John Doherty (musician)

John Doherty (1895 – January 26, 1980) was an Irish folk fiddler.

John Doherty was born in Ardara, County Donegal. He was an Irish Traveller who worked as a tinsmith. The year of his birth is not certain. His father Mickey Doherty was a fiddler. Mickey married Mary McConnell, a singer. Together they had nine children and John was the youngest. In an interview in the 1970s he said that he had to practice in the barn as a teenager, and was not allowed to play fiddle in the company of his parents until he had mastered "Bonny Kate". He heard recordings of James Scott Skinner and imitated his style. His brother, also called Mickey, tended to play more in the style of Michael Coleman. Mickey was also recorded, notably on the album "The Gravel Walks".

From the late 40s to the 1970s he was sought out by collectors. "The Floating Bow" contains recodings made between 1968 and 1974. They are mostly played in the Donegal fiddle tradition, though a couple are Scottish. He tended to add so much decoration, including double-stopping, that it was hard to learn tunes from him. He created the effect of drones, which sounds slightly similar to bagpipes. According to Alex Monaghan in the magazine "The Living Tradition", he was a significant influence on the fiddle playing of The Chieftains and Altan. Doherty was also a stoty-teller, and some of these appear on the liner notes to "The Floating Bow". Very generously, the record company has given some 32 pages of notes.

Doherty did not carry a fiddle with him on his travels because he knew he was always be provided with one when he visited "house dances" (folk music parties hosted by a family in their own house). "The Floating Bow" was played on a borrowed fiddle. He once travelled to Dublin to play in the Oireachtas Championships. He was first recorded in 1945 by The Irish Folklore Commission during one of his trips to Teelin in Southwest Donegal and later by the BBC (Peter Kennedy) in Belfast in 1953. 10 of these 1953 recordings were issued on "Traditional Dance Music of Ireland" (various artists). His first full album was "Pedlar's Pack" (1964), issued by the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Sadly, these recordings have never been re-issued. Paddy Glackin first met him in 1965, and was heavily influenced by John. He is credited with writing the tune "Planxty Reel". He is also said to have known hundreds of tunes. He could probably described as the last of the travelling fiddlers. He died in Ballyshannon Rock Hospital, County Donegal.

Discography

* - Pedlar's Pack (1964)
* - Taisce – The Celebrated Recordings (1975)
* - Johnny Doherty (1975)
* - Round Rye Bay For More (1977)
* - Bundle and Go (recorded 1977, issued 1980)
* - The Floating Bow (recorded 1968 - 74, issued 1996)
* - The Star of Donegal (1988)

Anthologies - Various artists.
* - Songs of Seduction (1961)
* - Jack of all Trades (1961)
* - The Donegal Fiddle (1990s?)
* - Traditional Dance music of Ireland (1997)

References and External links

Book: "Between the Jigs and the Reels" by Caoimhín Mac Aoidh (1994)

* [http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/doherty.htm Mustrad]
* [http://www.folkmusic.net/htmfiles/webrevs/ccf31cd.htm The Living Tradition]
* [http://www.myspace.com/johndoherty19 Myspace]
* [http://comhaltas.ie/blog/post/johnny_doherty/ Comhaltas]
* [http://www.irishmusicreview.com/jdoherty.htm Irish Music Review]