I BELIEVE that we are meant to be in certain places at certain times, and that certain people are meant to come into our lives. My column this month is testament to that. Hubby was busy working locally when he was approached by a lovely lady, Maureen, who asked if he could do some work for her. The first morning on the job, he heard Maureen’s husband chatting as he got into his car and was stopped in tracks. He said to himself, if Joe Sexton (my dad) were alive, that’s exactly what he’d sound like. A cup of coffee and a chat later with Maureen and he discovered her husband—also named Joe—was from Kilnaleck in Cavan, a mere 20 minutes from where dad was born in Mullinalaghta, Lough Gowna in Longford. And not only that, but as Joe and Maureen drove off they were listening to this song in their car, Lough Gowna’s Lovely Shore.
Coincidence? Fate? Synchronicity? I like to think that hubby meeting Joe Gilchrist was all three, plus a touch of divine intervention thrown in for good measure. That song is a firm favourite of Joe’s, written by friend, Dermot Smith, although it seems Dermot didn’t quite get the full credit for it, but that’s another story and I was more interested in Joe’s story. And boy what a story.
To say music is in Joe’s boots, his heart, his guitar adorned braces and his soul may possibly be the understatement of the year. This man eats, sleeps, breathes, talks and lives country music, and what he doesn’t know, I’d say I could scribble on the back of a stamp. Joe, Maureen and myself spent the most insightful few hours together in their southside home where I asked Joe about his lifelong career in country and western showbands, the legends he met and the impact music has had on him.
As a young fella, Joe attended St Patrick’s Boarding School in Cavan. His father—a pharmacist—had high hopes of Joe following in his chemistry footsteps, but Joe had no notion for bunsen burners. He wanted a trumpet!
As a teen Joe was already donning his father’s woollen overcoat to appear older and sneaking out his bedroom window to go see the showbands playing in Gowna and Cavan at the weekends. Bands like Joe Dolan and the Clipper Carlton had already cast their musical spell on a young Joe and he was mesmerized. Indeed Joe’s first experience playing in a showband was during his school holidays when Micky Smith, the band leader offered Joe £3 a night to play with The Grafton from Lough Gowna and he duly informed me that my great uncle, Benny Friary—Granny Sexton’s brother—played the drums with the band. Now there’s something I didn’t know. He remembers Benny fondly, says he was great craic altogether. Joe vividly remembers Larry Cunningham playing a silver guitar at one of the gigs, and when the dance was over was heard saying; There’s an awful lot of swallows on those music sheets. In reference to the fact he didn’t read sheet music. Not many did.
In 1960, Joe went to play with Brose Walsh, a band from Castlebar, then returned to play with the Teeveetones in 1962/3 back in Gowna, again after he got the call from his pal Dermot Smith, and played alongside Fionnan Riley, also from Gowna. They played everywhere from the Sports Centre in Cavan, the Temperance/Matt Talbot Hall in Dublin and also toured England when band member, Jimmy Waters, moved from Dublin to Manchester. It was there Joe got lodgings in Phil Lynott’s (Thin Lizzy) mammy’s boarding house. Now it’s not everyone can drop that into a sentence casually.
In 1963 Joe was playing with Maurice Lynch, touring around Scotland, doing gigs that stretched as far away as Torness, to The Macushla, Sauchiehall St—now the Garage nightclub. Joe also played with the Savoy Swing Seven, a Jazz Irish showband from 1965-67 and toured the USA, leaving Shannon on a Pan-Am flight and playing New York, Chicago and Boston. He’s played with The Ripcords (1967-68), The Viceroys (1968-69) and The San Antones (1969-71. Others were Ballina, the Roly Daniels Green Country and The Stardust Showband, which takes us up to 1972 and the renowned, Trampas. Even me, who was just a skit of a thing and not quite of age to be going to the dancin’ knew all about Trampas. They were THE BAND. If Trampas were playing at a dance you’d be there. If they played at your wedding, the floor was guaranteed not to empty.
Joe has shared stages with Big Tom and the Mainliners in the Rainbow Ballroom, Glenfarren and the likes of Brendan Bowyer. He’s shared the billing with Marty Robins and Don Williams at the Apollo in Glasgow. He’s played for Margo at the Plaza and alongside Daniel O’Donnell too. The Everly Brothers and Dusty Springfield at the Strandhill in Sligo. He saw Sandy Shaw cut her foot on a broken glass before going on stage in Galway—well I guess that’s what happens when you skoot around barefoot all the time!
And all the while as Joe regales me with tales, his beloved country and western favourites serenade us in the background. His voice is commanding and distinctive. “Alexa play Don Williams, I wouldn’t wanna live if you didn’t love me. I joined in as I knew the words. I was reared on this stuff, and believe me I know my Larry Cunningham from my Jim Reeves, because Larry was born in Mullinalaghta, Lough Gowna and dad played his records in the house and his tapes in the car. Whatever he was doing, he’d have Larry, Jim or Charlie Pride for company.
The Irish and country and western go together like spuds and butter it seems, and the showbands of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s emanated a vibrancy that kept the ballrooms of romance up and down the country and across the seas, bursting with new found love and lust throughout those decades. Joe told me about a night he played with the San Antones in a ballroom in Donegal. Larry Cunnigham was also there and Jim Reeves was headlining, but the piano was out of tune, so Jim Reeves refused to go on. Larry came to the rescue that night and took to the stage like the professional he was. Larry was the first Irish artist to break into the British charts with an album called, A Tribute to Jim Reeves. I’ve always thought there’s a strong resemblance in their voices. Evidently the Donegal audience heard it too.
As Joe was making music, Maureen was trying to help her daddy, Charlie Sweeney from Gortahork, to make money running the Clada Club, which was originally an old cinema in Westmoreland Street. The focus being on the music and the bands. Good bands. Trampas was one such band and at the height of their success they were playing gigs nearly every day. Wishaw, Burnside, The Plaza, The Grand Old Opry, Motherwell, The Clada and of course any big Irish wedding at the time. Maureen joked that she went out with Joe in the hope they’d get a discounted rate. That never happened, but their romance blossomed alongside Joe’s musical career.
Joe (above red shirt, black waistcoat) did a brief spell with Sidney Devine’s showband, Legend, but he returned to Trampas again from 1982-2007. At their height they recorded an album of covers with Release Records out in Strathaven and represented Scotland at the Wembley Country and Western Festival.
Joe’s career has had many highlights. Playing alongside Marty Robins at Glasgow’s Apollo in 1975. With Don Williams at the Kelvin Hall in 1976. Chubby Checker (The Twist) and Slim Whitman, who he backed at The Marine Ballroom in Sligo. He listens to Country and Western music every day and says it’s hard to choose one favourite because he loves so many. Don Williams, Meryl Haggard, Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves, Charlie Pride—the names go on.
During my visit Maureen played me a short clip of Trampas, where I got to hear Joe’s deep, honeyed voice. There was a hint of Jim Reeves in there. A small pinch of Don Williams. The smoothness and pitch of Charlie Pride and the layered baritone of Meryl Haggard—all of which caressed my ears and helped me understand why Joe Gilchrist was the successful showband singer and guitarist that he was and an absolute gentleman to boot.
L J Sexton, mum of four, returned to university to pursue her passion for the written word. She achieved her Honours Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing and hasn't stopped writing since. Lyn is born of Irish parents and lived in Donegal for eight years. She is also the press officer for Irish Minstrels CCÉ music group based in St Roch’s Secondary School
PIC: WILLIAM MURPHY
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