DAY 1 SPANISH PEAKS CELTIC FEST – September 21-14 2023
AN EVENING WITH JOHN DOYLE

Renown Irish Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer John Doyle will perform Thursday, September 21, 2023, 7:30PM at the La Veta Mercantile, in La Veta , Colorado, as part of the first day offerings at the Spanish Peaks Celtic Festival (Sept 21-14). Name many of the most notable recordings and/or performers in Irish music and it’s a fair bet that John Doyle had something to do with them. Liz Carroll (Received Grammy Nomination for “Best Traditional World Album” for “Double Play”, Liz Carroll and John Doyle); Eileen Ivers; Karan Casey; Solas; Michael Black; Mary Black; the trio of McCusker, McGoldrick and Doyle; The Teetotalers (Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, John Doyle); and now Usher’s Island (Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Mike McGoldrick, Paddy Glackin and John Doyle) – a veritable who’s who of the greatest names in Irish music. These are just a very few of the stellar artists for whom John Doyle’s signature guitar sound, singing or songwriting is essential.

From a musical family in Dublin, John went on the road as a pro at 16 with the group Chanting House which he formed with Susan McKeown and which eventually included such great players as Seamus Egan, Eileen Ivers, & Donogh Hennessy. John went on to form the highly acclaimed super group, Solas, with Seamus Egan, John Williams, Karan Casey and Winifred Horan.After leaving Solas, John has gone on to perform and tour with other greats in the Folk, Celtic and Bluegrass worlds – as music director for folk icon Joan Baez, guitarist for Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eileen Ivers, Tim O’Brien (John was included on Tim’s 2006 Grammy-award winning CD, Fiddler’s Green), Linda Thompson, Kate Rusby, Cathie Ryan, Cherish the Ladies, and many others. He has appeared on soundtracks for the feature film, The Brothers McMullan, Soldier, PBS’s Out of Ireland and also composed the music for the film Uncle Robert’s Footsteps and the play Down the Flats as well as performing on countless recordings as guitarist and/or singer for other notable artists.

John is a featured regular for many years in the hugely popular BBC Scotland “Transatlantic Sessions” regularly broadcast in Ireland and at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow having performed there with Americana greats Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Rodney Crowell, Sara Watkins, Kathy Mattea, and many others. One of John’s many career highlights happened this summer (July 2023) when John spent some time at the Abbey Road Studio 2 in London performing with Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, and the Transatlantic Session Musicians (John Doyle, Aly Bain, Daniel Kimbro, Donald Shaw, Phil Cunningham, John McCusker, James Macintosh, and Michael McGoldrick).
Enjoy the rest of the Fest as it continues through Sunday September 24, with much more music, dance, workshops, Demos, and with some great people in beautiful Huerfano County. For lists of free and ticketed events go to www.CelticMusicFest.com