{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = Eleanor McEvoy
| image = Eleanor McEvoy at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi in Dublin, Ireland.JPG|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy performing at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi
| caption = Eleanor McEvoy performing at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi in Dublin, Ireland. Photo by Scott Hayes
| image_size =
| birth_place =
| birth_date = 22 January 1967
| background = solo_singer
| alias =
| origin = [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]]
| genre = Rock/folk
| years_active = 1990 – present
| label = Geffen Records 1992-1995 Columbia Records 1995-2000Market Square 2000-2002Moscodisc 2002-present
| associated_acts =
| website = [http://www.eleanormcevoy.net/ Official Website]
}}

'''Eleanor McEvoy''' (born 22 January 1967) is one of [[Ireland]]'s most accomplished contemporary [[singer/songwriter]]s.<ref name="Northern Irish Music Commission">{{cite web|url=http://www.nimusic.com/shownews.asp?id=518|title=Singer/Songwriter|author=|publisher=NIMIC|date=}}</ref> McEvoy composed the song "Only A Woman's Heart", title track of ''[[A Woman's Heart]]'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=120023|title=Only A Woman's Heart|author=|publisher=Billboard.com|date=}}</ref>

==Biography==
McEvoy's life as a musician began at the age of four when she began playing piano. At the age of eight she took up violin. Upon finishing school she attended [[Trinity College, Dublin]] where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras and music clubs by night.

McEvoy graduated from Trinity with an Honors Degree in music, and spent four months busking in [[New York City]]. In 1988 she was accepted into the [[RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra]] where she spent four years before leaving to concentrate on songwriting.

She built up a following in clubs in [[Dublin]] with her three piece band, Jim Tate on bass, Noel Eccles on drums, and latterly Bill Shanley on guitar.

During a solo date in July 1992, she performed a little-known, self-penned song, "Only a Woman's Heart". [[Mary Black]], of whose band McEvoy was a member, was in the audience and invited her to add the track to an album of Irish female artists. The album was subsequently titled ''[[A Woman's Heart]]'' and the track was released as the lead single.

In the same week that ''A Woman's Heart'' was released, Tom Zutaut A & R from [[Geffen Records]], who had previously signed [[Guns & Roses]], [[Motley Crew]], and [[Edie Brickell]], offered McEvoy a worldwide recording deal after watching her perform at The Baggot Inn in [[Dublin]].

The album went on to sell over three-quarters of a million copies in Ireland alone and was (and remains) the biggest selling [[Irish Albums Chart|Irish]] album of all time.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=120023|title=Only A Woman's Heart|author=|publisher=Billboard.com|year=2007}}</ref>

''[[Eleanor McEvoy (album)|Eleanor McEvoy]]'', the self-titled debut offering, recorded in [[Windmill Lane Studios]], was released in February 1993, and tours in the [[United States]], [[Asia]], and [[Europe]] followed. Back on Irish soil, McEvoy was awarded Best New Artist, Best New Performer, and Best Songwriter Awards by the Irish entertainment and music industries.

As she began writing her second album, Tom Zutaut departed [[Geffen Records]], so when [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] U.S. offered her a new deal, she jumped ship and began working on a new, edgier second album, which would eventually be titled ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' The album was released in 1996 and the sound was louder and grungier that her debut. The single "Precious Little" built to a Top-10 radio hit in the [[United States]], giving McEvoy the exposure she needed for a headline tour of the U.S. She was invited to contribute of a number of movie and TV soundtracks.

[[File:A glass unkissed.jpg|thumb|A Glass Unkissed Single]] "A Glass Unkissed" was featured in [[American Broadcast Company|ABC]] Television's ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]'' and "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" was featured in the [[Pierce Brosnan]] film ''[[The Nephew]]''. which was released in August 1998.

At home, the success of ''A Woman's Heart'' continued to overshadow McEvoy's solo work and fans of the mammoth hit were disappointed with the rock elements of the second album and those that might have identified with her bittersweet lyrics, sensual vocals, and loud guitars turned a blind eye to the album.

McEvoy released her third album ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]'' in 1999. Her primary goal was to make ''Snapshots'' her most song-oriented album to date. Toward that goal, McEvoy hooked up with legendary producer [[Rupert Hine]] (who worked with [[Stevie Nicks]], [[Tina Turner]], [[Suzanne Vega]], and [[Duncan Sheik]]) and recorded the album at Rupert’s “Chateau de la Tour de Moulin” and then in Metropolis Studios in [[London]]. The extensive use of drum loops was a complete change in style from her previous work.

The album was greeted by rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. ”... her sophisticated voice and compassionate seasoned lyrics ... make Eleanor McEvoy’s album a gem....” declared [[The Boston Globe]],<ref name="Boston Globe">{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/|title=Snapshots|author=|publisher=Boston Globe|date=}}</ref> while [[The Sunday Times]] described it as “her strongest album to date, with well appointed social comment topics...McEvoy’s take on matters emotional also hits pay dirt with the likes of the excellent 'Did You Tell Him?'"<ref name="The Sunday Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news//|title=Snapshots|author=|publisher=The Sunday Times|date= | location=London}}</ref> However [[Columbia Records]] had been unprepared for the complete stylistic change and relations between the company and McEvoy became strained. Despite this, a sell-out, 24-date tour of the [[United States]] accompanied the release of ''Snapshots'' in the summer of 1999, followed by the "Snapshots Unplugged" tour March–April 2000, which culminated in a performance in [[Boulder, Colorado]] accompanied by the E Town Band where she duetted with [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]].

By 2000 McEvoy found herself increasingly entwined in record company red tape, [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] had bought her first album ''Eleanor McEvoy'' from Geffen, but were refusing to release it. Neither ''What's Following Me?'' nor ''Snapshots'' had set the sales charts on fire, and McEvoy’s public perception, particularly in Ireland, was caught in a limbo state between rock and folk, with "A Woman’s Heart" and its many incarnations still lurking in the back of the minds of the record-buying public.

Increasingly McEvoy started to work on outside projects. The [[Bert Jansch]] tribute album ''People On The Highway – A Bert Jansch Encomium'' (Market Square Records catalog number MSMCD106, Koch, September 2000) saw a newly recorded version of Jansch’s song about [[Sandy Denny]], "Where Did My Life Go?", recorded by McEvoy especially for the album. Participating artists included [[Al Stewart]], [[Roy Harper]], [[Bernard Butler]], [[Donovan]], and [[Ralph McTell]].

As the century closed, McEvoy had had enough of major-label involvement, making the decision to take the fourth album and head down the independent road. [[Yola (Album)|Yola]] was a turning point in McEvoy’s musical direction. Released in 2001, it reflected the acoustic, jazz-influenced style she had developed on stage with Brian Connor. For McEvoy it was a new departure and one that found favour with music media. Irish Music Press described it as .... "her finest album", "a brave rejection of the predictable", "musically daring....beautifully atmospheric". International press lauded it as "a back to basics triumph", "beautifully restrained", "a classic", and "McEvoy’s best release to date". Extensive touring throughout the U.S. and the UK followed. In 2002 ''[[Yola (album)|Yola]]'' was named "Record of the Year" by Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com|title=Record of the Year|author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

March 2004 saw the release of ''[[Early Hours]]'' (Market Square MSM51SACD128, distributor RSK/BMG), produced by McEvoy and Brian Connor. The album featured McEvoy on vocals, guitar, and fiddle; Connor on piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, and keyboards; Liam Bradley on kit percussion and backing vocals; Calum McColl on guitars and backing vocals; Nicky Scott on bass; and Lindley Hamilton on trumpets. The style differed from McEvoy's previous work, taking on a jazz/blues feel for many of the songs. ''Early Hours'' continued the high-quality audio work that had been established with ''Yola''. This album was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround-sound onto multi-channel [[Super Audio CD]] (SACD). ''Early Hours'' was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005, by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.<ref name="Irish Music Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishmusicmagazine.com/|title=Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005|author=|publisher=Irish Music Magazine|date=}}</ref>

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy at the Woman's Heart 20th Anniversary Concert.jpg|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy performing at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Photo by Catherine Keane]]

McEvoy continued to tour with Brian Connor until April 2005. She then began performing solo, accompanying herself on bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and violin.

Her sixth album, ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'', was recorded in The Grange Studio in Norfolk and released in early 2007. It was self-penned, self-produced and featured McEvoy all of the instruments with the exception of a guitar part on “Quote I Love You Unquote” played by [[Dave Rotheray]] (ex-[[Beautiful South]]) and the drumming of Liam Bradley ([[Van Morrison]], Ronan Keeting) on three tracks. McEvoy toured the album extensively in Britain, Ireland, [[Spain]] and [[Australia]] throughout 2007 and early 2008. In 2007 ''Out There'' brought McEvoy her second "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com"|title=Record of the Year |author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' (MOSCD404, released 2008), her seventh album, is a departure from previous albums, where all the songs were typically her own. Half of this album features songs by other writers. Typically these songs were written by men and sung by men, but were about women. When sung by a woman, with the minimum of alteration to the lyrics, the words tell a new story. It revels in gender juxtaposition.

Recorded with the South King Street Band, with arrangements by Peter Beckett, ''Love Must Be Tough'' opens with [[The Rolling Stones]]'s "Mother’s Little Helper". The opening line, “what a drag it is getting old", sets the tone of the entire collection.

The title track, "Love Must Be Tough", written by McEvoy and U.S. legend [[Johnny Rivers]] during a late-night songwriting session in Killarney, is a nugget of West-Coast Americana. The lead single, "Old, New, Borrowed and Blue", penned by McEvoy and long-time friend [[Dave Rotheray]] ([[Beautiful South]]/[[Homespun]]), is a twist on the jaundiced over-optimism of the standard wedding song. Another track by the duo, "The Night May Still Be Young, But I Am Not", is also on the album. In 2008 McEvoy received her third "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com"|title=Record of the Year|author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

In 2007 McEvoy was awarded "Best Traditional Act" at the 7th annual Big Buzz Awards. Awards are voted for entirely by the general public, and are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements and the amazing talent within the Irish entertainment scene.<ref name="The Big Buzz">{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbuzzawards.com/about"|title=Best Traditional Act|author=|publisher=The Big Buzz|date=}}</ref>

In 2008 McEvoy toured from January to November in the UK, Australia, Spain, [[Germany]], [[Poland]], and Ireland, with additional one-off dates in the Far East and elsewhere in [[Europe]], including an appearance at [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] in June 2008.

