Welcome to Planet Bap

and his

Biography

Bap kennedy was the lead singer and main songwriter of the legendary Belfast rock band Energy Orchard (The most important Northern Irish group since Them...New Musical Express) until the band broke up in the mid nineties. Energy Orchard toured America and Europe constantly in the late 1980’s and early nineties and Bap’s reputation as a gifted songwriter and a fearless front man was forged during these unforgettable performances.

The excellence of the bands live show was witnessed and praised by the likes of Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, various members of the Rolling Stones and the Pogues to name but a few. The hectic schedule eventually took it’s toll on the hard living Energy Orchard boys and a farewell show at the Mean Fiddler in London on St Patricks Day 1996 brought that chapter to a close.

Bap Kennedy was now a solo artist and determined to make music as long as he could still breathe. As fate would have it his friend and highly respected American songwriter Steve Earle was about to start a label for the maverick talents that he personally rated - and Bap was one of his first calls.

And so off to Nashville where Steve Earle produced Baps first solo record, the critically aclaimed "Domestic Blues". With a stellar cast of Nashville musicians on board - plus vocal contributions from Nanci Griffiths – the album was a roaring success. Domestic Blues made number eight on the Billboard Americana chart and kennedy emerged as a serious contender.

Four songs from the record appeared in two award winning movies “You Can Count On Me” and “Southie “ and on American network television soundtracks. More touring of the U.S.A. cemented the acclaim. Following in the footsteps of Earle, Bap set up his own Record Label ( Lonely Street Discs ) in London to release "Domestic Blues" and the follow up album "Lonely Street" "Moonlight Kiss" - one of the stand out tracks from the Lonely Street album –featured in the John Cusack / Kate Beckinsale Miramax movie “Serendipity” ( The bass player on that record was none other that Herbie Flowers - the man responsible for the famous bass line on “Walk On The Wild Side” by Lou Reed.)

When not touring or recording his own material Bap was involved in development and production work for other London based record labels .The most notable was The King – a strange Elvis tribute record produced by Bap and picked up By E.M.I The Albun " GraveLands " was a favourite of the late John Peel and celebrity fans included The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Baps most recent album “The Big Picture” ( 4 out of 5 stars - MOJO ) was recorded with the help of Van Morrison –a long standing friend and mentor. Van also co wrote one of the songs on the album with Bap – a very rare thing indeed and a measure of Baps standing in the songwriting community. Shane Magowan appears on another of the songs and played several gigs with Bap and his band throughout 2004 as an unannounced special guest vocalist.

Bap has recently toured the U.S.A as special guest of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits who is now a convert to the Bap back catalogue.

Bap has just returned from Nashville where he produced an album for an up and coming American singer songwriter ( Jana Light ) and musicians on that record included Bruce Springsteens bass player ( Gary Tallent E Street Band)

Bap also took part in the first Belfast / Nashville twin cities songwriting festival and contributed to songwriting workshops over the festival period.

He has toured Australia already this year 2007 and will be hitting the road again in march for European dates as well including Ireland.

His music can be heard on the radio in the U.K., Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Italy, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, China, Greece, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Canada, America, Mexico and Ireland.

Bits From Bap

Five Things I've Recently Enjoyed:

BOOK: The Biography of JFK "An Unfinished Life"

MUSIC: Richard Bennett "Code Red Cloud Nine"

DVD: In the Shadow of the Moon

RECENT ENTERTAINMENT: The Lourve in Paris
And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

FOOD: Most of the Menu in Rick's on the Saintfield Road in Belfast

CREATE YOUR OWN BAP RADIO STATION! And program it for Bap's music and other favourites of yours...make it as you wish it to be…at no cost and with no commercial advertisements! Click on Pandora.

Peter O'Hanlon has been playing guitar with Bap. He ROCKS! Pet is an accomplished singer/songwriter himself, lives in Ireland, and has previously played with both Van Morrison and Van's daughter, Shana Morrison, in her touring band. Pete is quite well known in Nashville by various songwriters and musicians, including Steve Earle. Excellent company Pete has kept, and his talent is most worthy of very high praise!

The Legendary Ed Deane, (aka "The Ledge") Bap’s long-time mate and excellent guitar accompanist, is "rated one of the finest guitarists ever to emerge from Ireland." Ed released an instrumental album of his own on 28 March, entitled SlideShow which is billed as a "musical tour of the world."

