Donie Carroll and Heather Martin Bixler
Sunnyside, NY (Douglas, Co. Cork, Ireland)
http://www.myspace.com/doniecarroll
Originally from Douglas, County Cork, singer and guitarist Donie Carroll began his musical career in Cork City, Ireland, during the great ballad boom of the 1960s. Donie developed as a solo artist in the 1970s, playing annual residencies at seaside resorts and small festivals before getting involved in the Cork folk scene more fully, where he met people like his good friend Jimmy Crowley and opened shows for some of the big acts of the day.
In the 1980s, Donie became a member of Finneganʼs Wake and toured Europe extensively. He arrived in the United States in the early 1990s, and has since been a fixture on the New York Irish music scene. Many will remember him as the anchor, together with the late fiddle-legend Andy McGann, of a long-running and internationally famous Saturday night music session at the former Kate Kearney’s bar. Donie made his off-Broadway debut in 2007 in John B. Keane’s play Sive and more recently, he has been a regular at many other venues (including New York City’s popular Lillie’s Session) and is a stalwart with the Washington Square Harp and Shamrock Orchestra.
On his new album Down the Slippery Gap (named after a spot close to his home in Cork), Donie has a great repertoire of old and new Irish songs, such as “John Peel / The Foxhunter’s” and the stunning “Murphy Can Never Go Home,” and includes many Cork City favorites, such as “Up the Coal Quay,” “The Night the Goat Broke Loose on Grand Parade” and “The Cottage by the Lee.” He is joined on this recording by Gabriel Donohue, Don Meade, Mattie Connolly, Joanie Madden, Liz Hanley, Tony Horswill, Kate Bowerman, Jimmy Crowley, Heather Martin Bixler, Daniel Neely, Joey Mullen, “Tuba Joe” Exley and Marian Makins. This is Donie’s first solo recording.
“Apart from his being a prince of a man, he's a lovely singer in the great old Cork street style, and the CD features some grand songs.” – Mick Moloney
Donie will be joined by fiddler Heather Bixler. Heather is classically trained and a graduate of Juliard. "She is great on stage and a pleasure to play with," says Donie.