~~~ Roger Ryan Reports ~~~

Robert Mizzell.

When speaking to Robert Mizzell you can really sense the enthusiasm and passion that he has for country music.

Louisiana born and now based in Ireland, Robert has become one of the leading lights on the Irish music circuit.

Robert was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, once home of the famous Louisiana Hayride, which rivalled the Grand Ole Opry in popularity and also provided a start for many future country music luminaries such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, and even Elvis performed one of his earliest shows there. All this, plus the fact that both his Father and Mother were gospel singers, proved to be the main influences in Robert’s early years growing up in Shreveport.

But it wasn’t until he moved to Ireland that he really decided to make a fulltime career in the music business.

“George Jones is, and always has been my favourite country artist, closely followed by the great Merle Haggard, but I must admit that I was completely blown away by the stage performance of Garth Brooks when he came to Ireland. He brought a whole new dimension to the country music scene and was one of the most exciting performers I have ever seen” said Robert.

Being from the state of Louisiana, home of Cajun music, it seemed rather appropriate that he would choose a Cajun flavoured song “Say You Love Me” as his first release in Ireland. The song proved to be a massive hit with Irish fans and was instrumental in establishing Robert as one of the leading attractions on the Irish scene.

“But the fact that the song had a Cajun flavour wasn’t the reason I chose it” he told me. “No, the first time I heard the song, I thought it had a great beat to it and would prove an ideal tune for dancing, as indeed it turned out to be”.

“When I first started out on the Irish scene, the music business was at a low ebb and I had to endure some lean times before the breaks started to come my way. Thankfully the scene did improve greatly, and is now back to where country music is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Ireland”.

There can be no doubting the fact that emergence of Robert as well as other young artists on the Irish scene have helped tremendously in the revival of country music here. “The only problem we have now, said Robert, is the lack of venues to perform in. We have loads of new and exciting performers here, but very few venues to display our talents.”

Robert also feels that the Record Companies and our National Radio & TV could be a lot more supportive of Irish artists. He agrees that TG4 is doing its fair share, but he thinks the rest leave a lot to be desired.

“If they all got behind the music and promoted it, I feel it would help tremendously to attract some of the younger generation to come out to our gigs. I fear for the long-term future of the industry if we don’t do something now to attract some of the younger people and thus ensure continuity of the industry for future artists. The news that the Irish Daily Mirror and the Irish Sunday Mirror are about to embark on a major promotion on Irish country music is welcome news indeed, and it’s important that we in the business would support them in their efforts.”

When I asked what he thought of the present Irish scene he had this to say. “The scene here at the moment is livelier and better than it’s ever been. We now have a lot of new bands and singers coming on the scene and each of them is contributing to the overall success and expansion of the business. Hopefully this trend will continue for many years to come”.

Robert admits that dancing is a very important part of the Irish scene, but he would like to think that in the future he will perform in more concert and cabaret venues. One of the things he plans to do this year is to perform some mid-week concerts throughout Ireland. Robert has also diversified into the country music tour market and has already taken people to Nashville, and plans to lead a tour to Portugal from June 2 to 9th, before heading back again to Nashville in October with another group.

Among his immediate plans is the completion of a new album which should be available at the end of May, and a new single is also due soon.

“Country music is as popular here in Ireland as it is in Nashville, and I would like to see a major concert of Irish artists being staged at the Point in Dublin. I also think it’s time we had an Annual Awards Show similar to the CMA Awards Show in Nashville. It’s time we gave Irish artists the recognition they deserve.”

Hopefully some, if not all, of Robert’s aspirations for the Irish country music industry will be realised before this year ends.

Tribute to Robert.

Songwriter George Langan of Artane in Dublin has written and recorded a tribute to Robert which he calls Robert Mizzell The Country King.

This gave me an idea so I decided to pen the following little ditty myself, although I doubt if I’ll get any offers to record it.

Robert Mizzell.

He came from Louisiana,

With no Banjo on his knee.

Instead he brought a Guitar,

Which he plays for you and me.

He dresses up in cowboy boots,

And he wears a cowboy hat.

And when he finishes every gig,

He’s ready for a chat.

He hails from Cajun country,

And he has a country band.

He’s recorded some hit records,

And he’s known throughout the land.

Robert, Robert, his fans all cry,

We want to hear you sing,

That song called “Say You Love Me”,

And joy to our heart’s you’ll bring.

 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Louise Morrissey

Following a recent visit to the home of Louise Morrissey in Bansha, Co. Tipperary, I can fully understand why she has no desire to leave this beautiful and scenic area.

Nestling in the foothills of the Galtee Mountains, the village of Bansha has been home to generations of the Morrissey family, and is still home to Louise and her mother, and her brothers Norman and Billy.

