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Four to the Bar was an American band from
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
during the early to mid-1990s.


Band history


The Early Days: 1991–1992

Four to the Bar was formed in the working-class immigrant Irish community of
Woodside, Queens Woodside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the borough (New York City), borough of Queens in New York City. It is bordered on the south by Maspeth, Queens, Maspeth, on the north by Astoria, Queens, Astoria, on the west by Sunnyside, ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, in 1991. The initial lineup was Martin Kelleher (from
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
) on
bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
, David Yeates (from Dunboyne, County Meath) on vocals and
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
, David Livingstone (from
County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...
) on
mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
, and Gerry Singleton on
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
. That August, Kelleher switched to guitar and the band placed a classified ad for a bass player in the ''Irish Voice'' newspaper. Patrick Clifford (from
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
) answered the ad, was hired, and completed the Kelleher-Yeates-Clifford nucleus that would hold for the remainder of the band's existence. Four to the Bar immediately began to tour regionally. It was during this time that the band gave an opening act for then-rising star
Sharon Shannon Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the button accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and Diatonic button accordion, melodeon. Her 1991 debut album, ''Sharon Shann ...
at the Bog in
Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roxbury. The community seceded from Roxbur ...
, which brought attention. In 1992, Livingstone abruptly left the band and returned to Ireland. For a number of months, the lead-instrument slot was filled by various fiddlers and mandolin players, most notably Chris Murphy and John Farrell (later of the Prodigals and Fathom).


The Heydays: 1993–1994

In October 1992, Four to the Bar found and retained fiddler Keith O'Neill. Soon after this, the band completed its first commercial recording, a four-song EP and titled simply '' Four to the Bar'' (1993). This was available only on cassette. During the next 12 months, the band would begin to build its name in New York, sharing the marquee with acts as diverse as
Frank Patterson Frank Patterson KCHS (5 October 1938 – 10 June 2000) was an internationally renowned Irish tenor following in the tradition of singers such as Count John McCormack and Josef Locke. He was known as "Ireland's Golden Tenor". Early life Patter ...
and
Susan McKeown Susan McKeown (born February 6, 1967) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. She won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album as a member of The Klezmatics. Early years Susan McKeown was born on Febr ...
's Chanting House, and begin to test the bounds of the trad repertoire with such covers as
Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...
' "
I Ain't Marching Anymore ''I Ain't Marching Any More'' is Phil Ochs' second LP, released on Elektra Records in 1965. History Ochs performs alone on twelve original songs, an interpretation of Alfred Noyes' " The Highwayman" set to music (much as Poe's "The Bells" had ...
." Four to the Bar headlined regularly at
Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an Irish folk music, folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, tin whistle, l ...
's Irish Pavilion and
Paddy Reilly Patrick Reilly (born 18 October 1939) is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. Born in Rathcoole, County Dublin, he is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of " The Fields of Athenry", " Rose of Allendale" ...
's Music Bar, and on one occasion served as
Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...
's backing band. Sometime between February and April 1994, Four to the Bar spent time in a Manhattan studio working with a number of fellow musicians, including
Seamus Egan Seamus Egan is an Irish-American musician. Early days Seamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Mike and Ann Egan. At the age of three his parents moved the family back home to County Mayo, Ireland. He learned accordi ...
,
Eileen Ivers Eileen Ivers (born July 13, 1965) is an American fiddler. Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents, grew up in the Bronx and attended St. Barnabas High School. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of nin ...
,
Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born February 28, 1948) is a Canadian politician who was the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada, from 2002 until 2005, and a member of the Senate of Canada from 2005 until his retirement in 2023. Before he was mayor, Campbe ...
,
Matt Keating Matt Keating (born 6 September 1986) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a . He played 130 games for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL between 2008 and 2013. Background He is the older brother of the rugby ...
,
Steve Holley Stephen Jeffrey Holley (born 24 August 1953) is an English rock drummer. He was a member of Wings from August 1978 to April 1981. In 1984 he played drums and percussion in Julian Lennon's debut album '' Valotte''. He has also toured with Ian ...
, and
Rufus Cappadocia Rufus Cappadocia is a Canadian-American cellist best known for his cross-cultural recordings and performances. He has released albums in collaboration with guitarist David Fiuczynski, singer Bethany Yarrow, Stellamara with Sonja Drakulich, mult ...
. This project was never commercially released; rough mixes from these sessions apparently circulated as bootlegs through the community, but little else is known about the project. Around the same time, Four to the Bar was experimenting with its sound—by adding to the lineup, together and separately, accordionist Tony McQuillan and percussionist Seamus Casey. While neither would prove permanent, they both appear on '' Craic on the Road'', the band's first CD release, recorded live on June 16, 1994 and released later that year.


The Final Days: 1995–1996

In early 1995, Four to the Bar bought and borrowed recording equipment, called in engineer Tim Hatfield, and converted a rented dancehall into a recording studio. The five men worked in isolation for three weeks recording, mixing, and mastering, and emerged with '' Another Son'' (1995). On the strength of the recording, the band was chosen to perform at the 1995 Daytona International Music Festival, sharing the bill with
Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...
and the
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
. The subsequent promotional tour carried the band from Vermont to Key West to St. Louis to Chicago. At some point later that same year, O'Neill resigned; his spot was filled by a series of local freelancers, including Monty Monaghan,
Tony DeMarco Tony DeMarco (January 14, 1932 – October 11, 2021), born Leonardo Liotta, was an American boxer and Undisputed World Welterweight Champion. Born to Sicilian immigrants from Sciacca (AG), Vincent and Giacomina, DeMarco grew up in the North E ...
, John Reynolds, and Joyce Andersen. Classically trained, Andersen brought a cultured sound, but was focused on a solo career and her tenure was brief. On New Year's Eve 1995, Four to the Bar had just started its first set in Dillon's Pub in hometown Woodside, NY, when a fire broke out in an adjoining diner. Each musician managed to save his instrument, but everything else was destroyed. Four to the Bar never fully recovered from the disaster, and despite playing a handful of shows in early 1996, this setback effectively signalled the band's demise.


Discography

*'' Four to the Bar (EP)'' (1993) *'' Craic on the Road'' (1994) *'' Another Son'' (1995)


Members

*David Yeates: Vocals, bodhran, flute, tin whistle, percussion, guitar *Martin Kelleher: Lead and backing vocals, guitar, bouzouki, five-string banjo, mandolin * Patrick Clifford: Bass guitar, piano, electric guitar, accordion *Keith O'Neill: Fiddle, tenor banjo


Transitional Members

*Joyce Andersen *Seamus Casey *John Farrell *David Livingstone *Tony McQuillan *Monty Monaghan *Chris Murphy *John Reynolds


References


External links


Four to the Bar official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Four To The Bar American folk musical groups Irish folk musical groups Musical groups from New York City Irish-American culture Celtic fusion groups Musical groups established in 1991