Christy Dignam
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Christy Dignam (born Christopher Dignam on 23 May 1960) is the lead singer of the popular Irish rock band
Aslan Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...
. His career of over forty years has been characterised by numerous successes on the Irish charts as well as recurring problems with drug addiction and recovery.


Early life

Born at Holles Street Hospital in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on 23 May 1960, Dignam grew up in the north Dublin suburb of
Finglas Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the posta ...
. He studied the classical art of
bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...
singing with teacher Frank Merriman at the Bel Canto House School of Singing in Dublin. At the age of six, he was
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
d by a neighbour. This continued to occur over a three-year period until, at the age of nine, Dignam sought help from his best friend's brother, a man in his twenties. During the meeting with his best friend's brother, Dignam explained his situation and he was then raped by this man as well. Dignam later suggested his drug addiction may have resulted from the
psychological trauma Psychological trauma, mental trauma or psychotrauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events, such as accidents, rape, or natural disasters. Reactions such as psychological shock and psychological denial are typical. ...
caused by these events.


Music career

Dignam formed a precursor of Aslan called Meelah XVIII. A review in Hot Press of a gig to shut a toxic dump in Finglas said "What a great singer!" Meelah XVIII created a recording for ''
The Dave Fanning Show The Dave Fanning Show is a radio program broadcast on RTÉ Radio. The show is presented by Dave Fanning and has, at various times, been broadcast on both RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm. History The first "Dave Fanning Show" was broadcast on RTÉ Ra ...
'' on 2FM in 1980. The Meelah XVIII songs "Toy Soldier" and "Meelah Pt. 2" were included on the Aslan triple CD, The "Rarities" disc from "The Platinum Collection". Meelah XVIII musicians were Christy Dignam, Tony Talbot, Mick McKenna, Joe Jewell, and Gerry Conlon. As Aslan singles "This Is", "Please Don't Stop", "Loving Me Lately", "Pretty Thing" and "Feel No Shame" became popular, Dignam's relationship with his bandmates was becoming strained due to his problems with heroin addiction. On Wednesday 7 September 1988, ''
The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' newspaper ran with the headline "ASLAN: IT'S THE END", informing the public of Dignam's separation from Aslan. The remaining members of the band continued as Aslan for some time (with a new lead singer, Eamon Doyle) before the band eventually split. Dignam went solo with guitarist Conor Goff, forming
Dignam & Goff Dignam & Goff was the project of Christy Dignam, the lead singer of the band Aslan, and the guitarist Conor Goff in the early 1990s before Aslan reunited in 1993. Goff was the guitarist of Fast Boys and his project called Conor Goff and The Crash ...
. However, on 11 July 1993 Aslan reformed, for what was supposed to be a "once off gig" in
Finglas Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the posta ...
. With a reignited spark and new material, Aslan continued to become one of Ireland's most successful and hard-working bands. Their studio albums include "Feel No Shame", "Goodbye Charlie Moonhead", "Here Comes Lucy Jones" and "Waiting for the Madness To End". They have had two "best of" albums: ''Shame About Lucy Moonhead'' and the triple album ''The Platinum Collection''. They have also had a best-selling live album ''Made in Dublin'' and an official bootleg album (available at gigs) called ''Aslan Live at the Olympia'' which features appearances from
Jerry Fish Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
, Relish and
Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success i ...
. In October 2021, his debut solo album ''The Man Who Stayed Alive'' was released by Sony Music Ireland and charted at number 7 on the Official Charts Company's Irish Albums Chart Top 50.


Influences

Dignam lists
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
,
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...
,
T-Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
,
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
,
Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
, and
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
as his musical influences. He has also been listed as an influence on artists and groups including
Damien Dempsey Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working class accent in the Eng ...
,
Jerry Fish Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
,
Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success i ...
, George Murphy,
Rob Smith Robert Smith or Bob Smith, or similar, may refer to: Business * Robert MacKay Smith (1802–1888), Scottish businessman, meteorologist and philanthropist who founded Glasgow University's Mackay Smith Prizes * Robert Barr Smith (1824–1915), ...
,
Alabama 3 Alabama 3 are a British/English musical group founded in Brixton, London in 1995. They are best known for their track "Woke Up This Morning", which was used for the opening credits of the TV series ''The Sopranos''. In the United States, the ...
, and more.


Personal life

Dignam has been married for more than 37 years to his wife Kathryn, and has a daughter, Kiera, who is also a singer. He has two grandsons, Cian and Jake and a granddaughter, Ava. He deals with the intersections of his personal and professional lives in the autobiography (with Damian Corless) 'My Crazy World' published worldwide by Simon And Schuster in September 2019.


Health

Dignam turned to heroin in the 1980s, and his involvement with the drug caused conflicts which led to his eventual departure from Aslan. He entered multiple drug treatment programs, including a stint in a rehab program in a Buddhist monastery,
Wat Tham Krabok Wat Tham Krabok ( th, วัดถ้ำกระบอก, literally 'Temple of the Bamboo Cave') is a Buddhist temple (''wat'') in the Phra Phutthabat District of Saraburi Province, Thailand. The temple was first established as a monastery in 1 ...
, in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
in 2004. This was featured in the documentary ''Heroin: Facing The Dragon''.Dignam, Christy. "Interview with
Pat Kenny Patrick Kenny (born 29 January 1948) is an Irish broadcaster, who currently hosts the daily radio show ''The Pat Kenny Show'' on Newstalk and the current affairs show ''Pat Kenny Tonight'' on Virgin Media One. Prior to this, Kenny had a 41-yea ...
". ''The Late, Late Show''. RTĔ Television, Ireland. 12 November 2004.
Dignam recounted his story of drug addiction in his autobiography, ''This is Christy Dignam'', co-written by journalist Neil Fetherstonhaugh and published by Merlin Publishing. One reviewer said it "should be required reading for anyone hovering on the edges of the drug culture." In September 2010, Dignam was admitted to hospital for tests.


Cancer diagnosis

Dignam was initially admitted to hospital with a suspected chest infection; this progressed to
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
. After numerous tests were carried out in March 2013, he was diagnosed with
amyloidosis Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weight ...
. Upon returning to consciousness Dignam spoke of having had a near-death experience that prompted doctors to inject him with two shots of adrenaline. Dignam said, "There was a blockage in my arm where the adrenaline was going in so they had to slit the side of my neck, straight into the jugular and right down into my heart. I felt like I had died for a minute or so, nothing seemed to matter, then suddenly the adrenaline restarted my heart." He underwent
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
for the condition, and as of September 2017, continues to receive chemotherapy.


Further reading

* * *


References


External links


Aslan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dignam, Christy 1960 births Living people Irish rock singers Musicians from County Dublin