Born in nearby Tipp town, Louise has spent all of her adult life in Bansha, where she was introduced to music at an early age in both her local primary school and later in secondary school in Tipp Town. "There was always music and singing in Primary School and we also had access to music in Secondary school", she told me.

“I grew up with music all around me. My parents were both very musical people. My dad played the fiddle and saxophone and in his younger days he played in a local band, which featured his brother, my Uncle Billy, as the lead vocalist.

My mum was also a great influence on me, as she sang a lot, and also played piano.

When you consider the environment I grew up in, it’s easy to understand why I chose a career in the music business, and why I am so happy to be still doing it.

There were six of us in the family, and each of us was encouraged to play some sort of musical instrument. Whenever we had visitors to the house, we would always do our best to entertain them".

How did The Morrisseys Folk Group come about then? I asked her.

" Well, my brothers Norman and Billy and I seemed to be the three who developed a flair for the music and we would regularly practice together. This eventually led to us forming a group and we started playing the local pub scene. I was only 13 when we first started out, but I’m not going to tell you how long ago that was she said," with a hearty chuckle. When it came to picking a name for the group it seemed logical enough to call ourselves The Morrisseys, because that’s what we were always known as anyway, so the name stuck, and we were happy with it.

Folk music was really big in Ireland at the time, so that was the type of music we concentrated on. As for my own favourites at that time, well I was big into Donny Osmond and The Bay City Rollers, just like a lot of my friends were. As a matter of fact I think I may still have some of Donny’s posters somewhere in my bedroom, as I was madly in love with him at that time.

"It wasn’t that we made a conscious decision to play folk music though. It was popular throughout Ireland and Britain at that time and it just happened that the three of us were interested in that type of music, and of course we had been performing it locally at first, and later it took us all over the world. We had a very successful career as The Morrisseys and we released four albums, which sold very well.

Switch To Country.

At what stage did you decide to switch and concentrate on country music?

"There was certainly a bit of a decline in the folk scene, but that wasn’t the primary reason for the switch. I must admit I was always a country music fan and I always loved that kind of music. I suppose when you start out as young as I did, you are not quite certain what type of music you want to pursue, but as you get a little older you begin to develop preferences for different types of music. I found myself being drawn more and more towards country music, having been influenced by Emmylou Harris and a lot of Irish artists who were emerging on the country scene at that time. I was also a big fan of Judith Durham of The Seekers. My current favourite is Wynonna Judd. I love her singing and I think she is a fantastic entertainer. There are lots of outstanding singers on the Irish scene right now and I sometimes get the chance to perform with them at various venues throughout Ireland and overseas.

My brothers Billy and Norman also shared my love for country music, so when we decided to change over to country, both of them stayed on in the band with me, and Billy also became my manager. It was quite a big change for me really, as I went from being a member of the Morrisseys to the featured vocalist with my own band."

Did you lose some of your folk following when you switched?

"Well, some people did say at the time that I was mad to make the change, but it was something I wanted to do, and I was determined to give it a go. As things turned out, we were very successful and the whole country music business has been very good to me. The fans literally accepted me overnight, and that was really great.

Also, we were lucky that we were in at the beginning of a boom time for country in Ireland, much the same as what’s happening here right now really, with a lot of new bands and a lot of new singers coming on the scene. I was just one of a whole crop of new singers who emerged on the scene at the time, and thankfully there was room for us all."

First Country Record.

"My first recording as a country artist was a song called "The Night Daniel O’Donnell Came to Town." This was a huge success and really helped to launch me as a country music singer. I then followed up on this with an album called "Louise", which included the hit single and a mixture of country and Irish numbers. Of course Daniel O’Donnell was already established as a major star at that time, and paved the way for lots of us who came on the scene after him."

"We started playing the dancing circuit and I can remember a time when we played five nights a week and all at a different venue. Nowadays the scene has changed quite a bit. A lot of the venues have closed down while some of them have been replaced, the scene has now developed into a weekend business. It’s sad in a way that the venue have closed because we still have a large number of bands, and but for regular tours to England and America, I don’t think we could survive on the Irish market alone."

Accident

To the music lovers who faithfully follow the bands every week, the music scene appears to be a very glamorous business, but it has its drawbacks and its pitfalls. One of the biggest hazards that an artist faces is the travelling. This is how Louise explained it "travelling is one of the hazards of the job really. You’re out there travelling on the road at all hours of the night, and of course you’re travelling a lot more than the average motorist does." She then told me about a serious accident that she had one night.

