John McSherry

John Mc Sherry is hailed as one of the finest exponents of the art of uilleann piping in the world today - "a true master" - Irish Music Magazine. Described as being "at the forefront of modern innovation" - Green Man Review, he has taken piping and whistle playing to new heights with his unique style. John has toured the world as both a solo performer and a member of several outstanding bands. He is a composer, producer, arranger and established studio session musician of world class renown, recording and performing with everybody from Clannad, Sinead O'Connor and Nancy Griffiths, to Shaun Davey, Donal Lunny and The Corrs. Born in West Belfast and coming from a family steeped in traditional music, John focused his energies on the pipes from an early age. By the time he reached fifteen he had two All Ireland Championship titles under his belt and at the age of eighteen he was the youngest ever winner of the prestigious and much coveted 'Oireachtas' piping competition. Combining with his musical siblings, John formed the exciting and innovative band 'Tamalin', bringing their unique fusion of Irish, Rock, Eastern and Celtic music to enthusiastic audiences around the world. Their bold debut album, 'Rhythm & Rhyme' was released in 1996 to wide critical acclaim including a four-star rating in Q Magazine. Sometime previous to this (1995), John began collaberating with fiddle player Sean Smyth, flautist Mike McGoldrick and guitarist Steve Cooney, touring exstensively throughout Ireland and England. The seeds for 'Lunasa' were being sown. A year or so later, and with a few changes in personnel, 'Lunasa Live' (their dynamic debut album) was released. Described as - "simply stunningly impressive" - Irish Music Magazine, it is now considered to be something of a classic. As well as being a founding member of Lunasa, John was a lead instrumentalist with Donal Lunnys' now legendary supergroup 'Coolfin', which included Nollaig Casey and Sharon Shannon. Yet again, John was at the forefront of a band which would re-shape the boundaries of Irish music. The ground breaking album 'Coolfin' was released in 1998 and a heavy touring schedule ensued. The band played host to a wide range of artists, among them Sinead O'Connor, Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill, and Eddie Reader. 2001 saw John team up with life long musical comrade Michael McGoldrick to release 'At First Light', which recieved the award for 'best traditional album of the year 2001' - Irish American News. It was from the touring of this benchmark album that John's current band 'At First Light' arose. John's next recording venture came in 2006 with the album 'Tripswitch'. Described as 'Acoustic perfection' - Debbie Koritsas - Living Tradition, the album recieved outoutstanding reviews worldwide and yet again placed John right at the forefront of Irish music. 'Soma' is the new outstanding Solo album from John and is available now from John's website! Listen to some sound-clips on the music player! Uilleann Piper, Whistle Player, Composer, Producer and Arranger! The original piper with Lunasa, Coolfin, Tamalin, At First Light, the olllam and much more! New Album out Now! Visit John's website: http://www.johnmcsherry.com/