On 21 November 2008, "Easy In Love" from the album ''Love Must Be Tough'' was released as a single to highlight McEvoy's recent visit to [[Uganda]] on behalf of [[Oxfam]] Ireland.

McEvoy's album ''[[Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Singled Out]]'' was released on 28 September 2008. The album is a compilation of singles taken from McEvoy's four award-winning, independently-released albums. Three of the albums, ''Yola'', ''Out There'', and ''Love Must Be Tough'', received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine"/>
''Early Hours'' was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005 by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.<ref name="Irish Music Magazine"/> The album includes "Did I Hurt You" and "Isn't It a Little Late" from McEvoy's double [[A-side and B-side|A-side]] single, the world's first single to be released on SACD format.<ref name="SingSong">{{cite web|url=http://www.singsongpr.biz/msm_case1.htm|title=First SACD Single|author=|publisher=SingSong|date=}}</ref>
''Singled Out'' includes one new song, "Oh Uganda", which was written by McEvoy after her visit to Northern Uganda as part of her support for the work of ''Oxfam Unwrapped''.

''[[I'd Rather Go Blonde]]'', released 20 September 2010, is McEvoy's eighth album. Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance. As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there." The album has been met with glowing reviews including the five-star review in 2010 Maverick Magazine: "This absolutely stunning album, has been a real find – one of the most compelling female singer-songwriters I've heard in a long time."<ref name= "I'd Rather Go Blonde Review">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.maverick-country.com/"|title=''I'd Rather Go Blonde'' Review|magazine=Maverick Magazine|page=72|date = September 2010}}</ref>

''[[Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Alone]]'', McEvoy's ninth album, released 12 September 2011, is a collection of twelve stripped-down solo numbers. Says McEvoy, "“There was a time when I was stranded in a long gap between tour dates and, with time to kill, I headed for the peace of The Grange; a small studio tucked away in the Norfolk countryside." The product of those tranquil sessions is an album of incredibly haunting performances, up close, personal, and timeless. This is McEvoy in her most intimate setting, running through the journey of her writing and singing career.

==Discography==
* ''[[Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Alone]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD409) September 2011 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, recorded by Dave Williams and Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ciaran Byrne and Mick O'Gorman; mastered by Ian Cooper.

* ''[[I'd Rather Go Blonde]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD408) September 2010 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, and Peter Beckett; recorded by Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan; mastered by Ian Cooper.

* ''[[Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Singled Out]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD406) September 2009 Various Producers

* ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD404) February 2008 Produced by Peter Beckett and Mick O'Gorman

* ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSACD 303) September 2006 Produced by Mick O'Gorman and Eleanor McEvoy

* ''[[Early Hours]]'' – Moscodisc / Market Square (MSM1SACD128) 2004 Produced by Brian Connor & Eleanor McEvoy

* ''[[Eleanor McEvoy 'Special Edition']]'' – Market Square (MSMCD127) 2003 {Remastered Geffen album (see below) with 4 extra tracks.} Produced by Pat Moran.

* ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' – Mosco (EMSACD1) 2001 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Brian Connor.

* ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]'' – Columbia Records (CK494598.2) 1999 Produced by Rupert Hine

* ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' – Columbia Records (484233.2) 1996 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Kevin Moloney

* ''[[Eleanor McEvoy (album)|Eleanor McEvoy]]'' – Geffen Records (GEFC/GEFD24606)1993 Produced by Pat Moran. No longer available replaced by Special Edition (see above)

==Music in film and TV==
===Feature films===

* McEvoy sang [[Bill Whelan]]'s song "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNwKYgalaFc The Seabird]" in ''[[Some Mother's Son]]'' starring [[Helen Mirren]], director [[Terry George]] written by [[Jim Sheridan]] and [[Terry George]].

* The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in ''[[How To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate]]'' starring Mick Lally and Mary McEvoy.

* The song "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" features in ''[[The Nephew]]'' starring [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Donal McCann]], [[Sinéad Cusack]], and Niall Tobin.

* The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg2gO-r2fd8 El vuelo del tren]'' (director Paco Torres, 2009).

===Television===

* The [[HBO]] series ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' featured the song "All I Have", written by [[Caroline Lavelle]] and McEvoy.

* "A Glass Unkissed" from the 1996 album ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' appeared in television network [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]’s popular series ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]''.

* American Network PBS’s documentary ''In Our Own Voice'' features "Easy To Lose Hope" from McEvoy's 1999 album ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]''. The song, produced by [[Rupert Hine]], is about murdered journalist [[Veronica Guerin]].

* "All I Have" from the 1999 album ''Snapshots'' was featured on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]’s ''[[One Life to Live]]'', a long-running daytime-TV soap opera.

* McEvoy’s song "Only A Woman's Heart" appeared in Irish Network [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTE]]’s popular soap ''[[Glenroe]]''.

* "Days Roll By" from ''[[Early Hours]]'' (Moscodisc 2004) appears in ''[[Fair City]]'', a popular soap about daily life in a [[Dublin]] city.

==Super Audio and vinyl==
McEvoy's fourth album ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' drew favourable attention from the [[Hi-Fi]] press and market as one of the first original titles recorded specifically for [[Super Audio CD|SACD]]. With the collaboration of sound designer Mick O’Gorman, the world’s first-ever SACD single "Did I Hurt You" (Market Square MSMSACD114) was released from the same album. To this day ''Yola'' is regarded as a [[Hi-Fi]] industry standard and is used by high-end audio companies to test speakers.

Releasing on [[compact disc]], [[Super Audio CD|SACD]], and [[LP album|vinyl]], McEvoy's albums have won many audio awards. ''[[Early Hours]]'' was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround-sound onto multi-channel SACD. McEvoy's album ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' was named Album of the Year by ''Hi-Fi Plus'', the prestigious UK publication, and was released on vinyl in August 2008 by Diverse Vinyl in the UK.

==Other projects==

; OXFAM

In October 2008 at the invitation of [[Oxfam]] Ireland, McEvoy visited Uganda. Travelling throughout the [[Kitgum]] region of Northern Uganda, she experienced first hand the benefits of Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped, an initiative that sends meaningful presents like clean drinking water, school books and vegetable gardens to developing countries throughout [[Africa]]. This visit provided the inspiration for a new song "Oh Uganda".

; Midge Ure

[[Midge Ure]]’s top-twenty album ''Breathe'' features McEvoy on three tracks, "Fallen Angel", "Fields of Fire" and "Lay My Body Down". McEvoy contributed the [[Irish Gaelic|Gaelic]] lyrics on "Fallen Angel". The album was produced by Richard Feldman.

; RTÉ Concert Orchestra

In 2005, the [[RTE Concert Orchestra]] commissioned arrangements for 16 of McEvoy’s compositions to be performed at a concert in August 2005 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The 60-piece orchestra was conducted by David Brophy and featured, in addition McEvoy herself, other leading Irish arrangers, Johnny Tate, David Brophy, [[Brian Byrne]], and Fergus O’Carroll.

The sell-out performance formed part of the annual BEO Festival, hosted by the National Concert Hall and sponsored by the ESB.

The songs, with their new arrangements, were drawn from McEvoy’s first five albums, incorporating music from ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' and ''[[Early Hours]]'', along with many others, including "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" (from [[Pierce Brosnan]]’s ''[[The Nephew]]''), "Famine" (from ''The Gathering'' the Commemoration of the Irish Famine), and of course her contribution to the canon of Irish music standards, "Only a Woman’s Heart".

; Homespun and Dave Rotheray

In January 2006, McEvoy supported the band [[Homespun]] on a British tour in support of their second album, ''Effortless Cool''. During this tour she also began writing with [[Dave Rotheray]].

Three Rotheray/McEvoy compositions appear on McEvoy's albums: "Quote I Love You Unquote" on ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'' and "The Night May Still Be Young But I Am Not" and "Old New Borrowed and Blue" on 2008 album ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]''.

Homespun's third album, ''Short Stories From East Yorkshire'', features two Rotheray/McEvoy compositions which are also produced by [[Dave Rotheray]] and Eleanor McEvoy; "Lover’s Chapel" and "The Driver". "The Driver" was sung by well-known Irish singer [[Mary Coughlan (singer)|Mary Coughlan]].

; The Brewster Brothers

John and Rick Brewster are founding members and major songwriters of the legendary Angels, one of [[Australia]]’s most successful rock bands. After three decades, The Angels remain one of [[Australia]]’s most loved and respected bands. A few years ago Rick and John started a new breakaway project, performing acoustically as The Brewster Brothers.

Performing at the [[Port Fairy Folk Festival]] in [[Australia]] 2007, the band were joined on stage by [[Anne Kirkpatrick]] and McEvoy (violin) for standout spontaneous renditions of several of their songs. The concert was recorded by the [[ABC Australia]]. The show was broadcast on [[ABC Radio National]] on 18 May and then again on Sunday 20 May. Due to demand from [[ABC Australia]] listeners ''Brewster Brothers in Concert Live at the Port Fairy Folk Festival'' was released shortly afterwards.

; Paul Brady at Vicar Street

In October 2001 [[Paul Brady]] took over [[Vicar Street]] (one of the most popular music venues in [[Dublin]]) for twenty three nights to revisit his entire career. It was a bold move and a great success. Over the course of the month more than 16,000 people saw the shows.

As well as a chance to revisit past material Paul availed of the opportunity to invite many of the artists he has worked or written with over the last thirty years to come and play. Among them were [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Mark Knopfler]], [[Van Morrison]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]], [[Curtis Stigers]], [[Maura O'Connell]], [[Mary Black]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Brian Kennedy (singer)|Brian Kennedy]], [[Gavin Friday]], [[Tim O'Brien (musician)|Tim O'Brien]], [[Arty McGlynn]], The [[Hothouse Flowers]]. and many more.

McEvoy joined him for Thursday 12 October. Highlights of the night were Paul and McEvoy singing a duet on “You and I” an antiracism song of Paul’s and Paul’s rendition of McEvoy’s song “Last Seen October 9th”.

