
The Irish Tenors
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The
Irish Tenors are three of the few vocalists capable of
the beautiful, ringing tone and high C performance skills
that qualify them as tenors. In 1998, three Irish tenors
were called upon to sing together at the Royal Dublin Society.
The three were Anthony Kearns, John McDermott and Ronan
Tynan, and they were backed by a 60-piece orchestra. Future
Irish Tenor, Finbar Wright, was the first to be approached
but was unable to participate due to previous professional
obligations.
Soon
afterward, a recording of this landmark concert was broadcast
in the United States on PBS. The response was overwhelming.
In March of 1999, the group announced their first stateside
tour, drawing 15,000 fans to Madison Square Garden during
their New York City stop, and selling out other major venues
as they traveled west. The lasting nature of their appeal
was made clear when "The Irish Tenors" and "Home
For Christmas" each spent more than two years near
the top of Billboard's World Music and Classical charts.
In
February of 2000, John McDermott left the group following
the death of his mother. Finbar Wright was then available
to step into the line-up. The newly reconstructed Irish
Tenors went on to record "Live From Belfast", on which
they were accompanied by the 67-member Warsaw Symphonia,
and surprise guest John McDermott. Then, in 2001, they were
recorded live at "Ellis Island", which was
an album based on the history of immigration in America
that featured
narration from actor Martin Sheen.
By
the fall of 2004, after the albums "We Three Kings" and "Heritage" reached
success, The Irish Tenors had nearly become a household name,
possibly due to many appearances on "The Today Show", "Good
Morning America", "Live With Regis And Kelly", "20/20" and "A&E
Breakfast With The Arts", among other popular television
programs. Soon it was announced that John McDermott would
rejoin The Irish Tenors, replacing Ronan Tynan, who had departed
to focus on his solo career.Since they first began in 1998,
The Irish Tenors have made countless traditional Irish songs
come back to life. They have also proven themselves gifted
interpreters of a wide range of material, with such songs
as "My Heart Will Go On", made famous by Celine
Dion; "Fairytale Of New York", previously recorded
by Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues; and even Jimmy Kennedy's "South
Of The Border" (Down Mexico Way). These songs live in
their repertoire alongside "Danny Boy", "My
Wild Irish Rose" and "Fields Of Athenry".
In September 2005, Razor & Tie released their latest
album, "Sacred, A Spiritual Journey", consisting
of a wide range of spiritual and inspirational songs.
When John McDermott announced he was going to concentrate
on solo
engagements, a search was started for a third tenor.
Karl Scully is the newest member of the group.
The
magic they have captured on "The Irish Tenors" (1999), "Home
For Christmas" (1999), "Live In Belfast" (2000)
and "Ellis Island" (2001), and the Razor & Tie
releases "We Three Kings" (2003), "Heritage" (2004),
and "Sacred, A Spiritual Journey" (2005), has resulted
in millions of albums sold. The Irish Tenors tour constantly,
thrilling old fans and winning new ones all around the globe.
In the United States, they are one of the most successful
Irish touring acts ever, second only to U2.