MUSIC: Errol and Ted’s big adventure

IN the 1970s Errol Walsh pioneered country-rock in Northern Ireland with bands like Rodeo, who were regulars on the Irish university circuit playing regularly at Queen’s, Trinity and Cork.

He later moved to Tralee and joined Stagalee, a very popular soul and funk band who had a minor Irish hit record with ‘Give A Little Love’. Stagalee had numerous line ups and included such notable musicians as Honor Heffernan, Tommy Moore, James Delaney, Greg Boland, the late Dave McHale, Eoghan O’Neill and Maggie Riley among others.

He then joined ‘The Business’, playing a fairly eclectic mix of country, rock, blues and even a few Jimmy Cliff songs.

The Business had such luminaries as Pat Farrell,  the late Jimmy Faulkner, Fran Breen, Don Baker, Tommy Moore, James Delaney, Davy Gaynor and played a legendary regular Sunday afternoon session in Slattery’s Bar on Capel Street.

There was also Honky Tonk Heroes who recorded ‘Laying My Heart on the Line’ and included Brian Harris, Liam McKenna, Declan McNelis.

In the 1980s he led some of England’s most critically acclaimed country bands like Tender Mercies, which also featured the legendary pedal steel player BJ Cole, and the Coyotes, who won the British Country Music Album of the Year.

He formed Mucho Dinero with Ed Deane, Bob Clouter and Tex Comer and has written with Flaco Jimenez.

Errol has a new album out, ‘Just Sayin’, with his friend Ted Ponsonby, a stalwart of the Northern Irish music scene who comes from a musical family from just outside Letterkenny and who played with the Denver Showband, later forming Section One with Percy Robinson.

The band later changed their name to The Rascals and since then Ted has gone on to become one of the top session musicians and producers in Ireland.

He has played on sessions with artists such as Kieran Goss andTommy Fleming.

Errol and Ted together with bassist Joe Murray, will be doing their first ever Dublin gigs to launch the CD on Friday, March 24 at the DC Club, 20 Camden Row Dublin 2; and on Saturday, March 25 at Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club.

For more information, visit www.errolwalsh.com or www.facebook.com/ErrolWalshMusic, or contact Colm Flynn on 087-9670707 or email [email protected]