; The Great Irish Famine Event - The National Concert Hall'

McEvoy was commissioned by the Irish Government to write a piece about The Irish Famine for a concert held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 1997. The song was “Famine 1848”. It is an orchestral piece with vocal part sung by McEvoy.

The event entitled “The Great Irish Famine Event” was held to commemorate the [[Irish Potato Famine]] of 1845-1852.

The song ''Famine'' also features on a limited edition version of the album [[What's Following Me?]] ([[Columbia Records]]).

; “Eleanor McEvoy Presents”, Wexford Arts Centre

“ELEANOR McEVOY PRESENTS” was a project which was instigated fo the reopening of the Wexford Arts Centre in October 2006.

For four weeks during the [[Wexford Festival Opera]] McEvoy featured some of her favourite performers of contemporary music.

The first show on Friday 27 October featured McEvoy herself. During the show she played a traditional set along with some local [[Wexford]] musicians: well-known Wexford Uilleann Piper Brendan Wickham, Pat Gough on accordion, and Niall Shorthall on Bazouki.

The shows on the following Fridays featured various different artists much admired by her over the years. These included [[Andy Irvine]], [[Luka Bloom]], Caroline Moreau, and Oleg Ponomarev.

The Wexford Arts Centre places an emphasis on contemporary and emerging Irish and international art and a range of plays, concerts, film and lectures. The Centre is also resident in a preserved heritage site, built in 1760s, as a market place and assembly halls.

; The Ballad of Ronnie Drew (2008)

"[[The Ballad of Ronnie Drew]]" was a song written by [[Bono]], [[The Edge|Edge]], ([[U2]]) Simon Carmody and [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]] ([[Grateful Dead]]). It was initially written to include [[Ronnie Drew]], but as his health declined it was altered to be sung by the Irish music fraternity in his honour.

It was performed by a number of famous Irish musicians. With popular Irish band [[Kíla|Kila]] as the backing band, other contributors included members of [[U2]], The [[Dubliners]], [[Christy Moore]], [[Chris de Burgh]], [[Sinéad O’Connor]], [[The Chieftains]], [[Mundy]], [[Andrea Corr]], [[Moya Brennan]], [[Paul Brady]], [[Christy Dignam]], [[Duke Special]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Gavin Friday]], [[Bob Geldof]], [[Glen Hansard]], McEvoy, and [[Shane MacGowan]].

The single was released on 19 February 2008 and entered the Irish Single Charts at #2. At the request of Ronnie, all proceeds went to the Irish Cancer Society.

Award winning director [[John Carney (director)|John Carney]] (director of the film ''[[Once]]'') directed the video for "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew". It was filmed over two days at Dublin’s [[Windmill Lane Studios]] in January 2008.

; Tuesday’s Child

''Tuesday’s Child'' was spearheaded by [[Belfast]] woman Orla Sheehan. It consisted of a CD featuring tracks from a total of 31 performers including [[Snow Patrol]], [[Westlife]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Duke Special]], and McEvoy. Each artist donated a track for the ''Tuesday’s Child'' self-titled double album which was first launched in Belfast on 8 November 2007 and in Dublin on 7 March 2008.

Proceeds of the album went towards helping children in need in 12 countries including: [[Bolivia]], [[Bosnia]] and [[Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Egypt]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Israel]], [[Moldova]], [[Palestine]], and [[Zimbabwe]].

; IMRO'

McEvoy is on the board of the [[Irish Music Rights Organisation]]. IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members – songwriters, composers and music publishers – and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation.

; Banana Boat featuring Eleanor McEvoy

McEvoy and renowned Polish a cappella group [[Banana Boat]] collaborated to re-record McEvoy's song "Little Look" from her album ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]''. A music video was also made of the song. The debut went straight to the play list of famed Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego ([[Polskie Radio]] Three).<ref name="Polskie Radio Three">{{cite web|url=http://www.polskieradio.pl/sluchaj/play.aspx?p=r3/|title=Polskie Radio Three|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref> The video went on to be named Video of the Week by the [[Contemporary A Cappella Society]] (of America).<ref name="CASA">{{cite web|url=http://www.casa.org/|title=CASA|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref> In 2009 the recording was awarded "Collaboration of the Year with an Artist from Outside Poland" in the 2009 Polish Friends of Music Awards.<ref name="Nagrody Polskich Melomanów czyli NPM 2009">{{cite web|url=http://forum.lp3.pl/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4167&start=50|title=Polish Friends of Music Awards|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref>

; ''Duets'' by George Hooks

In December 2009 McEvoy teamed up with Irish broadcaster and rugby pundit, [[George Hook]], to perform on Hook's charity album ''Duets''. They sang McEvoy's song "Is This Love" which McEvoy co-wrote with [[Paul Brady]]. Proceeds of the album went to Irish charity ''Comber''.

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy portrait by Robert Ballard.jpg|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy portrait by Robert Ballard]]
;Portrait by [[Robert Ballard]]

On 20 January 2012 a portrait of McEvoy painted by internationally acclaimed artist Robert Ballard was hung in the [[National Concert Hall]] Dublin, Ireland

; Riverdance The Music of [[Bill Whelan]]

On 17 May, 2012 McEvoy was the guest vocalist at the performance of Riverdance: The Music of [[Bill Whelan]] at the[[National Concert Hall]] Dublin, Ireland. The performance featured the world premier of the Riverdance Symphonic Suite.

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi.JPG|thumb|McEvoy leads crowd singing Happy Birthday to Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo by Scott Hayes]]
;Concert for [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]
On 18 June, 2012 McEvoy was invited by [[Amnesty International]] Ireland to perform at the Concert for [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] in Dublin, Ireland.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.eleanormcevoy.net/ Eleanor McEvoy Official Website]
*[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eleanor-McEvoy-Fan-Page/280772014453?ref=mf/ Eleanor McEvoy Facebook Fan Page]
*[http://www.mosco.ie/ Moscodisc]

{{Persondata
| NAME = McEvoy, Eleanor
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 22 January 1967
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McEvoy, Eleanor}}
[[Category:Irish female singers]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:People from County Dublin]]
[[Category:Irish musicians]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Irish singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Irish music]]
[[Category:Musicians from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Eleanor McEvoy albums]]

[[pl:Eleanor McEvoy]]

Benutzer:Hawei/Eleanor McEvoy

2012-07-16T02:50:48Z

Editthis2662: /* Biography */

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = Eleanor McEvoy
| image = Eleanor McEvoy at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi in Dublin, Ireland.JPG|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy performing at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi
| caption = Eleanor McEvoy performing at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi in Dublin, Ireland. Photo by Scott Hayes
| image_size =
| birth_place =
| birth_date = 22 January 1967
| background = solo_singer
| alias =
| origin = [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]]
| genre = Rock/folk
| years_active = 1990 – present
| label = Geffen Records 1992-1995 Columbia Records 1995-2000Market Square 2000-2002Moscodisc 2002-present
| associated_acts =
| website = [http://www.eleanormcevoy.net/ Official Website]
}}

'''Eleanor McEvoy''' (born 22 January 1967) is one of [[Ireland]]'s most accomplished contemporary [[singer/songwriter]]s.<ref name="Northern Irish Music Commission">{{cite web|url=http://www.nimusic.com/shownews.asp?id=518|title=Singer/Songwriter|author=|publisher=NIMIC|date=}}</ref> McEvoy composed the song "Only A Woman's Heart", title track of ''[[A Woman's Heart]]'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=120023|title=Only A Woman's Heart|author=|publisher=Billboard.com|date=}}</ref>

==Biography==
McEvoy's life as a musician began at the age of four when she began playing piano. At the age of eight she took up violin. Upon finishing school she attended [[Trinity College, Dublin]] where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras and music clubs by night.

McEvoy graduated from Trinity with an Honors Degree in music, and spent four months busking in [[New York City]]. In 1988 she was accepted into the [[RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra]] where she spent four years before leaving to concentrate on songwriting.

She built up a following in clubs in [[Dublin]] with her three piece band, Jim Tate on bass, Noel Eccles on drums, and latterly Bill Shanley on guitar.

During a solo date in July 1992, she performed a little-known, self-penned song, "Only a Woman's Heart". [[Mary Black]], of whose band McEvoy was a member, was in the audience and invited her to add the track to an album of Irish female artists. The album was subsequently titled ''[[A Woman's Heart]]'' and the track was released as the lead single.

In the same week that ''A Woman's Heart'' was released, Tom Zutaut A & R from [[Geffen Records]], who had previously signed [[Guns & Roses]], [[Motley Crew]], and [[Edie Brickell]], offered McEvoy a worldwide recording deal after watching her perform at The Baggot Inn in [[Dublin]].

The album went on to sell over three-quarters of a million copies in Ireland alone and was (and remains) the biggest selling [[Irish Albums Chart|Irish]] album of all time.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=120023|title=Only A Woman's Heart|author=|publisher=Billboard.com|year=2007}}</ref>

''[[Eleanor McEvoy (album)|Eleanor McEvoy]]'', the self-titled debut offering, recorded in [[Windmill Lane Studios]], was released in February 1993, and tours in the [[United States]], [[Asia]], and [[Europe]] followed. Back on Irish soil, McEvoy was awarded Best New Artist, Best New Performer, and Best Songwriter Awards by the Irish entertainment and music industries.

As she began writing her second album, Tom Zutaut departed [[Geffen Records]], so when [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] U.S. offered her a new deal, she jumped ship and began working on a new, edgier second album, which would eventually be titled ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' The album was released in 1996 and the sound was louder and grungier that her debut. The single "Precious Little" built to a Top-10 radio hit in the [[United States]], giving McEvoy the exposure she needed for a headline tour of the U.S. She was invited to contribute of a number of movie and TV soundtracks.

"A Glass Unkissed" was featured in [[American Broadcast Company|ABC]] Television's ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]'' and "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" was featured in the [[Pierce Brosnan]] film ''[[The Nephew]]''. which was released in August 1998.

At home, the success of ''A Woman's Heart'' continued to overshadow McEvoy's solo work and fans of the mammoth hit were disappointed with the rock elements of the second album and those that might have identified with her bittersweet lyrics, sensual vocals, and loud guitars turned a blind eye to the album.

