Eamonn McCrystal (born 1 June 1987)Karen Scott, "Eamonn McCrystal – following his destiny," ''

Tyrone Courier The ''Dungannon News and Tyrone Courier'' is a weekly newspaper based in Dungannon, County Tyrone, with an office in Cookstown Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a ...

'', 22 August 2012. is a multi-

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winning

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

pop

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

TV host A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

and producer based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

Early life

McCrystal was born to Jim and Ann McCrystal, nursing home owners, in

Cookstown Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: �anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Magh ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retain ...

, Northern Ireland.John McGurk
“Cookstown singer Eamonn McCrystal set for stardom in US”
''

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...

'', 4 September 2012.Billy Kennedy, "Rising star Eammon to thrill Cookstown", ''The News Letter'', 10 August 2012. He attended Holy Trinity College in Cookstown, where he learned to play the piano and the flute. In his late teen years, he seriously considered joining the priesthood, but was advised by local

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, ...

Sean Brady to pursue his music career instead. He studied to be a teacher of

Religious Education In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion (although in the United Kingdom the term ''religious instruction'' would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with ''religious education'' referring to te ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

at St Mary's University College, Belfast before moving to

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

to pursue a career in Media.

Career

Early career

McCrystal's debut radio broadcast was at the age of nine, on the George Jones Show on

BBC Radio Ulster BBC Radio Ulster ( ga, BBC Raidió Uladh) is a Northern Irish radio station owned and operated by BBC Northern Ireland, a division of the BBC. It was established on New Year's Day 1975, replacing what had been an opt-out of BBC Radio 4. It is ...

.Jenny Lee
“Crystal clear sounds,”
''

The Irish News ''The Irish News'' is a compact daily newspaper based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's largest selling morning newspaper and is available throughout Ireland. It is broadly Irish nationalist in its viewpoint, though it al ...

'', 31 August 2012. He released his first album, ''After the Storm'', in 2000, at the age of 13. Over the course of the decade, he independently recorded three more albums, and toured around Ireland with a 15-piece band.

Move to U.S.

In 2009, McCrystal was working as a stage manager at the UTV Country Fest in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

, headlined that year by

Randy Travis Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country music and gospel music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. Active from 1978 until being incapacitated by a stroke in 2013, he has recor ...

. McCrystal was driving Travis's then-wife and manager Elizabeth Travis to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, and gave her a copy of ''Eamonn McCrystal Live''. After listening to the album, she gave McCrystal a slot as a guest artist on the Randy Travis tour, signed him to a contract with Elizabeth Travis Management, and brought him to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, where he is currently based. In 2011, McCrystal recorded his first US album, ''When in Nashville...'', produced by

Kyle Lehning Kyle Lehning is an American record producer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. He has produced virtually every album released by Randy Travis, who described their partnership "an interesting relationship." The only exceptions are ...

, composed of six covers and six original compositions by outside songwriters. Later that year, McCrystal sang with Randy Travis on "Someone You Never Knew" on his album ''Anniversary Celebration''. In 2012, McCrystal released the single "Under Your Wings," a ballad written by

Walter Afanasieff Walter Afanasieff (born Vladimir Nikitich Afanasyev; February 10, 1958), formerly nicknamed Baby Love in the 1980s, is an American record producer and songwriter of Russian-Chinese descent. He was a collaborator with Mariah Carey on her first ...

. McCrystal's musical director

Brad Ellis Brad Ellis is an American composer, musical director, singer, orchestrator, and jazz pianist. Ellis is perhaps most visible as Brad the mostly quiet pianist for the high school kids on ''Glee (TV series), Glee'', the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox ...

accompanies him on the track. Eamonn McCrystal Belfast 2014

In 2013, McCrystal released ''The Music of Christmas & the Stories Behind the Songs'', an album of Christmas songs produced by Nigel Wright. On 2 September 2014, his album ''A Living Prayer'' was released by Difference Media / UMG. Produced by McCrystal and Casey Wood, it contains traditional hymns and contemporary songs.“Celebrating our music,”
''The Irish News'', 28 August 2014. McCrystal and Woods co-produced the 2016 traditional vocal pop album ''And So It Goes'' which included performances by

Rita Wilson Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff; October 26, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and producer. Her film appearances include ''Volunteers'' (1985), ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (1993), '' Now and Then'' (1995), ''That Thing You Do!'' (1996), ...

and

Chloe Agnew Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...

Television, film and radio

In 2008, McCrystal founded SMUC Radio, a radio station at St. Mary's University College in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

, England, hosted by students and broadcast 24 hours a day. SMUC Radio debuted on 19 February 2009. An

Internet TV Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air ae ...

station, The Eamonn McCrystal Network, was launched on 10 October 2012. On 6 September 2014, McCrystal hosted the made-for-television concert ''The Music of Northern Ireland'' at the Grand Opera House in

. It was filmed by

BBC Northern Ireland BBC Northern Ireland ( ga, BBC Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ''BBC Norlin Airlan'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Northern Ireland. It is widely available across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ire ...

and aired on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

in North America in March 2015. During the event, McCrystal sung duets with special guest artists including Brian Kennedy,

Rachel Tucker Rachel Kelly Tucker (born 29 May 1981) is a Northern Irish West End and Broadway actress, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the hit musical '' Wicked''. She most recently starred in Come from Away on Broadway, having originated the role ...

