Born in Burnfort, near Mallow in Co. Cork in 1963, John Daly first learned the fiddle at age 12 from Limerick music teacher, Sean O’ Carroll.
He was introduced to Kerry fiddle player Johnny Cronin by his father in the 80’s, and around the same time became interested in the playing of Andy McGann from New York and Longford man Paddy Reynolds who has spent over 50 years in New York.
The early Sean McGuire recordings grabbed John’s interest too, and Leitrim’s Charlie Lennon and Chicagoan Liz Carroll are currently among John’s favorite composers in the Irish style.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s John became aware of Shetland fiddle master, Willie Hunter, who soon became his strongest influence in the playing of Scottish and Shetland slow airs.
John has played concerts and conducted workshops in Iceland, Scotland and the Shetland Islands, the UK, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. He now lives in Chicago where he runs the ‘Live Tradition’ concert series which has featured Tommy Peoples, Liz Carroll, Jimmy Keane, Kieran O’Hare, Brian Conway, Liz Knowles, the Baltimore Trio of Sean McComiskey, Cleek Schrey and Matt Mulqueen as well as many others.
John’s first album, simply titled, John Daly, features old, tried and tested tunes from many years ago sitting comfortably among John’s own compositions, and features the harmonies of Liz Knowles on viola and violin, and no fewer than five different piano players. John Shine, Marty Fahey and Cleek Schrey from Chicago, Kevin Brehony from Sligo and Davie Keith from the Shetland Islands all lend their own distinctive supporting piano styles. ‘This album is an hour’s joy and harmony in a topsy-turvy world‘, said Tommy Peoples.
Discography:
Irish Traditional Fiddle (Celtic Grooves)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