McEvoy released her third album ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]'' in 1999. Her primary goal was to make ''Snapshots'' her most song-oriented album to date. Toward that goal, McEvoy hooked up with legendary producer [[Rupert Hine]] (who worked with [[Stevie Nicks]], [[Tina Turner]], [[Suzanne Vega]], and [[Duncan Sheik]]) and recorded the album at Rupert’s “Chateau de la Tour de Moulin” and then in Metropolis Studios in [[London]]. The extensive use of drum loops was a complete change in style from her previous work.

The album was greeted by rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. ”... her sophisticated voice and compassionate seasoned lyrics ... make Eleanor McEvoy’s album a gem....” declared [[The Boston Globe]],<ref name="Boston Globe">{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/|title=Snapshots|author=|publisher=Boston Globe|date=}}</ref> while [[The Sunday Times]] described it as “her strongest album to date, with well appointed social comment topics...McEvoy’s take on matters emotional also hits pay dirt with the likes of the excellent 'Did You Tell Him?'"<ref name="The Sunday Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news//|title=Snapshots|author=|publisher=The Sunday Times|date= | location=London}}</ref> However [[Columbia Records]] had been unprepared for the complete stylistic change and relations between the company and McEvoy became strained. Despite this, a sell-out, 24-date tour of the [[United States]] accompanied the release of ''Snapshots'' in the summer of 1999, followed by the "Snapshots Unplugged" tour March–April 2000, which culminated in a performance in [[Boulder, Colorado]] accompanied by the E Town Band where she duetted with [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]].

By 2000 McEvoy found herself increasingly entwined in record company red tape, [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] had bought her first album ''Eleanor McEvoy'' from Geffen, but were refusing to release it. Neither ''What's Following Me?'' nor ''Snapshots'' had set the sales charts on fire, and McEvoy’s public perception, particularly in Ireland, was caught in a limbo state between rock and folk, with "A Woman’s Heart" and its many incarnations still lurking in the back of the minds of the record-buying public.

Increasingly McEvoy started to work on outside projects. The [[Bert Jansch]] tribute album ''People On The Highway – A Bert Jansch Encomium'' (Market Square Records catalog number MSMCD106, Koch, September 2000) saw a newly recorded version of Jansch’s song about [[Sandy Denny]], "Where Did My Life Go?", recorded by McEvoy especially for the album. Participating artists included [[Al Stewart]], [[Roy Harper]], [[Bernard Butler]], [[Donovan]], and [[Ralph McTell]].

As the century closed, McEvoy had had enough of major-label involvement, making the decision to take the fourth album and head down the independent road. [[Yola (Album)|Yola]] was a turning point in McEvoy’s musical direction. Released in 2001, it reflected the acoustic, jazz-influenced style she had developed on stage with Brian Connor. For McEvoy it was a new departure and one that found favour with music media. Irish Music Press described it as .... "her finest album", "a brave rejection of the predictable", "musically daring....beautifully atmospheric". International press lauded it as "a back to basics triumph", "beautifully restrained", "a classic", and "McEvoy’s best release to date". Extensive touring throughout the U.S. and the UK followed. In 2002 ''[[Yola (album)|Yola]]'' was named "Record of the Year" by Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com|title=Record of the Year|author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

March 2004 saw the release of ''[[Early Hours]]'' (Market Square MSM51SACD128, distributor RSK/BMG), produced by McEvoy and Brian Connor. The album featured McEvoy on vocals, guitar, and fiddle; Connor on piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, and keyboards; Liam Bradley on kit percussion and backing vocals; Calum McColl on guitars and backing vocals; Nicky Scott on bass; and Lindley Hamilton on trumpets. The style differed from McEvoy's previous work, taking on a jazz/blues feel for many of the songs. ''Early Hours'' continued the high-quality audio work that had been established with ''Yola''. This album was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround-sound onto multi-channel [[Super Audio CD]] (SACD). ''Early Hours'' was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005, by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.<ref name="Irish Music Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishmusicmagazine.com/|title=Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005|author=|publisher=Irish Music Magazine|date=}}</ref>

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy at the Woman's Heart 20th Anniversary Concert.jpg|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy performing at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Photo by Catherine Keane]]

McEvoy continued to tour with Brian Connor until April 2005. She then began performing solo, accompanying herself on bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and violin.

Her sixth album, ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'', was recorded in The Grange Studio in Norfolk and released in early 2007. It was self-penned, self-produced and featured McEvoy all of the instruments with the exception of a guitar part on “Quote I Love You Unquote” played by [[Dave Rotheray]] (ex-[[Beautiful South]]) and the drumming of Liam Bradley ([[Van Morrison]], Ronan Keeting) on three tracks. McEvoy toured the album extensively in Britain, Ireland, [[Spain]] and [[Australia]] throughout 2007 and early 2008. In 2007 ''Out There'' brought McEvoy her second "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com"|title=Record of the Year |author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' (MOSCD404, released 2008), her seventh album, is a departure from previous albums, where all the songs were typically her own. Half of this album features songs by other writers. Typically these songs were written by men and sung by men, but were about women. When sung by a woman, with the minimum of alteration to the lyrics, the words tell a new story. It revels in gender juxtaposition.

Recorded with the South King Street Band, with arrangements by Peter Beckett, ''Love Must Be Tough'' opens with [[The Rolling Stones]]'s "Mother’s Little Helper". The opening line, “what a drag it is getting old", sets the tone of the entire collection.

The title track, "Love Must Be Tough", written by McEvoy and U.S. legend [[Johnny Rivers]] during a late-night songwriting session in Killarney, is a nugget of West-Coast Americana. The lead single, "Old, New, Borrowed and Blue", penned by McEvoy and long-time friend [[Dave Rotheray]] ([[Beautiful South]]/[[Homespun]]), is a twist on the jaundiced over-optimism of the standard wedding song. Another track by the duo, "The Night May Still Be Young, But I Am Not", is also on the album. In 2008 McEvoy received her third "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com"|title=Record of the Year|author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

In 2007 McEvoy was awarded "Best Traditional Act" at the 7th annual Big Buzz Awards. Awards are voted for entirely by the general public, and are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements and the amazing talent within the Irish entertainment scene.<ref name="The Big Buzz">{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbuzzawards.com/about"|title=Best Traditional Act|author=|publisher=The Big Buzz|date=}}</ref>

In 2008 McEvoy toured from January to November in the UK, Australia, Spain, [[Germany]], [[Poland]], and Ireland, with additional one-off dates in the Far East and elsewhere in [[Europe]], including an appearance at [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] in June 2008.

On 21 November 2008, "Easy In Love" from the album ''Love Must Be Tough'' was released as a single to highlight McEvoy's recent visit to [[Uganda]] on behalf of [[Oxfam]] Ireland.

McEvoy's album ''[[Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Singled Out]]'' was released on 28 September 2008. The album is a compilation of singles taken from McEvoy's four award-winning, independently-released albums. Three of the albums, ''Yola'', ''Out There'', and ''Love Must Be Tough'', received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine"/>
''Early Hours'' was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005 by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.<ref name="Irish Music Magazine"/> The album includes "Did I Hurt You" and "Isn't It a Little Late" from McEvoy's double [[A-side and B-side|A-side]] single, the world's first single to be released on SACD format.<ref name="SingSong">{{cite web|url=http://www.singsongpr.biz/msm_case1.htm|title=First SACD Single|author=|publisher=SingSong|date=}}</ref>
''Singled Out'' includes one new song, "Oh Uganda", which was written by McEvoy after her visit to Northern Uganda as part of her support for the work of ''Oxfam Unwrapped''.

''[[I'd Rather Go Blonde]]'', released 20 September 2010, is McEvoy's eighth album. Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance. As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there." The album has been met with glowing reviews including the five-star review in 2010 Maverick Magazine: "This absolutely stunning album, has been a real find – one of the most compelling female singer-songwriters I've heard in a long time."<ref name= "I'd Rather Go Blonde Review">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.maverick-country.com/"|title=''I'd Rather Go Blonde'' Review|magazine=Maverick Magazine|page=72|date = September 2010}}</ref>

''[[Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Alone]]'', McEvoy's ninth album, released 12 September 2011, is a collection of twelve stripped-down solo numbers. Says McEvoy, "“There was a time when I was stranded in a long gap between tour dates and, with time to kill, I headed for the peace of The Grange; a small studio tucked away in the Norfolk countryside." The product of those tranquil sessions is an album of incredibly haunting performances, up close, personal, and timeless. This is McEvoy in her most intimate setting, running through the journey of her writing and singing career.

==Discography==
* ''[[Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Alone]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD409) September 2011 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, recorded by Dave Williams and Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ciaran Byrne and Mick O'Gorman; mastered by Ian Cooper.

* ''[[I'd Rather Go Blonde]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD408) September 2010 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, and Peter Beckett; recorded by Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan; mastered by Ian Cooper.

* ''[[Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Singled Out]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD406) September 2009 Various Producers

* ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD404) February 2008 Produced by Peter Beckett and Mick O'Gorman

* ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSACD 303) September 2006 Produced by Mick O'Gorman and Eleanor McEvoy

* ''[[Early Hours]]'' – Moscodisc / Market Square (MSM1SACD128) 2004 Produced by Brian Connor & Eleanor McEvoy

* ''[[Eleanor McEvoy 'Special Edition']]'' – Market Square (MSMCD127) 2003 {Remastered Geffen album (see below) with 4 extra tracks.} Produced by Pat Moran.

* ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' – Mosco (EMSACD1) 2001 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Brian Connor.

* ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]'' – Columbia Records (CK494598.2) 1999 Produced by Rupert Hine

* ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' – Columbia Records (484233.2) 1996 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Kevin Moloney

* ''[[Eleanor McEvoy (album)|Eleanor McEvoy]]'' – Geffen Records (GEFC/GEFD24606)1993 Produced by Pat Moran. No longer available replaced by Special Edition (see above)

==Music in film and TV==
===Feature films===

* McEvoy sang [[Bill Whelan]]'s song "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNwKYgalaFc The Seabird]" in ''[[Some Mother's Son]]'' starring [[Helen Mirren]], director [[Terry George]] written by [[Jim Sheridan]] and [[Terry George]].

* The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in ''[[How To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate]]'' starring Mick Lally and Mary McEvoy.