"I was on my way to a gig and I was due to play in Longford Town that night. I was just in the outskirts of the town when I had the accident. That really turned everything upside down for me, and in a split second my whole life was changed. I had a lot of broken bones, and I was in hospital for a few weeks. I was off the road for several months and when I look back on it now, I am thankful that at least nobody was killed. Time is a great healer, and I did bounce back, but the time I spent off the road, certainly damaged my career at the time. I was on a rollercoaster at that time and things were going really well for me. I had an album out that was being heavily promoted on the radio and T.V., for two weeks prior to the accident. Following the accident, there was no guarantee that I would ever again get back on the road, so the whole campaign was pulled." Did you ever think during that period that your career as a performer had come to an end? "I was very mixed up really. In the beginning I didn’t know what was after happening. I was thinking about Tony Stevens, who had a very serious accident about six months prior to mine, and wondering if he would ever perform again. All those things kept going through my mind and I kept wondering would he ever be able to walk again, never mind perform on stage again. It certainly erodes your confidence, and it takes a long time to get over that. But time heals everything, and thankfully I made a full recovery and was glad to get back on the road again. It’s nice to know that Tony has also made a full recovery and is now back on the road again with his new band "The Rusty Roosters." Would you ever say that you are a religious person and that your faith in god would have sustained you and helped in your recovery? "I have my own little way of talking to the Man above and I believe firmly in God. My constant travelling at weekends would sometimes preclude me from attending Sunday Mass, but several times during the week I would visit the local Church and light candles and say my own little prayers. I have my own way of staying in touch with the Lord."

Romance on the Road.

Romance on the road? At this she laughed out loud and repeated my question, romance on the road? "Why did you ask me that?" Well now, an attractive girl on stage, touring around the country every week, you must have had more than your share of offers from the boys. How did you cope with this? "Well you do have your admirers on the road. You meet all sorts of people really. Some that are very nice and the odd few that are not so nice. You deal with it as best you can. It’s very difficult to have a relationship with someone, because you are out there and away so often. But this is it, that’s what I do for a living. It can be very difficult to sustain a relationship especially when you can’t be home at the weekends to go out and socialise. I think people in the music business tend to end up with people, who are also involved in the business, as they seem to have an understanding of the complexities of the whole scene. I think it would be very difficult to make it work otherwise."

We got around to talking about Radio and T.V. and Louise said, "It’s very difficult to get any exposure on T.V. here, more so now than a few years ago. It was great years ago when we were all on T.V. programmes such as Live At 3, Bibi Baskin, Open House and such were very good to Irish artists generally but in the last few years, the Irish artists have been forgotten about. Our Irish T.V. station TG4 has been very good to Irish talent and has regularly featured them in their programmes.

Radio, I suppose you’re relying mainly on the local stations for airplay nowadays?

"Oh yes, all the regional stations are very, very good as far as Irish artists are concerned, and without them we just wouldn’t get airplay at all. Most of them have regular country shows and always play the Irish artists. Again, sadly it has become very difficult to get airplay on our National station R.T.E., which I feel should not be the case, because it’s a very big industry, employing a lot of people, and should be supported by our National station. It’s a big business now.

Do you have a favourite venue?

"I don’t know if I have a favourite venue, because I enjoy every venue I play in. But as far as my favourite gig, the best gig I ever did was singing in Croke Park at half time during an All-Ireland Hurling Final in which Tipp was playing – even though we did lose on the day."

"Another great gig was when I was in Switzerland representing Ireland at the Gold Star Awards. I felt very proud to be representing my country.

Your worst gig?

"There would be a certain venue in a certain country which shall remain nameless that I would nominate as my worst gig, but thankfully there weren’t too many of those."

A recent trend in the music business is the weekend festivals at hotels and performing on cruise ships. Louise has featured on all of these and has also accompanied a group to Nashville, where she performed at the famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge and Legend’s Corner. "We had 100 people on the tour to Nashville, and as well as myself we had John Hogan and his band, and Trudi Lalor and her band. While we were in Nashville we did four gigs and we plan to go there again."

"In May we’re heading off to Salou in Spain for a week, with a group of people again. We will be providing all the entertainment at our hotel for the week, so that should be really good. Other artists on the trip are John Hogan, Trudi Lalor, Paddy O’Brien, James Kilbane, Tom Healy, and Nicky Kealy and country DJ TOMMY’s Roadshow. It should be a fabulous week and I am really looking forward to it. We’ll all be staying at the same hotel, and we’ll have six nights dancing."

Are you happy to be back full time again in the music business?

"Oh yes, I am enjoying myself now more that I ever did, and thankfully things are going very well for me. Over the years I have built up a very strong and loyal fan base. I am quite happy to working in Ireland and living in Bansha, and I have no great ambitions to crack the American market. I like the odd trip to Britain and Canada and after that the Irish circuit keeps me as busy as I want to be. No matter where I travel to I always like to come back home to Bansha."

And my final question, is there anything or anybody that could tempt you to leave Bansha? Louise looked at me with that mischievous twinkle in her eye and replied "Now you don’t really expect me to answer that one, do you?"

Regards,
Roger Ryan
rogerryan@eircom.net

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