Keith Getty Julian Keith Getty OBE (born 16 December 1974) is a Northern Irish Christian singer and songwriter, best known for writing the modern hymn " In Christ Alone" in 2001 with veteran songwriter and worship leader Stuart Townend. Getty and his wi ...

and

Kristyn Getty Kristyn Elizabeth Rebekah Getty ( Lennox, born 22 May 1980 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish Christian singer and songwriter. With her husband, Keith Getty, she has co-written many award-winning songs and hymns that have charted on multiple US B ...

.“’We want to show everyone Ulster is a place of cool music’,”
''

The News Letter The ''News Letter'' is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published from Monday to Saturday. It is the world's oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication, having first been printed in 1737. The newspape ...

'', 4 September 2014. It won four 2015

NATAS The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) is an American professional service organization founded in 1955 for "the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, ed ...

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, with McCrystal winning for best On-Camera Talent/Performer, and as a co-producer for best Overall Arts/Entertainment program. Eamonn is seen regularly on

Television with his concerts "The Music of Northern Ireland" (PBS) and "The Music of Christmas" (BBC/PBS) and also on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

in the UK, most notably BBC Children In Need,

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Tabe ...

McCrystal made an appearance in the 2014 film '' Big Stone Gap'', directed by

Adriana Trigiani Adriana Trigiani is an American best-selling author of eighteen books, playwright, television writer/producer, film director/screenwriter/producer, and entrepreneur based in New York City. Trigiani has published a novel a year since 2000. E ...

and starring

Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonn ...

Patrick Wilson Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in '' The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and '' Okla ...

and

Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...

. He also appeared in the 2016 film ''

God's Not Dead 2 ''God's Not Dead 2'' is a 2016 American Christian drama film, directed by Harold Cronk, and starring Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A. R. White, Hayley Orrantia and Sadie Robertson. It is a sequel to '' God's Not Dead'' (2014), an ...

'', and guest-starred in the sitcom ''Hitting The Breaks''. On December 13, 2018, "The Music of Christmas with Eamonn McCrystal" was released on Amazon Prime Video. In February 2020 Eamonn co-created, produced and directed an 8-part vegan cooking show “New Day New Chef” with

Jane Velez-Mitchell Jane Velez-Mitchell is a television and social media journalist and author, with specialities in vegan lifestyles, animal rights, addiction and social justice. Early life and career Born to a Puerto Rican mother and an Irish American father, Ve ...

which debuted on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service p ...

and later aired on

. In June 2020 a stand alone 6-part version of the show titled, "New Day New Chef : Support and Feed Edition" aired on

and featured

Maggie Baird Maggie May Baird (born ) is an American actress, screenwriter, and former theater troupe teacher. Baird grew up in Colorado performing music, and studied theater and dance at the University of Utah, before moving to New York City, where she perf ...

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with who ...

and

Finneas Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas (stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, B ...

. A third and final season of the original "New Day New Chef" series was released in October 2020. In October 2020 Eamonn and his production company "Inspired." signed with

The Gersh Agency The Gersh Agency (also known as simply Gersh) is a talent and literary agency established in 1949 by Phil Gersh, based in Beverly Hills, California and New York City. The Gersh Agency is the fourth largest talent agency in the United States. ...

for representation.

Performances

McCrystal has performed with

and

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

, Brian Kennedy,

and

, he makes regular guest appearances on the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, and is often backed by a 12-piece orchestra. In December 2016, McCrystal toured the United States (15 cities in 18 days) with

, notable venues included: The Grammy Museum at LA Live and The Kennedy Center, Washington DC. Eamonn performs regularly on

Television with his concerts "The Music of Northern Ireland" (PBS) and "The Music of Christmas" (BBC/PBS) and also on the

in the UK, most notably BBC Children In Need,

and live music performances on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

Discography

Albums

* ''After the Storm'' (2000) * ''The Search'' (2006) * ''Rest for Your Soul'' (2007) * ''Eamonn McCrystal Live'' (2009) * ''When in Nashville...'' (2011) * ''The Music of Christmas & the Stories Behind the Songs'' (2013) * ''A Living Prayer'' (2014) * ''The Music of Northern Ireland'' (CD & DVD, 2015) * ''Where Does The Time Go?'' (2015) * ''And So It Goes'' (2016)

Singles

* "If It's Gonna Rain" (2010) * "Under Your Wings" (2012) * "Blue Christmas" (2013) * "Auld Lang Syne" (2013) * "Pray For Peace" (2016) feat.

and

Chloë Agnew Chloë Alexandra Adele Emily Agnew (born 1989) is an Irish singer and songwriter, best known for being an original and former member of the Celtic music group Celtic Woman. Early life and career Agnew was born to Irish entertainer Adele " ...

* "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me" (2018) * "Love Will Wait" (2020)

Collaborations

* "Someone You Never Knew" – with

(from ''Anniversary Celebration'', 2011) * "Pray For Peace" (2016) feat.

and

(from ''And So It Goes'' 2016) * "We've Got Tonight" - with

(from ''And So It Goes'' 2016)

References

External links

Official website

The Eamonn McCrystal Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrystal, Eamonn 1987 births Living people Pop singers from Northern Ireland Musicians from Northern Ireland Musicians from County Tyrone Tenors from Northern Ireland Male singers from Northern Ireland Songwriters from Northern Ireland Singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland Television presenters from Northern Ireland People from Cookstown Emmy Award winners