* The song "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" features in ''[[The Nephew]]'' starring [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Donal McCann]], [[Sinéad Cusack]], and Niall Tobin.

* The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg2gO-r2fd8 El vuelo del tren]'' (director Paco Torres, 2009).

===Television===

* The [[HBO]] series ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' featured the song "All I Have", written by [[Caroline Lavelle]] and McEvoy.

* "A Glass Unkissed" from the 1996 album ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' appeared in television network [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]’s popular series ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]''.

* American Network PBS’s documentary ''In Our Own Voice'' features "Easy To Lose Hope" from McEvoy's 1999 album ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]''. The song, produced by [[Rupert Hine]], is about murdered journalist [[Veronica Guerin]].

* "All I Have" from the 1999 album ''Snapshots'' was featured on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]’s ''[[One Life to Live]]'', a long-running daytime-TV soap opera.

* McEvoy’s song "Only A Woman's Heart" appeared in Irish Network [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTE]]’s popular soap ''[[Glenroe]]''.

* "Days Roll By" from ''[[Early Hours]]'' (Moscodisc 2004) appears in ''[[Fair City]]'', a popular soap about daily life in a [[Dublin]] city.

==Super Audio and vinyl==
McEvoy's fourth album ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' drew favourable attention from the [[Hi-Fi]] press and market as one of the first original titles recorded specifically for [[Super Audio CD|SACD]]. With the collaboration of sound designer Mick O’Gorman, the world’s first-ever SACD single "Did I Hurt You" (Market Square MSMSACD114) was released from the same album. To this day ''Yola'' is regarded as a [[Hi-Fi]] industry standard and is used by high-end audio companies to test speakers.

Releasing on [[compact disc]], [[Super Audio CD|SACD]], and [[LP album|vinyl]], McEvoy's albums have won many audio awards. ''[[Early Hours]]'' was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround-sound onto multi-channel SACD. McEvoy's album ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' was named Album of the Year by ''Hi-Fi Plus'', the prestigious UK publication, and was released on vinyl in August 2008 by Diverse Vinyl in the UK.

==Other projects==

; OXFAM

In October 2008 at the invitation of [[Oxfam]] Ireland, McEvoy visited Uganda. Travelling throughout the [[Kitgum]] region of Northern Uganda, she experienced first hand the benefits of Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped, an initiative that sends meaningful presents like clean drinking water, school books and vegetable gardens to developing countries throughout [[Africa]]. This visit provided the inspiration for a new song "Oh Uganda".

; Midge Ure

[[Midge Ure]]’s top-twenty album ''Breathe'' features McEvoy on three tracks, "Fallen Angel", "Fields of Fire" and "Lay My Body Down". McEvoy contributed the [[Irish Gaelic|Gaelic]] lyrics on "Fallen Angel". The album was produced by Richard Feldman.

; RTÉ Concert Orchestra

In 2005, the [[RTE Concert Orchestra]] commissioned arrangements for 16 of McEvoy’s compositions to be performed at a concert in August 2005 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The 60-piece orchestra was conducted by David Brophy and featured, in addition McEvoy herself, other leading Irish arrangers, Johnny Tate, David Brophy, [[Brian Byrne]], and Fergus O’Carroll.

The sell-out performance formed part of the annual BEO Festival, hosted by the National Concert Hall and sponsored by the ESB.

The songs, with their new arrangements, were drawn from McEvoy’s first five albums, incorporating music from ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' and ''[[Early Hours]]'', along with many others, including "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" (from [[Pierce Brosnan]]’s ''[[The Nephew]]''), "Famine" (from ''The Gathering'' the Commemoration of the Irish Famine), and of course her contribution to the canon of Irish music standards, "Only a Woman’s Heart".

; Homespun and Dave Rotheray

In January 2006, McEvoy supported the band [[Homespun]] on a British tour in support of their second album, ''Effortless Cool''. During this tour she also began writing with [[Dave Rotheray]].

Three Rotheray/McEvoy compositions appear on McEvoy's albums: "Quote I Love You Unquote" on ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'' and "The Night May Still Be Young But I Am Not" and "Old New Borrowed and Blue" on 2008 album ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]''.

Homespun's third album, ''Short Stories From East Yorkshire'', features two Rotheray/McEvoy compositions which are also produced by [[Dave Rotheray]] and Eleanor McEvoy; "Lover’s Chapel" and "The Driver". "The Driver" was sung by well-known Irish singer [[Mary Coughlan (singer)|Mary Coughlan]].

; The Brewster Brothers

John and Rick Brewster are founding members and major songwriters of the legendary Angels, one of [[Australia]]’s most successful rock bands. After three decades, The Angels remain one of [[Australia]]’s most loved and respected bands. A few years ago Rick and John started a new breakaway project, performing acoustically as The Brewster Brothers.

Performing at the [[Port Fairy Folk Festival]] in [[Australia]] 2007, the band were joined on stage by [[Anne Kirkpatrick]] and McEvoy (violin) for standout spontaneous renditions of several of their songs. The concert was recorded by the [[ABC Australia]]. The show was broadcast on [[ABC Radio National]] on 18 May and then again on Sunday 20 May. Due to demand from [[ABC Australia]] listeners ''Brewster Brothers in Concert Live at the Port Fairy Folk Festival'' was released shortly afterwards.

; Paul Brady at Vicar Street

In October 2001 [[Paul Brady]] took over [[Vicar Street]] (one of the most popular music venues in [[Dublin]]) for twenty three nights to revisit his entire career. It was a bold move and a great success. Over the course of the month more than 16,000 people saw the shows.

As well as a chance to revisit past material Paul availed of the opportunity to invite many of the artists he has worked or written with over the last thirty years to come and play. Among them were [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Mark Knopfler]], [[Van Morrison]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]], [[Curtis Stigers]], [[Maura O'Connell]], [[Mary Black]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Brian Kennedy (singer)|Brian Kennedy]], [[Gavin Friday]], [[Tim O'Brien (musician)|Tim O'Brien]], [[Arty McGlynn]], The [[Hothouse Flowers]]. and many more.

McEvoy joined him for Thursday 12 October. Highlights of the night were Paul and McEvoy singing a duet on “You and I” an antiracism song of Paul’s and Paul’s rendition of McEvoy’s song “Last Seen October 9th”.

; The Great Irish Famine Event - The National Concert Hall'

McEvoy was commissioned by the Irish Government to write a piece about The Irish Famine for a concert held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 1997. The song was “Famine 1848”. It is an orchestral piece with vocal part sung by McEvoy.

The event entitled “The Great Irish Famine Event” was held to commemorate the [[Irish Potato Famine]] of 1845-1852.

The song ''Famine'' also features on a limited edition version of the album [[What's Following Me?]] ([[Columbia Records]]).

; “Eleanor McEvoy Presents”, Wexford Arts Centre

“ELEANOR McEVOY PRESENTS” was a project which was instigated fo the reopening of the Wexford Arts Centre in October 2006.

For four weeks during the [[Wexford Festival Opera]] McEvoy featured some of her favourite performers of contemporary music.

The first show on Friday 27 October featured McEvoy herself. During the show she played a traditional set along with some local [[Wexford]] musicians: well-known Wexford Uilleann Piper Brendan Wickham, Pat Gough on accordion, and Niall Shorthall on Bazouki.

The shows on the following Fridays featured various different artists much admired by her over the years. These included [[Andy Irvine]], [[Luka Bloom]], Caroline Moreau, and Oleg Ponomarev.

The Wexford Arts Centre places an emphasis on contemporary and emerging Irish and international art and a range of plays, concerts, film and lectures. The Centre is also resident in a preserved heritage site, built in 1760s, as a market place and assembly halls.

; The Ballad of Ronnie Drew (2008)

"[[The Ballad of Ronnie Drew]]" was a song written by [[Bono]], [[The Edge|Edge]], ([[U2]]) Simon Carmody and [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]] ([[Grateful Dead]]). It was initially written to include [[Ronnie Drew]], but as his health declined it was altered to be sung by the Irish music fraternity in his honour.

It was performed by a number of famous Irish musicians. With popular Irish band [[Kíla|Kila]] as the backing band, other contributors included members of [[U2]], The [[Dubliners]], [[Christy Moore]], [[Chris de Burgh]], [[Sinéad O’Connor]], [[The Chieftains]], [[Mundy]], [[Andrea Corr]], [[Moya Brennan]], [[Paul Brady]], [[Christy Dignam]], [[Duke Special]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Gavin Friday]], [[Bob Geldof]], [[Glen Hansard]], McEvoy, and [[Shane MacGowan]].

The single was released on 19 February 2008 and entered the Irish Single Charts at #2. At the request of Ronnie, all proceeds went to the Irish Cancer Society.

Award winning director [[John Carney (director)|John Carney]] (director of the film ''[[Once]]'') directed the video for "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew". It was filmed over two days at Dublin’s [[Windmill Lane Studios]] in January 2008.

; Tuesday’s Child

''Tuesday’s Child'' was spearheaded by [[Belfast]] woman Orla Sheehan. It consisted of a CD featuring tracks from a total of 31 performers including [[Snow Patrol]], [[Westlife]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Duke Special]], and McEvoy. Each artist donated a track for the ''Tuesday’s Child'' self-titled double album which was first launched in Belfast on 8 November 2007 and in Dublin on 7 March 2008.

Proceeds of the album went towards helping children in need in 12 countries including: [[Bolivia]], [[Bosnia]] and [[Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Egypt]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Israel]], [[Moldova]], [[Palestine]], and [[Zimbabwe]].

; IMRO'

McEvoy is on the board of the [[Irish Music Rights Organisation]]. IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members – songwriters, composers and music publishers – and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation.

