The Stunning

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Stunning


Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|Ireland Ireland
Genre = Rock
Years_active = 1987 – 1994, 2003, 2006
Label = ?
Associated_acts = The Walls, The Saw Doctors, Altan, Riverdance
URL = [http://www.thestunning.net/ The Stunning Official Website]
Current_members = Joe Wall
Steve Wall
Derek Murray
Jim Higgins
Cormac Dunne

The Stunning were an Irish rock band. They formed in 1987, split up in 1994 and since then have reformed on two occasions, both in the 21st century.

Members

* Steve Wall
* Joe Wall
* Derek Murray (guitarist)
* Jim Higgins (percussionist and trumpet player)
* Cormac Dunne (drummer)

Background

The Stunning gained recognition within Ireland with singles such as "Brewin' Up A Storm", "Half Past Two", "Romeo’s on Fire" and "Everything that Rises". Their debut album, "Paradise in the Picturehouse", and their second album "Once Around The World", both reached the #1 spot in the Irish Album Chart. They recorded a live album, "Tightrope", in the Taibhdhearc Theatre at the Galway Arts Festival in July 1993.

In the seven years the band were together they toured relentlessly around Ireland building up a following that would make them one of the most successful acts on the live circuit throughout the early nineties. In 1990 their debut album "Paradise in the Picturehouse" spent a record-breaking 5 weeks at number one. Their second album "Once around the World" went straight in at number one and went on to be another multi-platinum seller. The Stunning have sold in excess of 100,000 albums in Ireland alone and won numerous awards.

They were together as a group for seven years before splitting up. After a series of business dissappointments and a lack of progress internationally the band had become frustrated. They played a farewell tour in 1994 before going their separate ways.

After The Stunning

The founding members, Joe and Steve Wall, later formed The Walls. Derek Murray joined the Saw Doctors, before leaving again. Jim Higgins spent a number of years playing around the world with Riverdance and since then has played with the Saw Doctors, Altan and numerous other acts. Cormac Dunne has become one of the most in-demand session drummers in Ireland.

Re-releases and reformations

The Walls received regular emails from fans requesting their debut album "Paradise in the Picturehouse" whose cassette copies had worn out, so they decided to reissue the album on their own label. It was the re-release of the album that inspired the idea of a reunion tour to promote it. The band members had always dismissed the idea before, but this time they all agreed.

In September 2003, 9 years after breaking up, they re-released "Paradise in the Picture House". It went straight into the top ten once again, and the accompanying tour was a huge success. They played 14 sold-out shows to over 20,000 people across the country. When they walked on stage for the first gig of the tour and struck the first chords of "Everything that Rises", the roar of the crowd was deafening.

For Christmas 2006, The Stunning re-released their acclaimed live album, "Tightrope" and reformed again for another nationwide tour. The tour began in Galway on December 14 and finished in Killarney on New Year's Eve. In between they visited Cork, Dublin, Waterford, Sligo, Castlebar and Ennis.

Discography

tudio albums

* "Paradise in the Picturehouse" (1990)
* "Once Around The World" (1992)
* "Milking the Hits" (1994)

Live albums

* "Tightrope" (1993)

External links

* [http://www.thestunning.net/ Official band website]