the music viral show BalconyTV.[6]
- He is a coach on The Voice of Ireland.[7]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Brian Kennedy solo
- Albums
- The Great War Of Words (1990) - UK #64
- A Better Man (1996) - UK #19[8]
- Now That I Know What I Want (1999)
- Won't You Take Me Home (2000)
- Get On With Your Short Life (2001)
- On Song (2003)
- Live In Belfast (2004)
- On Song 2: Red Sails In The Sunset (2005)
- Homebird (2006)
- Interpretations (2008)
- Singles
- Hollow (1990)
- Captured (1990)
- Believe It (1990)
- A Better Man (1996) - UK #28[8]
- Life Love And Happiness (1996) - UK #27[8]
- Put The Message In The Box (1997) - World Party cover - UK #37[8]
- Get On With Your Short Life (2002)
- George Best - A Tribute (2005) - UK #4[8]
- If You Don't Believe In Me (2006)
- Destination (2006)
- Every Song Is A Cry For Love (2006)
- Other Songs
- A cover of "Dry Your Eyes" by The Streets on Even Better than the Real Thing Vol. 2 (2004)
[edit] Sweetmouth
In Sweetmouth, Kennedy was joined by Mark Nevin, formerly of Fairground Attraction; their album, Goodbye to Songtown (August 1991), featured the songs written by Nevin for a second Fairground Attraction album, which was never realized.
[edit] Writing
- The Arrival of Fergal Flynn (Hodder, 2004), a novel.
- Roman Song (Hodder, 2005), a novel.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ On Playback, 19 April 2008, RTE radio
- ^ a b Brian Kennedy biography
- ^ "Brian Kennedy reveals his coming-out torment". The Belfast Telegraph. 1 September 2009. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/brian-kennedy-reveals-his-comingout-torment-14475329.html. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "At Home with Katherine Lynch". Hot Press. 11 December 2008. http://www.hotpress.com/archive/5088392.html. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ^ "Eurovision 2011: 18 bizarre facts about the contest". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 13 May 2011.
- ^ "BRIAN KENNEDY - Video Archive-BALCONYTV". Balconytv. http://www.balconytv.com/v/brian-kennedy. Retrieved 2010-12-04.
- ^ Finn, Melanie (28 October 2011). "Bressie's in the hotseat in search for the Voice". Evening Herald. http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/bressies-in-the-hotseat-in-search-for-the-voice-2919863.html. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 299. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit] External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Donna & Joe with "Love?" |
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 |
Succeeded by Dervish with "They Can't Stop The Spring" |
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Categories:
- 1966 births
- Living people
- Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2006
- Gay writers
- Irish Eurovision Song Contest entrants
- Irish musicians
- Irish novelists
- Irish tenors
- LGBT musicians from Ireland
- LGBT writers from Ireland
- LGBT people from Ireland
- People from Belfast
- Sony/ATV Music Publishing artists
- The Voice judges
- Van Morrison
