James Vincent McMorrow
| James Vincent McMorrow | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Vincent McMorrow |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Folk, Indie |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, banjo, drums |
| Labels | Vagrant/Believe Digital |
| Website | www.jamesvmcmorrow.com |
James Vincent McMorrow (born in 1983) is an Irish folk singer and songwriter.[1] His debut album Early in the Morning was released in February 2010.[2] He wrote the album during a self-imposed seclusion in a beach house in Ireland.[3] His music has been compared to Bon Iver,[4] Sufjan Stevens,[5] and Ray LaMontagne.[6] Tracks from Early in the Morning have been used in American television programs.[7]
McMorrow made his UK TV debut on BBC Two's Later... with Jools Holland on 27 May 2011.[8]
McMorrow performed at the Eurosonic Festival in 2012 when Ireland was the "Spotlight Country".[9]
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Personal life [edit]
James is engaged to Emma Doyle and they are due to be married at the end of his tour this year.[clarification needed]
Musical career [edit]
McMorrow was born and brought up in Malahide in north County Dublin, he started his musical life as a drummer in a handful of post-hardcore rock bands, while studying marketing at college. Despite liking the comfort and anonymity of playing drums, he decided to take his chances as a solo singer during a summer spent pushing trollies in Dublin Airport. McMorrow retreated to the safety of his parent's house and started to re-educate himself as a musician and a songwriter, using the family piano to piece the jigsaw together.
Instant results were never part of the plan, and McMorrow spent the next four to five years learning and experimenting. He charted his development as a songwriter with demos made on an eight track recorder and he finally caught the ear of EMI Publishing, with whom he signed a modest record deal.
The next big step was a move to the big time in London, or so McMorrow hoped. But his five weeks spent in the studio there were far from productive. Alone in a strange city, McMorrow failed to transfer his ideas to tape and in the end his efforts yielded nothing. He returned home in disappointment, the big chance gone, and spent Christmas 2008 licking his wounds back in the family home in Dublin - "I thought that was it. I was minutes away from calling time on it".
But the songs that did not flow in London finally came out in the unlikeliest of places. With nothing else going on, McMorrow packed up and spent the next month living in a remote house by the beach in Termonfeckin, County Louth. The peace and solitude served as a welcome relief from the London music scene, and the inspiration resulted in what would become Early in the Morning.
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] |
IRE [11] |
NL [12] |
FRA [13] |
||
| Early in the Morning |
|
68 | 23 | 92 | 87 |
Extended Plays [edit]
- The Sparrow and the Wolf (2008)
- Self Titled EP (United States only)[2]
Singles [edit]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] |
|||
| 2011 | "Higher Love" | 21 | We Don't Eat - EP |
Contributions to Film and TV [edit]
His song "And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop" was featured on the MTV show Teen Wolf. His song "Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree" was used in the 2010 film Third Star. "We Don't Eat" was used in the Chuck fourth season episode "Chuck Versus the First Fight", as well as the "Ordinary People" episode of the hit CW show The Vampire Diaries. His cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" played during the final scene of the Gossip Girl episode, "The End of an Affair?". A version of his song "Ghosts" was used in the last installment of the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn Part 2, and is featured on the film's soundtrack.
In 2011, his cover of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" was featured in a LoveFilm television advertisement. The song was also used in the British reality TV show, Desperate Scousewives. In 2012, "If I Had A Boat" was used in Silent Hill: Downpour.
Collaborations [edit]
He sang 'My Singing Bird' solo, accompanying himself on guitar, and duetted with Jack Bruce on 'Waiting for the day' - both songs by the late Gerry Rafferty on a BBC Scotland recorded tribute concert to Gerry Rafferty as part of Celtic Connections 2012.
McMorrow played an intimate performance with Lisa Hannigan, 8 December 2011 at Dublin's Button Factory for the Meteor Choice Music Prize event.[14]
Awards and nominations [edit]
In January 2012 James Vincent McMorrow received an European Border Breakers Award.[15]
He was nominated for the Hope for 2009 Award at the 2009 Meteor Awards, but ultimately lost to Wallis Bird.[16]
References [edit]
- ^ The Irish Times. 2011-10-14 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2011/1014/1224305729390.html
|url=missing title (help). - ^ a b "Discography | James Vincent McMorrow". Jamesvmcmorrow.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "James Vincent McMorrow ‘Early In The Morning’ Album Review". Indie Rock Reviews. 2011-01-25. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "James Vincent Mcmorrow - The Irish Times - Fri, Apr 22, 2011". The Irish Times. 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "James Vincent McMorrow: Early in the Morning | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ Richman, Simmy (2011-03-27). "Album: James Vincent McMorrow, Early in the Morning (Believe Digital) - Reviews, Music". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning (streams) | Totally Fuzzy Blog". Totallyfuzzy.blogspot.com. 2011-04-23. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "Two Programmes - Later... with Jools Holland, Series 38, Episode 8". BBC. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
- ^ "RTÉ 2fm gearing up for EuroSonic". RTÉ Ten (Raidió Teilifís Éireann). 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > James Vincent McMorrow". Chart Stats.
- ^ "Irish Charts > James Vincent McMorrow". irish-charts.com/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "Dutch Charts > James Vincent McMorrow". dutchcharts.nl/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "French Charts > James Vincent McMorrow" (in French). lescharts.com/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "Meteor Choice Music Prize". Meteor. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- ^ "James Vincent McMorrow wins ebba 2012", imro.ie. October 7, 2011
- ^ "2009 Meteor Awards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia". En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
External links [edit]
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