Keith Harkin is a key member of Celtic Thunder.
Keith Harkin
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He provides both lead and backing vocals, and often features in set pieces with other individuals in the group. His Thin Lizzy style guitar duet with Neil Byrne in the song, Whiskey in the Jar, has been one of the highlights of Celtic Thunder shows for many fans.
However, he also performs as a solo artist and is a song writer with a number or successful tracks to his name. He wrote Lauren and I for the Celtic Thunder shows.
In 2012, he released his self- titled debut solo album on Verve records. It contains a mixture of classic covers like Have I Told You Lately That I Love You and Everybody’s Talkin’ together with original songs, written by Harkin.
When he first went into the studio the intention was to record one original song and several covers, but Harkin enjoyed such a creative burst that he wrote a number of songs that were good enough to take their place on the album alongside the classics.
He said: “It wasn’t easy when you’re talking about songs like, The End of the Innocence, or Everybody’s Talkin’!
A ‘rare combination of talents’
Harkin said of the album: “I love all music, and a lot of my influences are on this record, Neil Young, pop, dance, country – I love Glen Campbell. I see it like an old-school Elton John record, where he would play rock next to country next to folk. It’s quite a broad horizon.”
It was produced by Jochem van der Saag, who has previously worked with stars such as Michael Bublé and Seal. The album was hotly anticipated and reached number 2 on Amazon’s pre-sale order charts.
Verve Records Chairman, David Foster, said: “Keith Harkin has a rare combination of talents — he’s a great singer, a unique songwriter and gifted live performer. He defines the very qualities true artists are born with. We’re proud to have Keith as a key member of the growing Verve family.”
Harkin continues to balance his solo work with his commitments to Celtic Thunder, and looks set to be a major figure in Irish music for many years to come.
Keith Harkin
Career as a songwriter
Keith Harkin videos
Singers main page
