Michael English spoke to David Hennessy ahead of his upcoming show at the London Irish Centre.
Michael English, 47, is one of the biggest names in Irish country music.
From Castledermot in Co. Kildare he was born to a traditional accordion player and Irish dancer.
He studied music as a child and first played on The Late Late Show in 1991 when he was twelve.
He was a teenager when he had a hit with The Nearest to Perfect, written by the late Henry McMahon.
He had more hits with tracks like Friday at the Dance and Ding Dong Sing My Song.
Michael is bringing his show to the London Irish Centre this month. He says he wants to bring back some of the magic of Irish dance halls like The Galtymore.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO LONDON?
“I can’t wait.
“I’ve been going to the UK a long time but very rarely we get to perform at a dance so I’m very excited because a lot of the people from London, from The Jive Tribe and all of those groups, come over to Ireland to see us a lot so it’s our turn now to go to see them. I’m looking forward to it. It should be brilliant.”
YOU WERE BORN INTO A MUSICAL FAMILY AND STARTED YOUNG…
“When I was very young, my parents took me to see all of the showbands of the day, and I was bitten by the bug then.
“It was the only thing I ever wanted to do really, and it was not an easy thing to make a start. It’s difficult for somebody so young.
“I was only 17 when I started the big band. I had a song called The Nearest to Perfect and that was a hit in Ireland.
“That song really helped me to get started and that song is still as popular today.
“I love the music more now than I ever did, and I always loved it.
“I always thought myself very lucky to do something I love because I’m sure there are many people in the world who are maybe doing something they don’t enjoy, I’m fortunate I love what I do.
“I love going on stage no matter where it is. I don’t mind the travelling. I am just as excited now as I ever was going to shows.”
YOUR BREAKTHROUGH HIT THE NEAREST TO PERFECT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU BY HENRY MCMAHON WHO DIED EARLIER THIS YEAR…
“That’s right. I was with Henry a couple of days before he died. I went to see him on the Thursday, and he died on the Sunday.
“Henry started it off for me.
“He wrote the song and looked after me for a long number of years.
“He was a great man to advise and a great man to help me. He was synonymous, of course, with Big Tom and the Mainliners.
“I went many times to many shows with Henry including to the Galtymore in London.
“I travelled with Henry and then when I started Henry travelled with me.
“He took me under his wing and gave me great advice. It was a privilege to work with him, somebody who had so much knowledge, not only of the business but of songs and of music.
“He was a prolific songwriter, wrote many hits for many people and we miss him terrible, the whole business misses Henry terrible because not only was he a great man, a great gentleman, a great character, great musician but also, we miss people like that and all the great songs they wrote for all the artists.
“People loved him the length and breadth of the country.”
YOU APPROACHED HENRY AND HE GAVE YOU THE SONG THAT STARTED YOUR CAREER. IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE MAN. AS BUSY AS HE WAS, HE TOOK A FLEDGLING SINGER UNDER HIS WING…
“That’s the type Henry McMahon was, very generous with his time.
“I’m hugely grateful to him and his wife Esther, his daughter Karen, and the whole family for all they did for me.
“In the early days, I used to stay in their house because I wasn’t old enough to drive and he drove me around to all the shows. He was more than just a songwriter; he was everything to me back then.”
WAS IT ALL A CRAZY WHIRLWIND WHEN IT TOOK OFF BECAUSE YOU WERE STILL JUST A TEENAGER?
“Well, I started when I was 11 – the big band started when I was 18.
“I released The Nearest to Perfect when I was 17 in November ‘97. I started the big band in February ’98, all because of that song.
“I still sing that song at all the dances I perform at.
“The dances now are fantastic. It’s come full circle.
“I’ve never seen – not just for me, for everybody – the business in a healthier state.
“The amount of young people coming out to the shows now is phenomenal.
“I never thought I would see the day when well over half the people at the dances are my age – and younger. It’s great to see and it gives great hope for the business for the future.
“Live music will never be replaced; there’s nothing like going to see a live band.
“Hopefully all the people will come to the Irish Centre in Camden and witness it.
“There’s nothing quite like reliving all those memories we made down through the years in London whether it be The Crown, The Lord Nelson, The Galtymore or wherever, all the great places we played.
“For one night only we’re going to relive all that nostalgia and – in a modern way – we’re going to remember all those great times we had.
“It’s going to be a one-off dance in the middle of London, I can’t wait.”
TELL US YOUR MEMORIES OF PLAYING THE GALTYMORE, WHICH CLOSED IN 2008…
“For me it was the equivalent of playing in Carnegie Hall or the Sydney Opera House.
“It was the one everybody wanted to play.
