Gary Quinn takes the lead spot at Over Hulton Folk Club, alongside the brilliant Carol Dunnington.
All images courtesy of Lois Barnett – you can find more of Lois’ work, here.
CAROL DUNNINGTON
Carol Dunnington, another recruit who impressed from monthly sing a long nights, sings a very melodic selection of songs; some familiar and some not. All are delivered with confidence from someone who is not a regular folk club performer. Her attempts at Susan Vega’s Luka and and Dougie Maclean’s Calaedonia are well executed. She employs her own style without copy.
Singing acapella is a difficult skill for professional performers but she sang a lovely air My Donnel, an anti-whaling song, with much aplomb. In contrast to her current residence in Platt Bridge she sings City Girl, but the desire to escape to the countryside is just the same. Her set also includes a brave a rendition of local hero Virginia Kettle’s Emerald Green. A song she herself has performed on the same stage. Dunnington may have been feeling shaky on the inside, however this is not evident.
Many of the audience, including our hosts, would be happy to see her return in the future for another spot.
ACCOMPLISHED
He may be of Irish descent and be an adopted Lancastrian of 15 years, but thanks to the influence of his family’s musical leanings Gary is Country through and through.
He is an accomplished singer songwriter as we were to find out through the evening; he opens with a cover of In Case You Didn’t Know.
Also inspired by a songwriter’s friend who showed him his $25,0000 royalty cheque, he tried his hand at songwriting himself. Somebody is for the people in our lives who complete it. We all have one, so this song, as do most of his songs, resonates with the audience.
LOVE IS IN THE AIR
Quinn freely admits that the theme of ‘love’ is a rich vein that runs through his music, whether its winning it, losing it or enjoying it. They are all covered here; Poison even covers meeting ex-partners. Whisky Text is about that text we all sent and then regretted but it shows how his songs perceptively touch on experiences we’ve all had.
Hugely influenced by the poetry and songs of Kris Kristofferson, his slow tempo rendition of Help Me Make It Through The Night had the audience fully immersed. The warmth of his voice also reflects in his acoustic guitar playing. His self-professed suffering of tongue-tightening in chatting to women was overcome by the use of his guitar, which it does in Dodge Your Bullet.
As well touching on serious issues, he knows country music can also be a vehicle for cheeky humour. Dismissing an awkward person by telling them to mind a door hitting your way out was an amusing way to end the first set in which the audience had hung on to every spoken and singing word.
THE PAST INFLENCING THE PRESENT
Several times during the evening, Quinn pays homage to fellow singer – songwriters who have been an influence on him and sometimes collaborated with. Don’t Close Your Eyes remembers Keith Whitely wonderfully. Another song from his car tape memories.
He regularly delves back into his past; his troubadour experiences, his personal tastes as well as recognising the plight of female performers and those who have suffered musical rejection. With that in mind, he finishes his own musical offering with a powerful Watch Me.
He ends with a family memory of communal singing and in his cover of Take Me Home, Country Roads he offers the audience the opportunity to sing the chorus themselves. They duly obliged. Another chance to sing comes with a lively Ballad of Bobby McGee in his much requested encore.
QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT
Gary Quinn is much more than just singer-songwriter, he is an entertainer too. His music is riveting and his anecdotes make the evening pass by in a moment. He has very informative website where you can delve deeply into his life and music emphasising that country music is not confined to Nashville, but is universal in its appeal.
Gary Quinn: Website