Kieran Goss

Kieran Goss

Kieran Goss is an Irish country and folk singer-songwriter from Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. Born in 1962, he grows up in a large family of fifteen children and begins playing guitar at the age of nine. His early musical influences come from a wide domestic range, including Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson from his brothers, Frank Sinatra from his mother, and The Rolling Stones from his sisters.

Early years and live work

While studying law in Belfast, Goss supports himself by playing club dates and performances at the University Students’ Union. During this period he also earns support slots for Elvis Costello, Christy Moore and Joe Jackson. After qualifying as a lawyer in the mid-1980s, he spends time in France and Germany before returning to Ireland in 1989 to record his first album.

Recording career

Goss’s debut album, Brand New Star, appears in 1989 and includes the songs “Brand New Star” and “Just Around The Corner”. Mary Black later records both of those songs. He follows it with New Day in 1994, then Worse Than Pride in 1998. That album includes the Irish Top 10 single “Out Of My Head”, which becomes the second most played song on Irish radio that year and later reaches double platinum status.

His next release, Red-Letter Day, follows in 2000 and includes “Reasons To Leave”. In winter 2002 he issues the compilation Out Of My Head... The Best Of Kieran Goss, which gathers material from his career to that point. His sixth studio album, Blue Sky Sunrise, is recorded in Tennessee in spring 2005 and produced by Rodney Crowell and Peter Coleman. It is released in Ireland in 2005.

Style and recognition

Goss is known for a romantic songwriting style. His music sits within country and folk, and his early home life and wide-ranging record collection help shape his sound.