“Even though it wasn’t in Ireland, you felt you were in Ireland when you stepped through the doors of The Galtymore.
“You felt you were in a dance in Ireland, a gigantic, massive dance.
“The family who ran it were great people to perform for, and it was the highlight of the year when you got to play The Galtymore.
“I was lucky enough to play it many times and I had many, many great nights there.
“People used to just lean over the balcony and look down at this mass of people dancing.
“Sometimes there was no room to dance even though it was a very, very, very big ballroom.
“It was just a very, very, very special place.
“Often young people come up to me at the dances and speak about The Galtymore.
“It’s very hard to explain what The Galtymore was like unless you were there yourself.
“As I said, we’ll try to relive all those great times in the Irish Centre in Camden and bring a little bit of that back to London.
“It’s going to be one of the highlights, if not THE highlight of the year for us.
“This is going to be a fantastic night of dancing. We’re going to pull out all the stops.
“We’ve had many, many great nights in London and hopefully all the people we met down through the years and the new generation that are coming out now, will all descend on the Irish Centre in Camden, and we’ll have one hell of a night. It’ll be fantastic.”
YOU WERE ON THE LATE LATE SHOW’S MOST RECENT IRISH COUNTRY MUSIC SPECIAL, WAS IT GOOD TO BE BACK?
“Absolutely, any television is great platform, but The Late Late Show is the world’s longest running chat show.
“When I was growing up, nobody missed The Late Late Show, everybody watched at home.
“It’s still extremely popular and Patrick Kielty is a great host and so it’s a great honour to be on the show.
“I was 12 when I was first on it in 1991. Gay Byrne had a catch phrase, ‘It started on The Late Late Show’ and it certainly started for me there.
“It’s still very popular now but back then there was no social media, no Sky Television, it was the only show in town and the best to be on, so it was a huge platform for me to start on.
“I was very lucky and fortunate to get on such a big show at such a young age.
“I remember coming home from The Late Late Show on a Friday night and on the Saturday, the house phone never stopped ringing, and I was booked for here and for there, I was only 12.
“The very first gig I got from The Late Late Show was playing relief to Dickie Rock who was a huge star at the time so yeah, it was a great platform to start off from.”
WHAT IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER?
“To be honest with you every night is special.
“No matter where you go, it’s always a great feeling just walking out on the stage and I get the same feeling no matter where I play.
“I’m very grateful for that because I don’t differentiate between venues because crowds are there.
“Whether they’re sitting or dancing, they’re there in front of you.
“I’ve played in lots of iconic venues; I’ve been to every state in America except Hawaii.
“I’ve been in nearly every dance hall and theatre in the UK at this stage. They’re all great, I enjoy them all, I really do.
“I’ve been very lucky to perform for many, many people of all walks of life but the people who come to see me, they’re the most important to me.
“Without the audience, we would have no show and whenever I write a song or record a song, I always put it into my concert or dance first to see if the audience likes it because without them, there’d be nothing.
“We’re very fortunate that people come to the shows night after night and are very loyal.”
YOU HAD A MEANINGFUL MEETING WITH THE LATE CHARLEY PRIDE BEFORE HE DIED…
“Yeah, that’s right. I toured with Charley Pride in my early days. I opened up for him in Ireland – he was extremely good to me.
“We met on a cruise. I was surprised to get a phone call from his room to my room to say, ‘Charley Pride here and I’ve just come back from your show’.
“It was a great honour to have him in the audience.
“I didn’t know he was there. He mentioned a song I wrote called Come Home, a tribute to the American troops, and asked if I would mind if he recorded it.
“I said it would be a privilege if somebody of the calibre of Charley Pride recorded it.
“Then, sadly, we lost Charley during Covid, so he never got to record the song but even though it’s a disappointment that he never got to record it, it’s a great honour that he was going to record one of my songs.”
DO YOU STILL ENJOY THE PERFORMING AS MUCH AS YOU EVER DID?
“I enjoy it more. When you’re a teenager, there are a lot of uncertainties as to, ‘What will happen? Will it last? Should I go left or right or straightforward or what way should I go?’
“Whereas now, and I’m not saying I know it all, I know a little bit more about the business and I can see a great future in the business.
“Nowadays, I probably enjoy it a little bit more because I can relax and not worry too much.
“At the same time, you have to always be on your game, and you have to always be writing and releasing new material.
“Even on my day off I like to get up, I like to write. I like to get ideas. I’m only the front man.
“I’m very lucky I have a team around me who are of the exact same mindset as myself.”
Michael English plays London Irish Centre on Friday 20 November. For booking and more information, click here.
For more information about Michael English, click here.