John Farry
John Farry (born 1959, Enniskillen) is a Northern Irish singer/songwriter from Garrison, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. He played in the Irish band Toledo, later renamed Amarillo, and much later as Tennessee Sunshine before launching as vocalist and guitarist before launching a solo career and a prosperous songwriting career.
He is best known for writing the Irish entry for the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest - a song entitled "Mysterious Woman" which achieved second place.
Early career in bands
In 1976, Farry was asked to join a band called Toledo as a guitarist and an addition to the existing members of the group, John Lunny (rhythm guitar) and Tom Flanagan (accordion) both natives of Belleek, County Fermanagh. John's older brother Noel also joined as drummer.
Following Lunny's death (in a fire which also claimed the lives of other family members), Flanagan and the Farry brothers re-formed the group by inviting Kathleen McKeaney on board as rhythm guitarist/vocalist. The group flourished on the North West lounge circuit and assumed a harder musical edge following Flanagan's retirement from the business.
As the group continued to be successful, the Farry brothers invited Lavinus Gordon (bass guitar), also a native of Belleek, County Fermanagh, to join the group and they subsequently re-packaged as Amarillo. This period saw John Farry's swift development as an accomplished country singer, excelling in both lead and harmony parts.
Within the next couple of years, Amarillo was augmented by the addition of lead guitarist, Eugene Cunningham, a native of Belcoo. This outfit prospered and became one of the best country and pop acts in Ulster during this period. John Farry excelled as lead singer with a penchant for top class interpretations of Don Williams, Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard material.
When Cunningham departed from the band to pursue a full-time professional career as a lead guitarist, the band repackaged under the name Tennessee Sunshine. This group continued to enjoy great success and had just one further change of personnel when drummer Noel Farry retired from the business in 1982. Farry hired Paul Quinn from Enniskillen as the new skinsman/vocalist and the band continued to go from strength to strength.
Solo career
In the mid-1980s, John Farry, conscious of the narrowing market for three and four-piece bands, decided to pursue a solo career. His solo career has been a tremendous success, punctuated by his emergence as a top class singer-songwriter.
Songwriting
One of Farry's earliest compositions, "Lough Melvin's Rocky Shore" became a hit for the rising young star from Donegal, Daniel O'Donnell. O'Donnell went on to record a number of John Farry tracks, with "Summertime in Ireland" becoming the Kincasslagh crooner's first number one hit in Ireland in 1987.
Aside from O'Donnell, Farry's songs have also been recorded by Brendan Quinn, Marc Roberts, Ray Lynam, Michael O'Brien and Mick Flavin. Farry's songwriting talent received its greatest exposure to date in 1997, when Marc Roberts sang "Mysterious Woman" to number 2 in the Eurovision Song Contest held in London. Farry has also recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.
Farry continues to perform throughout Ireland and to write country music songs along with managing Country and Irish star Nathan Carter.
Personal life
Farry was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, the sixth member in a family of seven (four boys and three girls).