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Irish showband
The Irish showband (Irish: seó-bhanna) was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the 1950s to the 1980s, with its peak in the 1960s. These bands typically had seven to ten members, including a rhythm section and a brass section with various combinations of trumpet, saxophone, and trombone, and were fronted by lead singers. Some included comedy skits in their shows. Their repertoire included rock and roll, country and western, Dixieland jazz, big band tunes, Irish Céilí dances, Latin, folk, and more. Showbands were noted for the energy they brought to live performances, their chart-topping covers, and sometimes choreographed performances. Many such bands toured in Ireland, and some of the successful ones later performed in Britain, the US, Canada, on the German nightclub circuit, and on U.S. military bases in Europe.
In the 1940s and 1950s, popular dance bands in Ireland usually had ten to fifteen musicians, sometimes more, and were known as dance bands or dance orchestras. They customarily wore dress suits and dickey bows. Often the orchestra members had learned to play their instruments in their community's brass band. Orchestras sat down to play and read their parts from sheet music on music stands.
Instrumental dance music was their main focus, providing the backdrop to a night of dancing that might be five hours long (e.g., 9 PM to 2 AM).
Amplification was limited at first; most dance bands made use of just one microphone to allow a vocalist to be heard above the large band. As technology improved and became more available, orchestras started using microphones for each section, more powerful amplifiers, and larger loudspeakers.
As singing and singers became more popular and instrumental tunes less popular, the orchestras downsized and morphed into showbands, going from eight or ten brass down to three or four brass. The Maurice Mulcahy Orchestra went from fifteen members in the early sixties (five saxophones, four trumpets, one trombone, rhythm section and a singer) to ten members in the early seventies, which included two singers but still held four saxophones and one trumpet, a large brass section for the seventies.
There were a few bands that changed their name from dance bands and orchestras to 'Bandshow' before calling themselves 'Showbands'. For example, The Jimmy Wiley Orchestra changed its name to The Jimmy Wiley Bandshow and then to The Jimmy Wiley Showband.
Dave Glover renamed his group to the Dave Glover Showband in 1955, pioneering the use of the word "showband"; he chose the name because he wanted to indicate that their act incorporated both music and skits.
Strabane's Clipper Carlton are credited with being the first to incorporate a 'show' in the middle of their act, 'Duke Box Saturday Night', where they imitated the hits and singers of the day. Fronted by Fergus O'Hagan, they were originally a touring dance orchestra. They later became popular in Britain and on the U.S. and Canadian circuit of Irish clubs.
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Irish showband AI simulator
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Irish showband
The Irish showband (Irish: seó-bhanna) was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the 1950s to the 1980s, with its peak in the 1960s. These bands typically had seven to ten members, including a rhythm section and a brass section with various combinations of trumpet, saxophone, and trombone, and were fronted by lead singers. Some included comedy skits in their shows. Their repertoire included rock and roll, country and western, Dixieland jazz, big band tunes, Irish Céilí dances, Latin, folk, and more. Showbands were noted for the energy they brought to live performances, their chart-topping covers, and sometimes choreographed performances. Many such bands toured in Ireland, and some of the successful ones later performed in Britain, the US, Canada, on the German nightclub circuit, and on U.S. military bases in Europe.
In the 1940s and 1950s, popular dance bands in Ireland usually had ten to fifteen musicians, sometimes more, and were known as dance bands or dance orchestras. They customarily wore dress suits and dickey bows. Often the orchestra members had learned to play their instruments in their community's brass band. Orchestras sat down to play and read their parts from sheet music on music stands.
Instrumental dance music was their main focus, providing the backdrop to a night of dancing that might be five hours long (e.g., 9 PM to 2 AM).
Amplification was limited at first; most dance bands made use of just one microphone to allow a vocalist to be heard above the large band. As technology improved and became more available, orchestras started using microphones for each section, more powerful amplifiers, and larger loudspeakers.
As singing and singers became more popular and instrumental tunes less popular, the orchestras downsized and morphed into showbands, going from eight or ten brass down to three or four brass. The Maurice Mulcahy Orchestra went from fifteen members in the early sixties (five saxophones, four trumpets, one trombone, rhythm section and a singer) to ten members in the early seventies, which included two singers but still held four saxophones and one trumpet, a large brass section for the seventies.
There were a few bands that changed their name from dance bands and orchestras to 'Bandshow' before calling themselves 'Showbands'. For example, The Jimmy Wiley Orchestra changed its name to The Jimmy Wiley Bandshow and then to The Jimmy Wiley Showband.
Dave Glover renamed his group to the Dave Glover Showband in 1955, pioneering the use of the word "showband"; he chose the name because he wanted to indicate that their act incorporated both music and skits.
Strabane's Clipper Carlton are credited with being the first to incorporate a 'show' in the middle of their act, 'Duke Box Saturday Night', where they imitated the hits and singers of the day. Fronted by Fergus O'Hagan, they were originally a touring dance orchestra. They later became popular in Britain and on the U.S. and Canadian circuit of Irish clubs.