; Banana Boat featuring Eleanor McEvoy

McEvoy and renowned Polish a cappella group [[Banana Boat]] collaborated to re-record McEvoy's song "Little Look" from her album ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]''. A music video was also made of the song. The debut went straight to the play list of famed Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego ([[Polskie Radio]] Three).<ref name="Polskie Radio Three">{{cite web|url=http://www.polskieradio.pl/sluchaj/play.aspx?p=r3/|title=Polskie Radio Three|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref> The video went on to be named Video of the Week by the [[Contemporary A Cappella Society]] (of America).<ref name="CASA">{{cite web|url=http://www.casa.org/|title=CASA|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref> In 2009 the recording was awarded "Collaboration of the Year with an Artist from Outside Poland" in the 2009 Polish Friends of Music Awards.<ref name="Nagrody Polskich Melomanów czyli NPM 2009">{{cite web|url=http://forum.lp3.pl/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4167&start=50|title=Polish Friends of Music Awards|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref>

; ''Duets'' by George Hooks

In December 2009 McEvoy teamed up with Irish broadcaster and rugby pundit, [[George Hook]], to perform on Hook's charity album ''Duets''. They sang McEvoy's song "Is This Love" which McEvoy co-wrote with [[Paul Brady]]. Proceeds of the album went to Irish charity ''Comber''.

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy portrait by Robert Ballard.jpg|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy portrait by Robert Ballard]]
;Portrait by [[Robert Ballard]]

On 20 January 2012 a portrait of McEvoy painted by internationally acclaimed artist Robert Ballard was hung in the [[National Concert Hall]] Dublin, Ireland

; Riverdance The Music of [[Bill Whelan]]

On 17 May, 2012 McEvoy was the guest vocalist at the performance of Riverdance: The Music of [[Bill Whelan]] at the[[National Concert Hall]] Dublin, Ireland. The performance featured the world premier of the Riverdance Symphonic Suite.

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi.JPG|thumb|McEvoy leads crowd singing Happy Birthday to Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo by Scott Hayes]]
;Concert for [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]
On 18 June, 2012 McEvoy was invited by [[Amnesty International]] Ireland to perform at the Concert for [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] in Dublin, Ireland.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.eleanormcevoy.net/ Eleanor McEvoy Official Website]
*[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eleanor-McEvoy-Fan-Page/280772014453?ref=mf/ Eleanor McEvoy Facebook Fan Page]
*[http://www.mosco.ie/ Moscodisc]

{{Persondata
| NAME = McEvoy, Eleanor
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 22 January 1967
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McEvoy, Eleanor}}
[[Category:Irish female singers]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:People from County Dublin]]
[[Category:Irish musicians]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Irish singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Irish music]]
[[Category:Musicians from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Eleanor McEvoy albums]]

[[pl:Eleanor McEvoy]]

Benutzer:Hawei/Eleanor McEvoy

2012-07-16T02:50:05Z

Editthis2662: /* Biography */

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist 
| name = Eleanor McEvoy
| image = Eleanor McEvoy at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi in Dublin, Ireland.JPG|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy performing at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi
| caption = Eleanor McEvoy performing at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi in Dublin, Ireland. Photo by Scott Hayes
| image_size =
| birth_place =
| birth_date = 22 January 1967
| background = solo_singer
| alias =
| origin = [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]]
| genre = Rock/folk
| years_active = 1990 – present
| label = Geffen Records 1992-1995 Columbia Records 1995-2000Market Square 2000-2002Moscodisc 2002-present
| associated_acts =
| website = [http://www.eleanormcevoy.net/ Official Website]
}}

'''Eleanor McEvoy''' (born 22 January 1967) is one of [[Ireland]]'s most accomplished contemporary [[singer/songwriter]]s.<ref name="Northern Irish Music Commission">{{cite web|url=http://www.nimusic.com/shownews.asp?id=518|title=Singer/Songwriter|author=|publisher=NIMIC|date=}}</ref> McEvoy composed the song "Only A Woman's Heart", title track of ''[[A Woman's Heart]]'', the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=120023|title=Only A Woman's Heart|author=|publisher=Billboard.com|date=}}</ref>

==Biography==
McEvoy's life as a musician began at the age of four when she began playing piano. At the age of eight she took up violin. Upon finishing school she attended [[Trinity College, Dublin]] where she studied music by day and worked in pit orchestras and music clubs by night.

McEvoy graduated from Trinity with an Honors Degree in music, and spent four months busking in [[New York City]]. In 1988 she was accepted into the [[RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra]] where she spent four years before leaving to concentrate on songwriting.

She built up a following in clubs in [[Dublin]] with her three piece band, Jim Tate on bass, Noel Eccles on drums, and latterly Bill Shanley on guitar.

During a solo date in July 1992, she performed a little-known, self-penned song, "Only a Woman's Heart". [[Mary Black]], of whose band McEvoy was a member, was in the audience and invited her to add the track to an album of Irish female artists. The album was subsequently titled ''[[A Woman's Heart]]'' and the track was released as the lead single.

In the same week that ''A Woman's Heart'' was released, Tom Zutaut A & R from [[Geffen Records]], who had previously signed [[Guns & Roses]], [[Motley Crew]], and [[Edie Brickell]], offered McEvoy a worldwide recording deal after watching her perform at The Baggot Inn in [[Dublin]].

The album went on to sell over three-quarters of a million copies in Ireland alone and was (and remains) the biggest selling [[Irish Albums Chart|Irish]] album of all time.<ref name="Billboard">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=120023|title=Only A Woman's Heart|author=|publisher=Billboard.com|year=2007}}</ref><gallery>
File:Woman's Heart single.jpg
</gallery>

''[[Eleanor McEvoy (album)|Eleanor McEvoy]]'', the self-titled debut offering, recorded in [[Windmill Lane Studios]], was released in February 1993, and tours in the [[United States]], [[Asia]], and [[Europe]] followed. Back on Irish soil, McEvoy was awarded Best New Artist, Best New Performer, and Best Songwriter Awards by the Irish entertainment and music industries.

As she began writing her second album, Tom Zutaut departed [[Geffen Records]], so when [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] U.S. offered her a new deal, she jumped ship and began working on a new, edgier second album, which would eventually be titled ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' The album was released in 1996 and the sound was louder and grungier that her debut. The single "Precious Little" built to a Top-10 radio hit in the [[United States]], giving McEvoy the exposure she needed for a headline tour of the U.S. She was invited to contribute of a number of movie and TV soundtracks.

"A Glass Unkissed" was featured in [[American Broadcast Company|ABC]] Television's ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]'' and "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" was featured in the [[Pierce Brosnan]] film ''[[The Nephew]]''. which was released in August 1998.

At home, the success of ''A Woman's Heart'' continued to overshadow McEvoy's solo work and fans of the mammoth hit were disappointed with the rock elements of the second album and those that might have identified with her bittersweet lyrics, sensual vocals, and loud guitars turned a blind eye to the album.

McEvoy released her third album ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]'' in 1999. Her primary goal was to make ''Snapshots'' her most song-oriented album to date. Toward that goal, McEvoy hooked up with legendary producer [[Rupert Hine]] (who worked with [[Stevie Nicks]], [[Tina Turner]], [[Suzanne Vega]], and [[Duncan Sheik]]) and recorded the album at Rupert’s “Chateau de la Tour de Moulin” and then in Metropolis Studios in [[London]]. The extensive use of drum loops was a complete change in style from her previous work.

The album was greeted by rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. ”... her sophisticated voice and compassionate seasoned lyrics ... make Eleanor McEvoy’s album a gem....” declared [[The Boston Globe]],<ref name="Boston Globe">{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/|title=Snapshots|author=|publisher=Boston Globe|date=}}</ref> while [[The Sunday Times]] described it as “her strongest album to date, with well appointed social comment topics...McEvoy’s take on matters emotional also hits pay dirt with the likes of the excellent 'Did You Tell Him?'"<ref name="The Sunday Times">{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news//|title=Snapshots|author=|publisher=The Sunday Times|date= | location=London}}</ref> However [[Columbia Records]] had been unprepared for the complete stylistic change and relations between the company and McEvoy became strained. Despite this, a sell-out, 24-date tour of the [[United States]] accompanied the release of ''Snapshots'' in the summer of 1999, followed by the "Snapshots Unplugged" tour March–April 2000, which culminated in a performance in [[Boulder, Colorado]] accompanied by the E Town Band where she duetted with [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]].

By 2000 McEvoy found herself increasingly entwined in record company red tape, [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] had bought her first album ''Eleanor McEvoy'' from Geffen, but were refusing to release it. Neither ''What's Following Me?'' nor ''Snapshots'' had set the sales charts on fire, and McEvoy’s public perception, particularly in Ireland, was caught in a limbo state between rock and folk, with "A Woman’s Heart" and its many incarnations still lurking in the back of the minds of the record-buying public.

Increasingly McEvoy started to work on outside projects. The [[Bert Jansch]] tribute album ''People On The Highway – A Bert Jansch Encomium'' (Market Square Records catalog number MSMCD106, Koch, September 2000) saw a newly recorded version of Jansch’s song about [[Sandy Denny]], "Where Did My Life Go?", recorded by McEvoy especially for the album. Participating artists included [[Al Stewart]], [[Roy Harper]], [[Bernard Butler]], [[Donovan]], and [[Ralph McTell]].

As the century closed, McEvoy had had enough of major-label involvement, making the decision to take the fourth album and head down the independent road. [[Yola (Album)|Yola]] was a turning point in McEvoy’s musical direction. Released in 2001, it reflected the acoustic, jazz-influenced style she had developed on stage with Brian Connor. For McEvoy it was a new departure and one that found favour with music media. Irish Music Press described it as .... "her finest album", "a brave rejection of the predictable", "musically daring....beautifully atmospheric". International press lauded it as "a back to basics triumph", "beautifully restrained", "a classic", and "McEvoy’s best release to date". Extensive touring throughout the U.S. and the UK followed. In 2002 ''[[Yola (album)|Yola]]'' was named "Record of the Year" by Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com|title=Record of the Year|author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

March 2004 saw the release of ''[[Early Hours]]'' (Market Square MSM51SACD128, distributor RSK/BMG), produced by McEvoy and Brian Connor. The album featured McEvoy on vocals, guitar, and fiddle; Connor on piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ, and keyboards; Liam Bradley on kit percussion and backing vocals; Calum McColl on guitars and backing vocals; Nicky Scott on bass; and Lindley Hamilton on trumpets. The style differed from McEvoy's previous work, taking on a jazz/blues feel for many of the songs. ''Early Hours'' continued the high-quality audio work that had been established with ''Yola''. This album was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround-sound onto multi-channel [[Super Audio CD]] (SACD). ''Early Hours'' was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005, by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.<ref name="Irish Music Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishmusicmagazine.com/|title=Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005|author=|publisher=Irish Music Magazine|date=}}</ref>

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy at the Woman's Heart 20th Anniversary Concert.jpg|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy performing at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Photo by Catherine Keane]]

McEvoy continued to tour with Brian Connor until April 2005. She then began performing solo, accompanying herself on bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and violin.

