Ultan Conlon (born 1980) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He is a native of Loughrea. Conlon has performed live with John Martyn,Galway Independent
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Mark Geary Mark Geary is an Irish singer-songwriter born in Dublin, Ireland, into a large family with seven siblings, one of whom is actor Karl Geary. In 1992 he emigrated to New York City with a one-way ticket after winning a lottery green card. Living ...

Roesy Roesy may refer to: * Roesy (singer) * ROESY, Two-dimensional_nuclear_magnetic_resonance_spectroscopy#Rotating-frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (ROESY), rotating-frame nuclear Overhauser effect correlation spectroscopy See also

* Ro ...

, Sabrina Dinan,

David Kitt David Kitt (born 1975 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish musician. He has released eight studio albums to date: ''Small Moments'', ''The Big Romance'', ''Square 1'', ''The Black and Red Notebook'', '' Not Fade Away'', ''The Nightsaver'', ''Yous'', ...

, and the Four of Us. Conlon plays and teaches

classical guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

Career

He and fellow Galwegian, John Conneely, formed the group UltanJohn in 2003. His 2005 single, "Really Gone", featured John Martyn. His song, "Ring Out The Old" featured in the British film, ''The Beholder''. Conlon shared the stage with

Eddi Reader Sadenia "Eddi" Reader MBE (born 29 August 1959) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known for her work as frontwoman of Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo career. She is the recipient of three BRIT Awards. In 2003, she showcased the wo ...

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and Shelby Lynne. His first studio album, "Bless Your Heart", was released in October 2009. In 2012, Conlon was a composer for the soundtrack for the film ''Songs For Amy''. His sophomore record ''Songs of Love So Cruel'' dropped in 2013. A review posted on Blogcritics described Conlon's 2018 album, ''Last Days of the Night Owl'', as "an elegantly striking album, full of nuanced floating colors and velvety energy, along with the appealing voice of Ultan Conlon". Conlon's fourth record ''There's a Waltz'' (2020) was produced by Grammy Award-winner

Sean Watkins Sean Charles Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration. He is the brother of Sara ...

( Nickel Creek). Conlon met Watkins in LA in 2016, performing with him at Largo, a nightclub where Sean and Sara Watkins hosted the

Watkins Family Hour Watkins Family Hour is a bluegrass musical collaborative led by siblings Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, who also form two-thirds of the Americana music group Nickel Creek. The group began in 2002 as a monthly, informal musical variety show with t ...

. Watkins brought several musicians on board to accompany Conlon, including

Don Heffington Don Heffington (December 20, 1950March 24, 2021) was an American drummer, percussionist, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the Los Angeles alternative country band Lone Justice, which he performed with from 1982 to 1985. Heffington was ...

(drums);

Sebastian Steinberg Sebastian Steinberg (born February 20, 1959) is an American bass player, best known for his work in the band Soul Coughing. Biography Steinberg played with Soul Coughing throughout the band's entire history, from 1992 to 2000. In 2001, Steinberg ...

(bass, double bass); Gabe Witcher (fiddle); Rich Hinman (pedal steel); Sara Watkins (backing vocals); and Tyler Chester (B3, piano).

Reception

"Sparks of the Night" was the first single and the official video was premiered by Americana UK where they said that Conlon's "clear, melodic vocal brings

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

to mind". The album received airplay in Ireland on RTE Radio 1 and the

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in the UK. Hotpress Magazine described ''There's a Waltz'' as "a winning collection...songs of substance told with intelligence and wry observation". On the week of 17 April 2020, RTE Radio 1 made Conlon's ''There's a Waltz'' their album of the week.

References

External links

* http://www.ultanconlon.com Musicians from County Galway People from Loughrea Living people Irish male singer-songwriters Irish singer-songwriters 1980 births 21st-century Irish singers {{singer-songwriter-stub