Radio Times 18 July 2020

Dancer, actor, and singer Fred Astaire worked steadily in various entertainment media during nine decades of the 20th century. The most celebrated dancer in the history of film, with appearances in 31 movie musicals between 1933 and 1968 (and a special Academy Award in recognition of his accomplishments in them), Astaire also danced on-stage and on television (garnering two Emmy Awards in the process), and he even treated listening audiences to his accomplished tap dancing on records and on his own radio series. He appeared in another eight non-musical feature films and on numerous television programs, resulting in an Academy Award nomination and a third Emmy Award as an actor. His light tenor voice and smooth, conversational phrasing made him an ideal interpreter for the major songwriters of his era, and he introduced dozens of pop standards, many of them written expressly for him, by such composers as Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Burton Lane, Frank Loesser, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, Arthur Schwartz, Harry Warren, and Vincent Youmans.

Irish Power Trio led by former Mama's Boys and Celtus guitarist/violinist,singer and songwriter Pat McManus. Band members are Pat McManus, Marty McDermott & Paul Faloon. Over the years Pat has also written, recorded and performed with a massive amount of other bands and artists. From such diverse artists as pop pin-up Samantha Fox to Trip Hop record producer, rapper and actor Tricky…..Prog-Rock icons Wishbone Ash to Grammy-nominated musician John Parr with award-winning film composer Harald Kloser and from Spike & The Quireboys to local traditional music projects “Hidden Fermanagh” & “Cool Celi”…… and so many more too numerous to mention.

In the golden age of the British R&B revival, few groups created as much excitement and controversy as the Pretty Things. They came up alongside the Rolling Stones in the early 1960s, but were deemed by critics and fans as wilder and bluesier than even Mick Jagger & co. When long-haired Phil May sang and shook his maracas with manic intensity, audiences and record buyers knew they were in for a wild ride.