Black 47 Tickets

About Black 47

Their first performance was in the Bronx on October 2, 1989. During the first year a horn section was added with Fred Parcells on trombone and Geoffrey Blythe on saxophones. Later the were joined by Thomas Hamlin on drums.

In 1991 the band created a stir in the downtown Manhattan scene with their weekly residency at Paddy Reilly's on Second Avenue. In the same year, the band released an eponymous independent album which gained the attention of the music industry.The band released it's first debut album, “Black 47', on its own label in 1992. It then signed SBK/EMI, which issued a five-song EP, also called Black 47, in November 1992, and a critically acclaimed debut album in March 1993.

The Cars' Ric Ocasek produced "Fire of Freedom" was their first major label release in 1993. During this year, the singles "Funky Céilí" and "Maria's Wedding" were in heavy rotation on alternative radio and MTV's 120 Minutes. Black 47 toured extensively in 1993 and 1994 and released their second album "Home of the Brave" in 1994 with Jerry Harrison serving as producer.

The album continued the band's socio-political themes of American labor and civil rights, Irish nationalism, and the immigrant experience. “Like Fire of Freedom”, “Home of the Brave” received good reviews but was ignored in the marketplace. For 1996's Green Suede Shoes, Black 47 moved to Mercury, yet the album made no impact, either critically or commercially.“Trouble in the Land” followed in early 2000.Immediately after the album's release the group's founding member Chris Byrne left the band to focus on his solo music with the Celtic folk group Seanchaí and the Unity Squad.

Nevertheless Black 47 continued on without Byrne releasing a live set, titled On Fire, in 2001 followed by New York Town in 2004. In 2005, the group released Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes a companion piece to band leader Larry Kirwin's memoir -Green Suede Shoes : An Irish-American Odyssey in 2005. In their tenth year together, Black 47 released a limited edition compilation "Ten Bloody Years" and their first live recording "Live In New York City" which took place in the now defunct Wetlands nightclub.

Black 47 is at once political, irreverent, militant and feisty. Their broad musical influences include rock, Irish music, rap/hip-hop, reggae, and soul. They maintain a loyal fan base while touring in the United States and Ireland. They continue their tradition of their Saturday night performances in New York City at Connolly's of Times Square.