SlideShow features James Delaney on keyboards (James has played with Clannad, Mary Coughlan and Van Morrison); Martin Hughes (from Bap's band) who engineered and plays percussion and drums on several tracks; Eamon Murray (an old friend and schoolmate of Ed's!) plays tenor sax and harmonica (and Eamon has sat in on various gigs with Bap and the band when they have played in Dublin); and Al Cowan, who engineered, also plays percussion.

Ed's own new website: Ed Deane
Ed's new CD is available at Blue Navigator.

James Walbourne frequently accompanies Bap on lead guitar, and the one word
that is consistently used to describe the 24 year-old James' talent is "brilliant."

James has recently formed his own band, "Royal Gun." In addition to accompanying Bap (and others), James has played, toured, and recorded with Peter Bruntnell on his album, 'Played Out.'

James contributed to the backing vocals, plays electric guitar, piano, acoustic guitar, and mandolin on the album. One article describes James Walbourne's playing as "nothing less than sublime;" another describes the excellent keyboardist-guitarist as the "British Whiz-Kid Walbourne." Yet another describes James' playing as "some moody, reverb-soaked pedal steel guitar work."

James had to leave Bap's tour with Mark Knopfler this past July, to fulfill a prearranged tour with his own newly-formed band:

Royal Gun are a new four-piece band from The UK, who "play an uncompromising blend of rock, pop, blues and country." The band are James Walbourne, Carwin Ellis, Rob Walbourne, and Peter Noone. They have now completed their first USA tour and have recently played in Brighton and in Surrey. See their site (link just below) for further details.

Royal Gun's self-titled CD was recently completed and should be an enormous success! Check out their official website for great photographs, music clips, and much more, at Royal Gun

Bap's former drummer was the very talented
20 year-old brother of James,
Rab Walbourne. What an extremely talented family.

Jason Wilson has played in Bap's band intermittently for several years. Jason, an extremely talented bassist, writes that he has recently had a great time playing some gigs with Bap and Ed Deane in the past few months

Carwyn Ellis has been Bap's frequent keyboardist, who plays with James Hunter on Hunter's new album, People Gonna Talk. Carwyn has also played piano and mellotron with Garbage on their UK-CD single, The World is Not Enough; and he guested on the North Mississippi Allstars' recording of Polaris. Carwyn has appeared with Proud Mary, Edwyn Collins, Marshmallow, and loads of others, and is now a member of The Royal Gun Band. (See Links Page)

Herbie Flowers, the outstanding bass and tuba player featured on Lonely Street, also played with the great Lou Reed, in A Walk on the Wild Side. Herbie has had an enviable career in the music business. He was a pop star in the early seventies, playing with the likes of David Bowie and Marc Bolan. Herbie has appeared on literally thousands of hit recordings by artists as diverse as McCartney, Mancini, Sinatra and the Scaffold. He was one of the founding members of Sky (along with John Williams). He has also played tuba with many of the world's leading symphony orchestras.

Bassist Rory McFarlane plays and records with Bap, and
has played with Nigel Kennedy and Richard Thompson.

Damian Hand, who has accompanied Van Morrison,
plays an outstanding sax on 'The Big Picture.'

Kieran Kiely, formerly with The Don Baker Band, and Terry Woods & The Bucks, accompanies Bap on Lonely Street and 'The Big Picture.' Kieran (who plays the Hammond organ, piano, accordion, and low whistle) has also performed and recorded with Shane MacGowan, The Corrs, Sinead O'Connor and other very famous artists.

Keyboardist Keith Weir accompanied Bap on Domestic Blues and Hillbilly Shakespeare. Since moving to London from Northern Ireland in 1992, Keith has toured & recorded extensively as a session musician throughout the UK, Europe, and the USA. He has also been a member of The Quireboys since their return in 2001.

Martin Hughes, the excellent drummer who is featured with Bap on
Lonely Street, has played with Van Morrison and Robert Wyatt
on a really big song called Shipbuilding.

BJ Cole played with Bap on Hillbilly Shakespeare and some of 'The Big Picture.' Bap says that BJ is the UK's best Pedal Steel Guitar player, and he has accompanied many great stars. Cole is a legend in his own lifetime; his pedal-steel guitar has added a unique quality to the work of countless artists. B.J. Cole has had a highly successful career as a session musician. His Transparent Music Ensemble albums and performances in the eighties and nineties brought him much critical acclaim.

And PERSONALLY... this is my ALL-TIME FAVOURITE Bap Kennedy quotation:

"Let them try their best to stop me.
C'mon, I dare ya...!”

Much more information about Bap is found at BapSpace,
a Yahoo Discussion Group at Bap Kennedy and Friends, and
and Bap’s own website is Bap Kennedy.
Thank you.

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