Ceili Rain Biography
Ceili Rain (pronounced Kay-lee) was formed in 1995 by veteran songwriter Bob Halligan, Jr. The Syracuse, N.Y native had been thinking conceptually about combining Celtic instrumentation within a pop-rock setting since 1989, and had received encouragement from his wife Linda to move forward with the idea. Formerly, he had written songs that had been recorded by heavy metal artists such as Judas Priest and Blue Oyster Cult, but was uncomfortable of the association with negatively perceived artists. He had also written with Michael Bolton, and had his songs recorded by such diverse artists as Cher, Kathy Mattea, and Joan Jett.
Halligan also recorded a solo album in 1991 that went nowhere on the charts. By 1995, Halligan had moved from New York to Nashville, finding the atmosphere there more suited to what he was pursuing. Wanting to combine the Celtic influences that he had grown to like with his solid rock songwriting skills, Halligan formed Ceili Rain. (loosely translated in Gaelic as "heavenly party") They honed their skills in concerts, and finally signed with the independent label Punch Records. The 1997 album combined uplifting spiritual messages, Celtic Rock influences, solid pop-rock songwriting skills, and received strong reviews from many publications, including Billboard. ~ Michael Ofjord, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Kenna Biography: Kenna Zemedkun spent the first three years of his life with his grandfather in Ethiopia, where his family was from. His mother and father had left the country soon after his birth to escape...
Blue states Biography: With the help of a couple friends, Andy Dragazis' semi-kitschy trip-hop outfit Blue States became active in 1997. After playing out for a short amount of time, Dragazis relocated to...
Mansun Biography: Arriving in the aftermath of Brit-pop, Mansun was one of the first British guitar-bands to depart from the prevailing styles of the mid-'90s, leaving both light, Beatlesque pop and studied trad-rock...
Project pat Biography: Of the many hardcore rappers to emerge from Memphis during the late '90s, Project Pat certainly stood above his peers. His affiliation with the Three 6 Mafia collective introduced him to many...
Trans am Biography: Trans Am are loosely associated with the mid-'90s post-rock scene centered around Tortoise, Ui, Labradford, Windy & Carl, etc., and the Thrill Jockey, Kranky, UHF, and Southern labels, among others....
My chemical romance Biography: Based in New Jersey, My Chemical Romance is an alternative pop/rock and punk-pop band that has been compared to Thursday and, to a lesser degree, Cursive. Their name was inspired by author Irvine...
Lambchop Biography: Touted as "Nashville's most f*cked-up country band" by their label Merge Records, Lambchop was arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s. Their...
Fuse Biography: A Richie Hawtin pseudonym which predated even the more famed Plastikman, F.U.S.E. debuted in 1991 with the fourth single on Hawtin's +8 Records, "Approach & Identify." Given wider issue later that...