Siobhan Maher Kennedy
Siobhan Maher (born 11 January 1964) is an English singer and songwriter. She was the lead vocalist of the Liverpool-based band River City People during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band released two albums, Say Something Good and This Is The World.
She is the daughter of Liverpool entertainer and BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Billy Maher.[1]
Musical career
In the mid-1980s, prior to joining River City People, Maher had been a vocalist with the local bands Peep Show (with future RCP bassist Dave Snell, to whom she was briefly married) [2] and The Persuaders (with future RCP drummer and co-founder Paul Speed).[3]
When River City People split, Maher teamed up with Debbi Peterson, drummer and vocalist with The Bangles, to form a duo called Kindred Spirit, who released a self-titled album in 1995. Although Peterson and Maher never officially split, Kindred Spirit is inactive. Peterson returned to the Bangles, and Maher released a solo album in 2002 called Immigrant Flower.
Living in Nashville, Tennessee having married Ray Kennedy, producer of Steve Earle and Malcolm Holcombe, the country/folk/Americana influence on her music is noticeable. She now styles herself Siobhan Maher Kennedy.
Other work
In 1987 Maher played the part of Lettuce in the Brookside spin-off series Damon and Debbie. Maher also made forays into television presenting, on the 1987 series of the BBC1 fashion magazine programme The Clothes Show and the 1987 and 1988 seasons of But First This!, Children's BBC's summer holiday morning programme. (For the 1987 season she presented a week solo (others doing the same included Andy Crane, Simon Potter, Tracy Brabin and Anthea Turner) and in 1988 presented throughout the run in rotation with other members of the presenting team for that season (Andy Crane, Colin Heywood and Sue Devaney).
Maher sang background vocals on Willy DeVille's 1996 Loup Garou album and the 1997 Joey Tempest album Azalea Place, and duetted with Steve Earle on the song Poison Lovers from his 1997 album El Corazón. Additionally she has performed backing vocals on several albums by Malcolm Holcombe, including the 2009 release For The Mission Baby.[4]
Maher also sang backing vocals on Manu Katche's album It's About Time, which was recorded at Real World Studios and featured Sting, Peter Gabriel and Pino Palladino amongst others.
The 2002 BBC One comedy-drama Being April featured a theme song performed by Maher—the Richard Thompson-penned "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight." Maher appeared in one episode performing the song, which is also featured on her solo album Immigrant Flower.
River City People discography
- Say Something Good (1989)
- This Is The World (1991)
River City People single(s)
- "California Dreaming" (cover of The Mamas & the Papas, now available with the reissue of the Say Something Good album)
References
External links
- [1] 2002 Liverpool Echo interview with Siobhan Maher Kennedy
- [2] Brief clip of Siobhan Maher as presenter on BBC children's show, 1987 [dead link]
- Live clip of Siobhan Maher with The Persuaders, Liverpool 1987, accessed 2 April 2009
- What Are We Going To Do, The Persuaders music video featuring Siobhan Maher, accessed 4 April 2013
- California Dreaming, River City People music video, accessed 2 April 2009
- What's Wrong With Dreaming, River City People music video, accessed 5 April 2013
- This is the World, River City People live performance, accessed 30 May 2014
- Here in My Eyes, Kindred Spirit music video, accessed 2 April 2009
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