Joe Derrane

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Joe Derrane

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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
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Born = bda|1930|03|16|df=yes
Boston, Massachusetts
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Instrument = Button accordion
Genre = Irish
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1947–present
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Joe Derrane (Boston, Massachusetts, 16 March 1930) is an Irish-American button accordion player, the greatest exponent of the D/C# system diatonic accordion.

Derrane's parents were Irish immigrants. His father played accordion and his mother the fiddle. At the age of 10, young Joe began playing a one-row diatonic button accordion or melodeon, taking lessons with Jerry O'Brien, who had arrived freom Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. By the age of 14 he was performing at the thriving "kitchen rackets" (house parties) on the Boston Irish scene. He soon upgraded to a 2-row D/C# accordion (the standard "American Irish" tuning of the time), and by the age of 17 was a leading musician in the Irish dancehalls on Dudley Street, Roxbury. This brought him exposure on radio. In 1947-48 he recorded eight 78rpm singles (16 sides) of Irish dance tunes, which were widely admired for Derrane's vigorous, accurate and highly ornamented playing.

By the late 1950s the Irish dancehalls in Roxbury were in terminal decline. By this time Derrane was married with children, and needed to continue supplementing his income through music. He switched to piano accordion and formed a band to play for weddings and similar engagements, moving away from traditional Irish music to popular music and music from other traditions, including Italian and Jewish. By the mid-1970s musical tastes had changed once more and Derrane again switched instruments, moving to electronic keyboards. He retired from music in 1990.

The story might have ended there, but in 1993 Rego Records reissued the 16 78rpm cuts on CD ("Irish Accordion"). The recordings again generated considerable interest. Many assumed that the man who had made them in the late 1940s had passed away. On learning that Joe Derrane was still alive, journalist Earle Hitchener contacted him, after which Derrane started playing the button accordion again. In 1994 he was invited to perform at the Wolf Trap Festival in Vienna, Virginia. He practiced intensively in preparation for what he thought would be the last appearance of his life. His hour-long virtuoso performance (accompanied by Felix Dolan, piano) received a rapturous response from the audience of 1,200 and relaunched a second career as a button accordionist.

Since 1994 Joe Derrane has recorded two solo albums and four collaborations with prestigious players. He has appeared on radio and television many times, including "The Pure Drop" on Irish TV (RTE). Frank Ferrel presented a documentary called "As Played By Joe Derrane." He has toured Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands, and appeared with The Chieftains at Boston Symphony Hall. In 1998, Derrane was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (North American Province) for his contribution to Irish traditional music. In 2004 The National Endowment for the Arts annually awarded him a Heritage Fellowship. In 2006 he appeared at the National Folk Festival (USA).

Discography

Solo albums

* "Irish Accordion" (1993, resissued 1995) (singles from the 1940s)
* "Give Us Another" (1995)
* "The Tie That Binds" (1998)

Joe Derrane and Carl Hession.
* "Return To Inis Mor" (1996)

Joe Derrane, Frankie Gavin and Brian McGrath.
* "Ireland's Harvest" (2002)

Joe Derrane and Jerry O'Brien.
* "Irish Accordion Masters" (1996)

Joe Derrane, Séamus Connolly and John McGann.
* "The Boston Edge" (2004)

Anthology - Tulla Ceili Band, Joe Derrane, Tom Doherty et al.
* "Baby Let Me Squeeze Your Box" (2007)

Anthology - Deanta, Capercaillie, Altan, Joe Derrane, Kornog, Eileen Ivers, Silly Wizard et al.
* "Green Linnet Records: 25 Years of Celtic Music" (2006)

Bibliography

* "See You At the Hall: Boston’s Golden Era of Irish Music and Dance" by Susan Gedutis (2005)

External references

* [http://www.shamrockirishmusic.org/id35.html "Joe Derrane, A National Treasure"]
* [http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/artist_detail.cfm?artist_id=JOEDERRANE Biography - Kennedy Center]
* [http://scoilcheoil.com/enleacht.htm Profile - Wall Street Journal]
* [http://www.shamrockirishmusic.org/id35.html Biography - Shamrock]
* [http://www.dirtylinen.com/118/118derrane.html Biography - Dirty Linen]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/joe-derrane?cat=entertainment Biography - All Music]
* [http://www.johnmcgann.com/irish.html The Boston Edge]
* [http://www.celticcafe.com/archive/Hitchner/Joe_Derrane/ National Heritage Fellowship]
* [http://www.upne.com/1-55553-610-7.html See You At The Hall]