Solas (
Irish: light) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
musical group officially formed in 1996, playing
Irish traditional music as well as original compositions influenced by the country, rock, and Americana genres. With several members who are prominent performers, both solo and in other constellations in the Irish traditional music scene, Solas has been described as a "
Supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to:
* Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields
* Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry
* Supergroup ...
".
Their name comes from an
Irish word meaning "light". At the time, the band was made up of
Séamus Egan
Séamus Egan is an Irish-American musician.
Early days
Séamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Mike and Ann Egan. At the age of three his parents moved the family back home to County Mayo, Ireland.
He learned accor ...
, who had already recorded two solo albums as well as a soundtrack to a film;
Winifred Horan
Winifred Horan is an American violinist/fiddler of Irish descent. After classical training, she played with the all-female Celtic music ensemble Cherish the Ladies before becoming an original member
of the Irish traditional music group Solas. ...
, a member of
Cherish the Ladies; John Doyle, previously a member of
Susan McKeown & The Chanting House with Egan;
Karan Casey
Karan Casey (born 1969) is an Irish folk singer, and a former member of the Irish band Solas. She resides in Cork, Ireland.
Early years
Casey was born in Ballyduff Lower, Kilmeaden, County Waterford, Ireland. Her family encouraged her to sin ...
and John Williams.
In June 2008 the band announced Mairead Phelan had joined the group as their new singer. In September 2010, Niamh Varian-Barry from Cork replaced Mairead Phelan as lead singer of Solas. On July 11, 2013, they announced on their Facebook page that Niamh was leaving the band and that Noriana Kennedy would be replacing her. The band announced an indefinite hiatus in early 2017.
Discography
* 1996 — ''Solas''
* 1997 — ''Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers''
* 1998 — ''The Words That Remain''
* 2000 — ''The Hour Before Dawn''
* 2002 — ''The Edge of Silence''
* 2003 — ''Another Day''
* 2005 — ''Waiting for an Echo''
* 2006 — ''Reunion: A Decade of Solas''
* 2008 — ''For Love and Laughter''
* 2010 — ''The Turning Tide''
* 2013 — ''Shamrock City''
* 2016 — ''All These Years''
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solas
Celtic music groups
Irish folk musical groups
Musical groups established in 1996
Irish-American culture in Philadelphia
Irish-American culture in Pennsylvania