Mary Black
| Mary Black | |
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Black performing at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin in 2005
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| Background information | |
| Born |
23 May 1955 Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Celtic, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Associated acts | Frances Black, The Black Family, De Dannan, The Coronas, Róisín O |
| Website | www |
Mary Black (born 23 May 1955) is an Irish folk singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both traditional folk and modern material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland.
Mary Black was born into a musical family on Charlemont Street in Dublin, Ireland along with her four siblings. Her father was a fiddler, who came from Rathlin Island off the coast of Northern Ireland, her mother a singer, and her brothers had their own musical group called The Black Brothers and her younger sister Frances would go on to achieve great success as a singer in the 90s. From this musical background, Mary began singing traditional Irish songs at the age of eight. As she grew older, she began to perform with her siblings (Shay, Michael and Martin Black) in small clubs around Dublin.
Black joined a small folk band in 1975 called General Humbert, with whom she toured Europe and released two albums, in 1975 and 1978. In 1982 she developed a professional relationship with musician/producer Declan Sinnott and recorded her first solo album, Mary Black. The album performed well in the Irish charts and it went gold. In 1983 it was honoured by the Irish Independent and it is still referred to as one of the best Irish albums of the 1980s. Black ventured into the traditional Irish music band De Dannan and toured with them around Europe and in the US. The album she recorded with them Anthem, won the Irish Album of the Year award. During her time with De Dannan, Black continued with her solo career with albums such as Collected (1984) and Without the Fanfare (1985). These recordings took Black into a more modern musical direction. Along with the success of these releases, IRMA named her Entertainer of the Year in 1986 and Best Female Artist in 1987 and 1988.
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