John Doyle (Irish musician)

John Doyle (b. Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician. For four years he served as acoustic guitarist with the Irish/American band Solas, and is also an active solo artist. He has written many traditional-sounding songs and has collaborated with Kate Rusby.

Doyle has also producing credits, as well as performing, on the solo CDs of the singer from Cherish the Ladies, Heidi Talbot's, Distant Future, on which she sings his composition, "I dream of you". His current touring partner Liz Carrolls CDs, and his father Sean Doyle's CD, The Light and the Half Light. Also Karan Casey, on her solo CD, Songlines, listen to his use of a volume pedal and his acoustic guitar on the song "She is like the Swallow."

Doyle is a highly accomplished guitarist with a trademark style for backing up other musicians. A left handed player, his style involves the use of bass string damping with the heel of the left hand combined with a constant, metronome-like strumming pattern and nimble movement up and down the neck with the right hand to incorporate bass lines and chordal variations. Combined with other dynamic techniques such as string choking with the right hand, the resulting sound is full and highly rythmical.

Doyle plays guitar in many different tunings, but is perhaps best known for using the 'Dropped D' tuning (DADGBE) for backing up other musicians.

Discography

• Liz Carroll and John Doyle, “In Play”, Compass Records - Sept. 2005
• John Doyle, “Wayward Son”, Compass Records - July 2005
• Alison Brown, “Stolen Moments”, Compass Records - 2005
• Cathie Ryan, “The Farthest Wave”, Shanachie Records - 2005
• Julie Fowlis, “mar a tha mo chridhe”, Macmeanmna Records - 2004
• Irish Guitar Masters CD - Shanachie Records - 2005
• Tim O’Brien - “Fiddler’s Green”,Howdy Skies Music, 2005
• Tim O’Brien - “Cornbread Nation”, Howdy Skies Music, 2005
• Heidi Talbot, “Distant Future”, Compass Records, 2004 (produced by John Doyle)
• Sean Doyle, “The Light and the Half-Light”,Compass Records, 2004, (produced by John Doyle)
• Gibb Todd, Compass Records, 2003
• Tim O’Brien, “Traveler”, Sugar Hill, 2003
• Tommy Peoples, “Waiting for a Call”, Shanachie, 2003
• Linda Thompson, “Fashionably Late”, Rounder Records, 2002
• John McCusker, “Goodnight Ginger" Pure Records, 2002
• Kate Rusby, “Little Lights”, Pure Records, 2002
• Kate Rusby, “10", Pure Records, 2002
• John Williams, “Steam”, Green Linnet, 2002
• Brian Conway, “First Through the Gate”, Smithsonian Records, 2002
• Cathie Ryan, “Somewhere Along the Road”, Shanachie Records, 2002
• John Doyle, “Evening Comes Early”, Shanachie Records, 2001
• James Leva, “Memory Theatre”, Copper Creek Records, 2001
• Cathal McConnell, “Long Expectant Comes at Last”, Compass Records, 2000
• James Keane, “That’s the Spirit”, Green Linnet
• Solas, “The Hour Before Dawn”, Shanachie Records, 2000
• Solas, “The Words That Remain”, Shanachie Records, 1998
• Solas, “Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers”, Shanachie Records, 1997
• Solas, “Solas”, Shanachie Records, 1996
• Seamus Egan, “When Juniper Sleeps” Shanachie Records, 1993
• Eileen Ivers, “Emigrant Soul”, Koch/Musical Bridge, 2003
• Eileen Ivers, “Crossing the Bridge”, Sony Classics, 1997
• Eileen Ivers, “Wild Blue”, Green Linnet, 1994
• Eileen Ivers, “Eileen Ivers”, Green Linnet, 1991
• Karan Casey, “The Winds Begin to Sing”, Shanachie Records, 2001
• Karan Casey, “Songlines”, Shanachie Records, 1995
• Joe McKenna, “Songs of the Irish Whistle”, Shanachie Records, 2000
• Liz Carroll, “Lake Effect”, Green Linnet, 2002 (co-produced by John Doyle)
• Liz Carroll, “Lost in the Loop”, Green Linnet, 1999
• Johnny Cunningham - soundtrack CD “Peter and Wendy”, Alula Records
• Mick Moloney, “Far From the Shamrock Shore”, Shanachie Records, 2002 (co-produced by John Doyle)
• Mick Moloney, “Three Way Street”, with Seamus Egan and Eugene O’Donnell, Green Linnet, 1993
• “Out of Ireland” - Soundtrack to the PBS documentary, Shanachie Records, 1993
• Niall and Cillian Vallely, “Callan Bridge”, Compass Records, 2002
• Joannie Madden, “Songs of the Irish Whistle”, Narada, 1994
• Stephen Wade, “Dancing in the Parlour”, 1993
• Thomas Moore, “The Soul of Christmas: A Celtic Music Celebration”
• Composer, "Down the Flats" play
• Feature Film “The Brothers McMullen”
• Feature Film “Soldier”
• 27 known-of compilation recordings