DON MCLEAN, the singer-songwriter whose 'American Pie', 'Vincent', and 'And I Love You So' are standards in the great songbook, not just of America, but of the world, comes to Galway in the Autumn.
In a career spanning almost 50 years, Don McLean has enjoyed more than 40 gold and platinum records worldwide, among them three of best known LPs - Tapestry (1970 ), American Pie (1971 ), and DonMcLean (1972 ), the last cited by REM's Mike Mills as his all time favourite album.
His great song, ‘Vincent’ is played daily at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and a copy of the sheet music is buried with Van Gogh artefacts in a time capsule, and from his best known songs he also holds five trademarks - ‘American Pie’, ‘Starry Starry Night’, ‘The Day The Music Died’, ‘Bye Bye Miss American Pie’, and ‘Don McLean’. His song ‘Babylon’ became the theme song for the German Green Party. McLean is also an excellent interpreter of others material, and his version of Percy French's ‘The Mountains of Mourne’ is among the best ever recorded, and went to No 1 in Ireland.
As well as music, McLean is a noted charity worker. The Don McLean Foundation sends disadvantaged people to college through the New York Times College Fund and contributes to homeless shelters and food banks in Maine.
McLean plays a 'Róisín Dubh presents...' concert in the Radisson Blu Hotel on September 25. Tickets are available at www.roisindubh.net, the Ticket Desk at OMG Zhivago, Shop Street, and The Róisín Dubh.