Her sixth album, ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'', was recorded in The Grange Studio in Norfolk and released in early 2007. It was self-penned, self-produced and featured McEvoy all of the instruments with the exception of a guitar part on “Quote I Love You Unquote” played by [[Dave Rotheray]] (ex-[[Beautiful South]]) and the drumming of Liam Bradley ([[Van Morrison]], Ronan Keeting) on three tracks. McEvoy toured the album extensively in Britain, Ireland, [[Spain]] and [[Australia]] throughout 2007 and early 2008. In 2007 ''Out There'' brought McEvoy her second "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com"|title=Record of the Year |author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' (MOSCD404, released 2008), her seventh album, is a departure from previous albums, where all the songs were typically her own. Half of this album features songs by other writers. Typically these songs were written by men and sung by men, but were about women. When sung by a woman, with the minimum of alteration to the lyrics, the words tell a new story. It revels in gender juxtaposition.

Recorded with the South King Street Band, with arrangements by Peter Beckett, ''Love Must Be Tough'' opens with [[The Rolling Stones]]'s "Mother’s Little Helper". The opening line, “what a drag it is getting old", sets the tone of the entire collection.

The title track, "Love Must Be Tough", written by McEvoy and U.S. legend [[Johnny Rivers]] during a late-night songwriting session in Killarney, is a nugget of West-Coast Americana. The lead single, "Old, New, Borrowed and Blue", penned by McEvoy and long-time friend [[Dave Rotheray]] ([[Beautiful South]]/[[Homespun]]), is a twist on the jaundiced over-optimism of the standard wedding song. Another track by the duo, "The Night May Still Be Young, But I Am Not", is also on the album. In 2008 McEvoy received her third "Record of the Year" award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine">{{cite web|url=http://hifiplus.com"|title=Record of the Year|author=|publisher=Hi-Fi+ Magazine|date=}}</ref>

In 2007 McEvoy was awarded "Best Traditional Act" at the 7th annual Big Buzz Awards. Awards are voted for entirely by the general public, and are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements and the amazing talent within the Irish entertainment scene.<ref name="The Big Buzz">{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbuzzawards.com/about"|title=Best Traditional Act|author=|publisher=The Big Buzz|date=}}</ref>

In 2008 McEvoy toured from January to November in the UK, Australia, Spain, [[Germany]], [[Poland]], and Ireland, with additional one-off dates in the Far East and elsewhere in [[Europe]], including an appearance at [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] in June 2008.

On 21 November 2008, "Easy In Love" from the album ''Love Must Be Tough'' was released as a single to highlight McEvoy's recent visit to [[Uganda]] on behalf of [[Oxfam]] Ireland.

McEvoy's album ''[[Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Singled Out]]'' was released on 28 September 2008. The album is a compilation of singles taken from McEvoy's four award-winning, independently-released albums. Three of the albums, ''Yola'', ''Out There'', and ''Love Must Be Tough'', received the coveted Album of the Year Award from Hi-Fi+ Magazine.<ref name="Hi-Fi+ Magazine"/>
''Early Hours'' was voted Best Contemporary Album 2004-2005 by Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll.<ref name="Irish Music Magazine"/> The album includes "Did I Hurt You" and "Isn't It a Little Late" from McEvoy's double [[A-side and B-side|A-side]] single, the world's first single to be released on SACD format.<ref name="SingSong">{{cite web|url=http://www.singsongpr.biz/msm_case1.htm|title=First SACD Single|author=|publisher=SingSong|date=}}</ref>
''Singled Out'' includes one new song, "Oh Uganda", which was written by McEvoy after her visit to Northern Uganda as part of her support for the work of ''Oxfam Unwrapped''.

''[[I'd Rather Go Blonde]]'', released 20 September 2010, is McEvoy's eighth album. Never one to shy away from the big issues, this album sees McEvoy tackling themes such as alienation, hypocrisy, recent Irish history and romance. As McEvoy says herself, “I always try to express myself clearly and honestly. I was the odd one, the tubby girl with glasses who had to go to violin lessons after school. The ray of sunlight was the radio with its music. The escape was learning to sing and play instruments and play with others and write and just get out there." The album has been met with glowing reviews including the five-star review in 2010 Maverick Magazine: "This absolutely stunning album, has been a real find – one of the most compelling female singer-songwriters I've heard in a long time."<ref name= "I'd Rather Go Blonde Review">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.maverick-country.com/"|title=''I'd Rather Go Blonde'' Review|magazine=Maverick Magazine|page=72|date = September 2010}}</ref>

''[[Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Alone]]'', McEvoy's ninth album, released 12 September 2011, is a collection of twelve stripped-down solo numbers. Says McEvoy, "“There was a time when I was stranded in a long gap between tour dates and, with time to kill, I headed for the peace of The Grange; a small studio tucked away in the Norfolk countryside." The product of those tranquil sessions is an album of incredibly haunting performances, up close, personal, and timeless. This is McEvoy in her most intimate setting, running through the journey of her writing and singing career.

==Discography==
* ''[[Alone (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Alone]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD409) September 2011 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, recorded by Dave Williams and Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ciaran Byrne and Mick O'Gorman; mastered by Ian Cooper.

* ''[[I'd Rather Go Blonde]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD408) September 2010 Produced by Mick O'Gorman, Eleanor McEvoy, and Peter Beckett; recorded by Ciaran Byrne; mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan; mastered by Ian Cooper.

* ''[[Singled Out (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Singled Out]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD406) September 2009 Various Producers

* ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSCD404) February 2008 Produced by Peter Beckett and Mick O'Gorman

* ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'' – Moscodisc (MOSACD 303) September 2006 Produced by Mick O'Gorman and Eleanor McEvoy

* ''[[Early Hours]]'' – Moscodisc / Market Square (MSM1SACD128) 2004 Produced by Brian Connor & Eleanor McEvoy

* ''[[Eleanor McEvoy 'Special Edition']]'' – Market Square (MSMCD127) 2003 {Remastered Geffen album (see below) with 4 extra tracks.} Produced by Pat Moran.

* ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' – Mosco (EMSACD1) 2001 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Brian Connor.

* ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]'' – Columbia Records (CK494598.2) 1999 Produced by Rupert Hine

* ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' – Columbia Records (484233.2) 1996 Produced by Eleanor McEvoy and Kevin Moloney

* ''[[Eleanor McEvoy (album)|Eleanor McEvoy]]'' – Geffen Records (GEFC/GEFD24606)1993 Produced by Pat Moran. No longer available replaced by Special Edition (see above)

==Music in film and TV==
===Feature films===

* McEvoy sang [[Bill Whelan]]'s song "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNwKYgalaFc The Seabird]" in ''[[Some Mother's Son]]'' starring [[Helen Mirren]], director [[Terry George]] written by [[Jim Sheridan]] and [[Terry George]].

* The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in ''[[How To Cheat In The Leaving Certificate]]'' starring Mick Lally and Mary McEvoy.

* The song "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" features in ''[[The Nephew]]'' starring [[Pierce Brosnan]], [[Donal McCann]], [[Sinéad Cusack]], and Niall Tobin.

* The song "I Hear You Breathing In" features in ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg2gO-r2fd8 El vuelo del tren]'' (director Paco Torres, 2009).

===Television===

* The [[HBO]] series ''[[Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under]]'' featured the song "All I Have", written by [[Caroline Lavelle]] and McEvoy.

* "A Glass Unkissed" from the 1996 album ''[[What's Following Me?]]'' appeared in television network [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]’s popular series ''[[Clueless (TV series)|Clueless]]''.

* American Network PBS’s documentary ''In Our Own Voice'' features "Easy To Lose Hope" from McEvoy's 1999 album ''[[Snapshots (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Snapshots]]''. The song, produced by [[Rupert Hine]], is about murdered journalist [[Veronica Guerin]].

* "All I Have" from the 1999 album ''Snapshots'' was featured on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]’s ''[[One Life to Live]]'', a long-running daytime-TV soap opera.

* McEvoy’s song "Only A Woman's Heart" appeared in Irish Network [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTE]]’s popular soap ''[[Glenroe]]''.

* "Days Roll By" from ''[[Early Hours]]'' (Moscodisc 2004) appears in ''[[Fair City]]'', a popular soap about daily life in a [[Dublin]] city.

==Super Audio and vinyl==
McEvoy's fourth album ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' drew favourable attention from the [[Hi-Fi]] press and market as one of the first original titles recorded specifically for [[Super Audio CD|SACD]]. With the collaboration of sound designer Mick O’Gorman, the world’s first-ever SACD single "Did I Hurt You" (Market Square MSMSACD114) was released from the same album. To this day ''Yola'' is regarded as a [[Hi-Fi]] industry standard and is used by high-end audio companies to test speakers.

Releasing on [[compact disc]], [[Super Audio CD|SACD]], and [[LP album|vinyl]], McEvoy's albums have won many audio awards. ''[[Early Hours]]'' was the first to use TiMax (unique audio imaging) technology, mixed in 5.1 surround-sound onto multi-channel SACD. McEvoy's album ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]'' was named Album of the Year by ''Hi-Fi Plus'', the prestigious UK publication, and was released on vinyl in August 2008 by Diverse Vinyl in the UK.

==Other projects==

; OXFAM

In October 2008 at the invitation of [[Oxfam]] Ireland, McEvoy visited Uganda. Travelling throughout the [[Kitgum]] region of Northern Uganda, she experienced first hand the benefits of Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped, an initiative that sends meaningful presents like clean drinking water, school books and vegetable gardens to developing countries throughout [[Africa]]. This visit provided the inspiration for a new song "Oh Uganda".

; Midge Ure

[[Midge Ure]]’s top-twenty album ''Breathe'' features McEvoy on three tracks, "Fallen Angel", "Fields of Fire" and "Lay My Body Down". McEvoy contributed the [[Irish Gaelic|Gaelic]] lyrics on "Fallen Angel". The album was produced by Richard Feldman.

