Paul Brady

Paul Brady

Paul Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter from Strabane, County Tyrone, with work that moves between folk and pop. Born in 1947, he starts his career in Donegal as a hotel piano player at the age of sixteen, then switches to guitar and plays in two rhythm and blues bands during the 1960s: Rockhouse and the Cult.

Band work and collaborations

He joins the Johnstons as a guitarist and singer, a period that ends in 1974. He then spends a shorter time with Planxty, touring extensively but not recording with the group. Brady later performs and records with Andy Irvine as Andy Irvine & Paul Brady, and in 1976 he records an album with Irvine that he regards as his best.

His work also includes collaborations with Bonnie Raitt, Richard Thompson, Cara Dillon and Fiachra Trench. In 2006 he appears with Cara Dillon on “The Streets of Derry” from her album After the Morning.

Solo career

Brady moves into a solo career and records several albums. Welcome Here Kind Stranger, released in 1978, brings together his interest in Irish music. Hard Station, released in 1981, reflects his engagement with commercial rock.