Kevin Conneff (born 8 January 1945) is an Irish singer and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or oth ...

player of Irish folk group;

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

. He joined the group in 1976 after contributing to their album '' The Chieftains 6: Bonaparte's Retreat''. Conneff was born and raised in the Donore Avenue area in Dublin. Music was an important part of his home life but; as he later related, "I didn't hear traditional music from the womb," as did other members of the Chieftains. It was not until he began work as a photographic assistant for a printing machine company, at age 18, that he was introduced to Irish traditional music. A group of his work colleagues would hire a car every week to drive to local fleadhs (traditional Irish music festivals). Conneff began attending weekend

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

s, occasionally joining the musicians for some songs. He was heavily influenced by the traditional style of singing from the Donegal/Fermanagh region in Ireland, particularly the singing of Paddy Tunney. Around this time, he took up the bodhrán after hearing one on the radio, including the playing of

Seán Ó Riada Seán Ó Riada (; born John Reidy; 1 August 1931 – 3 October 1971), was an Irish composer and arranger of Irish traditional music. Through his incorporation of modern and traditional techniques he became the single most influential figur ...

with

Ceoltóirí Chualann Ceoltóirí Chualann (pronounced ) was an Irish traditional band, led by Seán Ó Riada, which included many of the founding members of The Chieftains. Ceoltóirí is the Irish word for musicians, and Cualann is the name of an area just outsid ...

, and was amazed at the power of the simple goatskin Irish frame drum. Conneff soon mastered the bodhrán and began playing and singing at sessions about Ireland, along with playing with Dublin traditional music circles. For many years, he helped run the Tradition Club, a haven for traditional musicians, including future Chieftains colleagues Paddy Moloney, Seán Keane and

Michael Tubridy Michael "Mick" Tubridy (born 1935 at Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland) is an Irish musician, step dancer and structural engineer. Career In November 1962, he was a founder member of the traditional Irish music group, The Chieftains, with whom ...

. In the early 1970s, he joined

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his significant success as an individual, he is one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts. His first album, ...

for what became a benchmark album, '' Prosperous''. Prior to joining the Chieftains, he maintained his printing job, also looking after his elderly mother. Conneff has three children, Peigí, Ruairí and Ella, and lives in Hollywood, County Wicklow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conneff, Kevin 1945 births Living people Bodhrán players Claddagh Records artists Irish folk musicians Irish folk singers Musicians from Dublin (city) The Chieftains members