WHEN LA based Co Tyrone singer Eamonn McCrystal got the idea of producing a concert showcasing Northern Ireland music after watching US news reports of flag protest riots in Belfast, little did he know the response it would receive in his adopted country – or that it would earn him four Emmys.
“When I started to look at the impressive catalogue of music written by Jimmy Kennedy [the Omagh-born writer of such standards as South of the Border and Teddy Bears’ Picnic] and Van Morrison and the many traditional pieces originating from our little corner of the world it was overwhelming,” recalls Eamonn about the inspiration behind his multi-award-winning programme The Music of Northern Ireland.
Recorded in the autumn of 2014 in Belfast’s Grand Opera House, the made-for-television concert featured the songs of Northern Ireland songwriters and included performances from Brian Kennedy, Keith and Kirstyn Getty and Broadway star Rachel Tucker.
Eamonn collaborated with music producer Nigel Wright, who had worked on projects with Andrew Lloyd Webber and The X Factor, for the television special, which was commissioned by the American network PBS.
More than 20 million people have so far watched it and it is still broadcast 50 times a week on networks in the United States.
The Music of Northern Ireland won Emmys – which recognise excellence in the US television industry – for Overall Arts/Entertainment Programme; Director-live or Recorded Live Programme; and Musical Arrangements; and Eamonn himself won the award for Best On-camera Talent/Performer.
“I don’t think it will ever sink in. I thought if I’m very lucky I could be nominated for a [music industry] Grammy some day, but not an Emmy. It was wonderful to get the television award, especially for a show filmed in Belfast. It’s a project very close to my heart and a story that needed to be told.”
Eamonn admits that the award night in Detroit last June “was all a bit of a blur” – but stresses that it was not simply due to Champagne.
“In the first award of the night we were up against a documentary about orchestral music and Motown. We were in Detroit and thought there was no way we were going to win against Motown. When they said the winner was The Music of Northern Ireland we could hardly move. Acceptance speeches were never considered.
“It was a really crazy night as after winning an award you go back stage and do a lot of press. I was often in the middle of an interview when they called our names to go back on stage again.”
The programme did a lot for promoting tourism in the north as it showcased the region’s landsapes including the Giant’s Causeway and Antrim coast. “I’ve a bone to pick with the tourist board,” he laughs. “The aerial photography connected the dots of where the songs came from. For example, for the Jimmy Kennedy classic Red Sails in the Sunset we went over Portstewart, where Jimmy had lived and got his inspiration for the song.”
The soundtrack of the show is available on iTunes and the programme should be available on Netflix later this year.
Growing up, Eamonn first performed for the elderly residents at his parents' nursing home business outside Cookstown. It was here he learnt the powerful impact of music upon people with illnesses such as Alzheimer’s who didn’t recognise their loved ones but would sing along to the songs they grew up listening to. He first aired on radio as a seven-year-old singing on the George Jones show on BBC Radio Ulster but contemplated a career in teaching or in the priesthood before being advised otherwise – by Cardinal Sean Brady.
It was through a twist of fate that Eamonn found his way to the US stage when working at the UTV Country Fest in the King’s Hall and his singing talents coming to the attention of US country music star Randy Travis.
A life-changing move to the States followed and since then Eamonn’s career has blossomed; he has performed several times on the Grand Ole Opry and established himself as a radio personality and actor.
He has also appeared in several television series’ and movies including God’s Not Dead 2, to be released this Easter. He plays the role of “the bad attorney” in the movie, which features Hollywood stars Melissa Joan Hart, Jessie Metcalf, Pat Boone and Ray Wise.
He is currently filming a new sitcom, Winner’s Circle, due to be broadcast in America at the end of this year. The role, which sees Eamonn working alongside former Falcon Crest star Morgan Fairchild, is one that you could say was written for him.
“It’s a brand new sitcom where I’m the Irish guy. He’s from Tyrone, which is very helpful as, for once, I don’t have to learn an accent.”
He has also recorded his own chat show, In Person, which will also be available on Netflix later this year.
“It features an eclectic group of people including Connie Smyth and Marty Stewart from Nashville country music and actors Pat Boon and Jesse Metcalf,” says Eamonn, who will duet at the end of the show with his musical guests.
Despite his success as an actor and broadcaster, music is still Eamonn’s passion. A tenor, whose music falls into the "traditional vocal pop" category, he is also currently recording a new album, collaborating once again with Nigel Wright and Nashville producer Casey Wood.
“It’s all famous love songs, but rearranged to sound very different. So a very poppy song will become a ballad and vice versa. I have been working with some wonderful musicians in Nashville on the acoustic songs and during my trip home I will be recording some tracks in London with an orchestra.”
Cookstown audiences will be the first to sample his latest music and show, which is set to tour the US this autumn.
“I’ve always enjoyed letting the people at home hear the new music first because they have been with me from the start and made me the musician I am today.”
The show will also include some the hits from his multi-Emmy Award-winningTV special including Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars and Van Morrison’s Moondance.
When he’s home Eamonn will also be recording for Songs of Praise at Killmoon Castle in Cookstown and handing out quite a few Emmy certificates to those involved in the production.
So, will there be a sequel to The Music of Northern Ireland?
“I would love to do it again. We need to get our songwriters to keep writing great music.”
:: Eamonn McCrystal In Concert, the Burnavon Theatre, Cookstown, February 20. Tickets at www.burnavon.com.
