Christie Hennessy

Christie Hennessy (born Edward Christopher Ross; 19 November 1945 – 11 December 2007)[1] was an Irish folk singer-songwriter. Although Hennessy was unable to read or write due to severe dyslexia, he still wrote his own songs such as "Roll Back the Clouds" and "All the Lies That You Told Me".

Christie Hennessy
Hennessy's statue in Tralee
Hennessy's statue in Tralee
Background information
Birth nameEdward Christopher Ross
Born(1945-11-19)19 November 1945
OriginTralee, Ireland
Died11 December 2007(2007-12-11) (aged 62)
London, United Kingdom
GenresFolk, singer-songwriter
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, producer
Instrument(s)Guitar

Early life

Hennessy was born in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. His first guitar was made, especially for him, from a tea chest when he was six years old by his friend Jerry Quirke. He left school at the age of eleven and a half.[2]

His first job was as a messenger boy, and it was then that he discovered that it was important to be able to read. He was unable to read or write due to severe dyslexia,[3] but still enjoyed his library of books.[4] He later worked on building sites in London.

Career

In 1972 he released his first record, The Green Album, on Westwood, a small label. With scant publicity or promotion, the album made little impact and only 500 copies of the record were pressed.[3] Hennessy returned to labouring on building sites in the UK and did not release another album for twenty years. When he did, his 1992 release The Rehearsal outsold U2 in Ireland, eventually attaining triple platinum status. His following albums, A Year in the Life and Box also sold extremely well in Ireland.[5]

A renowned songwriter as well as performer, Hennessy wrote several songs that became hits for other singers including Don't Forget your Shovel, made famous by Christy Moore, and All the Lies that You Told Me, recorded by Frances Black. He also composed the theme tune and incidental music for the BBC TV series "Get Well Soon" written by Ray Galton (of Steptoe & Son fame) and composed and wrote a musical/feature film about his native Ireland, Two Stops to Paradise[6]

Hennessy returned to the studio in 2007, one final time to record an album with both Luka Bloom and Christy Moore sharing vocals on one of the tracks.[7]

In 2005, Christy Moore's rendition of Hennessy's "Don't Forget Your Shovel" was referenced in a UK Number One single "The JCB Song" by Nizlopi: "And the engine rattles my bum like berserk. While we're singin, 'Don't forget your shovel if you want to go to work!'" It was further referenced in the video for the same song; as the line is sung, the characters in the JCB pass a shop called "Christie's Shovels".

Death

Hennessy died on 11 December 2007 in a London hospice, aged 62. He was reported to have died from pleural mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, which has been attributed to his younger years spent working on building sites in London where he was exposed to asbestos dust. Just before he died he had been touring in Ireland but had to cancel due to the illness.[7][8] His ashes were buried in Old Rath Cemetery, Tralee. A commemorative statue of Christie was erected in Central Plaza, just off the town square in Tralee in November 2009.[9]

Discography

Albums

Year Album details[5][10] Peak chart positions Certifications[5][10]
IRE UK
1972 Christie Hennessy/The Green Album
  • Released: 1972
  • Label: Westwood
1992 The Rehearsal
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: N/A
  • IRE: 3× Platinum
1993 A Year in the Life
  • Released: 1993
  • Label: Warner Music France
  • IRE: 4× Platinum
1995 Lord of Your Eyes
  • Released: 1995
  • Label: WEA
  • IRE: 2× Platinum
1996 Box
  • Released: 1996
  • Label: WEA
  • IRE: 3× Platinum
2006 Stories for Sale
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Mvine
2006 This Is as Far as I Go
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Warner Bros.
  • IRE: 2× Platinum
2008 The Two of Us
  • Released: 28 April 2008
  • Label: Universal Distribution
2009 A Friend of Mine
  • Released: 31 October 2009 (+).[11]
  • Label: N/A
2018 The Last Goodbye
  • Released: 16 November 2018
  • Label: Universal
9
[12]
"—" denotes albums that did not chart, or wasn't released in that country.
"+" denotes a posthumous release.

Singles

Year of release Single details[13] Peak chart positions(Irl)
1991 Roll Back the Clouds
  • Label: Son
  • Entered Chart: 20 June 1991
  • Weeks in Chart: 8
4
1991 Oh Jealous Heart
  • Label: Record Services
  • Entered Chart: 10 October 1991
  • Weeks in Chart: 4
15
1993 If You Were to Fall
  • Label: WEA
  • Entered Chart: 4 April 1993
  • Weeks in Chart: 5
10

References

  1. Obituary: Christie Hennessy | Music | The Guardian
  2. Biographical information from an interview on RTÉ Radio 1, Playback, 30 March 2007
  3. "Christie Hennessy: Former labourer who outsold U2 with his album 'The". Independent.co.uk. 13 December 2007.
  4. Interview – see approx 6 minutes in on YouTube
  5. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p833550
  6. "Biography - Christie Hennessy". Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  7. Irish singer Hennessy dies at 62BBC News – 11 December 2007
  8. u.tv Archived 17 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  9. http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/1104/hennessyc.html
  10. "Discography - Christie Hennessy". Archived from the original on 13 July 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  11. "Christie Hennessy album details revealed".
  12. "Irish Albums Chart: 23 November 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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