In this series we take a look at some great musical artists, who have either been unfairly forgotten about over the years, or perhaps never quite received the credit they deserved in the first place.
This time, we are going to talk about Martin Christopher "Bap" Kennedy.
And it is an opportune moment to discuss Bap and his musical legacy, as he was born in Belfast on 17 June 1962, so would have been fast approaching his sixtieth birthday later this week.
He was the younger brother of singer Brian Kennedy and grew up on the Falls Road, at the height of 'the troubles' and at its very centre. In fact, his childhood friend, and future manager of one of his bands, Mark Kelly, lost both legs in an explosion in 1976. He appeared in several Belfast punk bands, first with Sellout and later on, with 10 Past 7 (whom Kelly managed), who notched up an appearance on Channel 4's The Tube in 1983 and also released two singles on the Good Vibration label.
Energy Orchard:
Moving to London in 1985, he worked on building sites, as he worked on trying to get a record deal. He formed Energy Orchard in 1987 with other London-based Belfast ex-pats, becoming their singer, guitarist and main songwriter. They would go on to tour extensively around the world and gained support slots along the way, with the likes of Van Morrison, Steve Earle and Jimmy Barnes.
It was Sailortown, from their first self-titled album, that caught my attention being one of those great hidden gems. Indeed, the rest of the album fairly matched up to it and also boasted another standout track in the anthemic Belfast. The album as a whole blended Van Morrison styled blues-folk and straight ahead rock, all tinged with an undoubted Irish flavour.
It's not the highest quality video, but the below gives you a flavour of how good they were in those early days.
The band featured the lovely crisp, clean bluesy sound of Paul Toner on guitar, backed by his brother David on drums. Spade McQuade was there throughout, starting on guitar before switching to bass after Joby Fox left, as was Kevin Breslin who played his keyboards like they were a full Irish band.
Stop The Machine followed in 1992 with more blues tinged rock and a great cover of Van's It's All Over Now Baby Blue. Then the exceptional Shinola in 1994, where you could start to see the country-rock path that Kennedy would pursue later. The final studio album was Pain Killer in 1995 and it was all wrapped up with a final gig on St Patrick's Day 1996 and live album, Orchardville. It is a regret of mine, that I never did see them live.
Kennedy looked back philosophically with BBC Radio Ulster in 2000, "We were tipped for the big time but never really lived up to that promise. These things just happen, a record company signs ten bands, none of them get nowhere and one band is Nirvana. We were one of the bands that weren't Nirvana."
The Solo Years:
Kennedy got the call from Steve Earle to go out to Nashville to record his debut solo record with him. Earle had long been a fan of Kennedy and had played a part in helping Energy Orchard get their deal with MCA. He said of Kennedy that he was "the best songwriter I ever saw." That's fair praise from a man who is no songwriting slouch himself.
It was while in Nashville that Kennedy fell under the Hank Williams influence. The resulting album, Domestic Blues was released in 1998 and it kind of reminds me of Wilco's sophomore album Being There, a year or two earlier. It's a country rock record, with lots of pedal steel guitar on it and it sounds joyous.
The following year came Hillbilly Blues, which took the Hank Williams love-in to the next level, being an album of cover versions of his songs. Then there was Lonely Street, which at times seems very melancholy and reflective, as on Good Times On Franklin Street, but could also be upbeat, like with Be Careful What You Wish For, which strays more into Van territory. And let's not forget the country-polka of Drunk On The Blood Of Christ.
Trivia Alert: The Lonely Street album features Herbie Flowers on bass - he is the man responsible for the iconic bassline on Lou Reed's Walk On The Wildside.
2005's The Big Picture, according to www.cluas.com, in their 8 out of 10 review, "demonstrates that his song writing has developed in pace with ability to forge working friendships with stellar talent such as Van Morrison and Shane MacGowan, both of whom are formidable masters of the song writer's craft themselves.... [the album] was akin to picking up the phone and hearing the voice of an old friend."
Both those great names mentioned in that review are relevant; the album was recorded at Morrison's studio and featured a song, Milky Way, that he co-wrote, while MacGowan provided some backing vocals. It also led Kennedy into Mark Knopfler's world, as he was invited to support him on tour around Europe and the US.
Howl On in 2009, was a concept album about the space race and was notable for featuring Henry McCullough, who had been in Joe Cocker's band at Woodstock, before also working with Paul McCartney and Wings.
Mark Knopfler and Sailor's Revenge:
In 2011, Kennedy ended up at Mark Knopfler's British Grove Studio, to work on what would become The Sailor's Revenge. It was a close collaboration between the pair, with Knopfler also adding lots of guitar parts and backing vocals. He also provided Kennedy with members of his band, including Guy Fletcher (who had also worked with Knopfler in Dire Straits), and also session guests like Jerry Douglas (who has worked with the likes of Alison Krauss).
The resulting album is just beautiful. No Depression ranked it at number one for their Albums of 2012, saying it was, "Truly a masterpiece from a man who is finally comfortable in his place in the world." The Independent on Sunday was a little more cagey in its verdict, "It is derivative and woe begone and its musical twists are seldom hard to predict, but it is also finely crafted and devoid of the phoniness which can make such works unbearable." But AllMusic celebrated it as "a dark but frequently beautiful set of Celtic flavoured contemporary folk."
Judge for yourself: https://youtu.be/R3-Fvr11qs4 (Sailor's Revenge)
Reckless Heart:
Let's Start Again was a return to a more Americana style, with the honky tonk of If Things Don't Change and a latin inspired King Of Mexico. And then in 2016 came what would end up being his final album, Reckless Heart.
This was recorded in Northern Ireland in early 2016, shortly before Kennedy received a diagnosis for both pancreatic and bowel cancer. His blog from May of that year made it clear he knew he didn't have long left.
"I didn't know how many people have been touched by my songs."
"It's breaking my heart to find out now when I have so little time to do anything about it - but I am also very happy to feel the achievement. It's what I always wanted. Not money. Not fame. I always wanted people to feel what I feel. The magic of music."
Bap Kennedy died in hospice care in Belfast on 1 November 2016. Reckless Heart was released posthumously, with Americana Music Show commenting, "Bap Kennedy departs leaving an upbeat and enjoyable album of 12 songs that will be treasured by his large following... The overall feel is of an easy laid-back rock acoustic album with tasteful arrangements and an accomplished band to keep him company."
Mark Knopfler reflected on Kennedy as a fellow songwriter and a friend, "[he was] an extremely talented and committed songwriter who applied himself to his craft at all times. I have nothing but happy memories of our days and nights in the studio and out on the road."
If you have never listened to the music of Bap Kennedy, solo and with Energy Orchard, I would urge you to take 20 minutes and play a few of his songs on your streaming service of choice - I don't think you will be disappointed.
And also, maybe raise a glass to a great talent, who never got enough exposure or credit, on what would have been his 60th (Thursday 16th).
https://youtu.be/vFQ1EfC-Z9g (Reckless Heart)