; RTÉ Concert Orchestra

In 2005, the [[RTE Concert Orchestra]] commissioned arrangements for 16 of McEvoy’s compositions to be performed at a concert in August 2005 at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. The 60-piece orchestra was conducted by David Brophy and featured, in addition McEvoy herself, other leading Irish arrangers, Johnny Tate, David Brophy, [[Brian Byrne]], and Fergus O’Carroll.

The sell-out performance formed part of the annual BEO Festival, hosted by the National Concert Hall and sponsored by the ESB.

The songs, with their new arrangements, were drawn from McEvoy’s first five albums, incorporating music from ''[[Yola (Album)|Yola]]'' and ''[[Early Hours]]'', along with many others, including "Whisper a Prayer to the Moon" (from [[Pierce Brosnan]]’s ''[[The Nephew]]''), "Famine" (from ''The Gathering'' the Commemoration of the Irish Famine), and of course her contribution to the canon of Irish music standards, "Only a Woman’s Heart".

; Homespun and Dave Rotheray

In January 2006, McEvoy supported the band [[Homespun]] on a British tour in support of their second album, ''Effortless Cool''. During this tour she also began writing with [[Dave Rotheray]].

Three Rotheray/McEvoy compositions appear on McEvoy's albums: "Quote I Love You Unquote" on ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]'' and "The Night May Still Be Young But I Am Not" and "Old New Borrowed and Blue" on 2008 album ''[[Love Must Be Tough]]''.

Homespun's third album, ''Short Stories From East Yorkshire'', features two Rotheray/McEvoy compositions which are also produced by [[Dave Rotheray]] and Eleanor McEvoy; "Lover’s Chapel" and "The Driver". "The Driver" was sung by well-known Irish singer [[Mary Coughlan (singer)|Mary Coughlan]].

; The Brewster Brothers

John and Rick Brewster are founding members and major songwriters of the legendary Angels, one of [[Australia]]’s most successful rock bands. After three decades, The Angels remain one of [[Australia]]’s most loved and respected bands. A few years ago Rick and John started a new breakaway project, performing acoustically as The Brewster Brothers.

Performing at the [[Port Fairy Folk Festival]] in [[Australia]] 2007, the band were joined on stage by [[Anne Kirkpatrick]] and McEvoy (violin) for standout spontaneous renditions of several of their songs. The concert was recorded by the [[ABC Australia]]. The show was broadcast on [[ABC Radio National]] on 18 May and then again on Sunday 20 May. Due to demand from [[ABC Australia]] listeners ''Brewster Brothers in Concert Live at the Port Fairy Folk Festival'' was released shortly afterwards.

; Paul Brady at Vicar Street

In October 2001 [[Paul Brady]] took over [[Vicar Street]] (one of the most popular music venues in [[Dublin]]) for twenty three nights to revisit his entire career. It was a bold move and a great success. Over the course of the month more than 16,000 people saw the shows.

As well as a chance to revisit past material Paul availed of the opportunity to invite many of the artists he has worked or written with over the last thirty years to come and play. Among them were [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Mark Knopfler]], [[Van Morrison]], [[Sinéad O'Connor]], [[Curtis Stigers]], [[Maura O'Connell]], [[Mary Black]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Brian Kennedy (singer)|Brian Kennedy]], [[Gavin Friday]], [[Tim O'Brien (musician)|Tim O'Brien]], [[Arty McGlynn]], The [[Hothouse Flowers]]. and many more.

McEvoy joined him for Thursday 12 October. Highlights of the night were Paul and McEvoy singing a duet on “You and I” an antiracism song of Paul’s and Paul’s rendition of McEvoy’s song “Last Seen October 9th”.

; The Great Irish Famine Event - The National Concert Hall'

McEvoy was commissioned by the Irish Government to write a piece about The Irish Famine for a concert held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in 1997. The song was “Famine 1848”. It is an orchestral piece with vocal part sung by McEvoy.

The event entitled “The Great Irish Famine Event” was held to commemorate the [[Irish Potato Famine]] of 1845-1852.

The song ''Famine'' also features on a limited edition version of the album [[What's Following Me?]] ([[Columbia Records]]).

; “Eleanor McEvoy Presents”, Wexford Arts Centre

“ELEANOR McEVOY PRESENTS” was a project which was instigated fo the reopening of the Wexford Arts Centre in October 2006.

For four weeks during the [[Wexford Festival Opera]] McEvoy featured some of her favourite performers of contemporary music.

The first show on Friday 27 October featured McEvoy herself. During the show she played a traditional set along with some local [[Wexford]] musicians: well-known Wexford Uilleann Piper Brendan Wickham, Pat Gough on accordion, and Niall Shorthall on Bazouki.

The shows on the following Fridays featured various different artists much admired by her over the years. These included [[Andy Irvine]], [[Luka Bloom]], Caroline Moreau, and Oleg Ponomarev.

The Wexford Arts Centre places an emphasis on contemporary and emerging Irish and international art and a range of plays, concerts, film and lectures. The Centre is also resident in a preserved heritage site, built in 1760s, as a market place and assembly halls.

; The Ballad of Ronnie Drew (2008)

"[[The Ballad of Ronnie Drew]]" was a song written by [[Bono]], [[The Edge|Edge]], ([[U2]]) Simon Carmody and [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]] ([[Grateful Dead]]). It was initially written to include [[Ronnie Drew]], but as his health declined it was altered to be sung by the Irish music fraternity in his honour.

It was performed by a number of famous Irish musicians. With popular Irish band [[Kíla|Kila]] as the backing band, other contributors included members of [[U2]], The [[Dubliners]], [[Christy Moore]], [[Chris de Burgh]], [[Sinéad O’Connor]], [[The Chieftains]], [[Mundy]], [[Andrea Corr]], [[Moya Brennan]], [[Paul Brady]], [[Christy Dignam]], [[Duke Special]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Gavin Friday]], [[Bob Geldof]], [[Glen Hansard]], McEvoy, and [[Shane MacGowan]].

The single was released on 19 February 2008 and entered the Irish Single Charts at #2. At the request of Ronnie, all proceeds went to the Irish Cancer Society.

Award winning director [[John Carney (director)|John Carney]] (director of the film ''[[Once]]'') directed the video for "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew". It was filmed over two days at Dublin’s [[Windmill Lane Studios]] in January 2008.

; Tuesday’s Child

''Tuesday’s Child'' was spearheaded by [[Belfast]] woman Orla Sheehan. It consisted of a CD featuring tracks from a total of 31 performers including [[Snow Patrol]], [[Westlife]], [[Ronan Keating]], [[Duke Special]], and McEvoy. Each artist donated a track for the ''Tuesday’s Child'' self-titled double album which was first launched in Belfast on 8 November 2007 and in Dublin on 7 March 2008.

Proceeds of the album went towards helping children in need in 12 countries including: [[Bolivia]], [[Bosnia]] and [[Herzegovina]], [[Brazil]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Egypt]], [[Ghana]], [[Grenada]], [[Israel]], [[Moldova]], [[Palestine]], and [[Zimbabwe]].

; IMRO'

McEvoy is on the board of the [[Irish Music Rights Organisation]]. IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members – songwriters, composers and music publishers – and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation.

; Banana Boat featuring Eleanor McEvoy

McEvoy and renowned Polish a cappella group [[Banana Boat]] collaborated to re-record McEvoy's song "Little Look" from her album ''[[Out There (Eleanor McEvoy album)|Out There]]''. A music video was also made of the song. The debut went straight to the play list of famed Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego ([[Polskie Radio]] Three).<ref name="Polskie Radio Three">{{cite web|url=http://www.polskieradio.pl/sluchaj/play.aspx?p=r3/|title=Polskie Radio Three|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref> The video went on to be named Video of the Week by the [[Contemporary A Cappella Society]] (of America).<ref name="CASA">{{cite web|url=http://www.casa.org/|title=CASA|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref> In 2009 the recording was awarded "Collaboration of the Year with an Artist from Outside Poland" in the 2009 Polish Friends of Music Awards.<ref name="Nagrody Polskich Melomanów czyli NPM 2009">{{cite web|url=http://forum.lp3.pl/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4167&start=50|title=Polish Friends of Music Awards|author=|publisher=|date=}}</ref>

; ''Duets'' by George Hooks

In December 2009 McEvoy teamed up with Irish broadcaster and rugby pundit, [[George Hook]], to perform on Hook's charity album ''Duets''. They sang McEvoy's song "Is This Love" which McEvoy co-wrote with [[Paul Brady]]. Proceeds of the album went to Irish charity ''Comber''.

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy portrait by Robert Ballard.jpg|thumb|Eleanor McEvoy portrait by Robert Ballard]]
;Portrait by [[Robert Ballard]]

On 20 January 2012 a portrait of McEvoy painted by internationally acclaimed artist Robert Ballard was hung in the [[National Concert Hall]] Dublin, Ireland

; Riverdance The Music of [[Bill Whelan]]

On 17 May, 2012 McEvoy was the guest vocalist at the performance of Riverdance: The Music of [[Bill Whelan]] at the[[National Concert Hall]] Dublin, Ireland. The performance featured the world premier of the Riverdance Symphonic Suite.

[[File:Eleanor McEvoy at Concert for Aung San Suu Kyi.JPG|thumb|McEvoy leads crowd singing Happy Birthday to Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo by Scott Hayes]]
;Concert for [[Aung San Suu Kyi]]
On 18 June, 2012 McEvoy was invited by [[Amnesty International]] Ireland to perform at the Concert for [[Aung San Suu Kyi]] in Dublin, Ireland.

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.eleanormcevoy.net/ Eleanor McEvoy Official Website]
*[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eleanor-McEvoy-Fan-Page/280772014453?ref=mf/ Eleanor McEvoy Facebook Fan Page]
*[http://www.mosco.ie/ Moscodisc]

{{Persondata
| NAME = McEvoy, Eleanor
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 22 January 1967
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McEvoy, Eleanor}}
[[Category:Irish female singers]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:People from County Dublin]]
[[Category:Irish musicians]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Irish singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Irish music]]
[[Category:Musicians from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Eleanor McEvoy albums]]

[[pl:Eleanor McEvoy]]