The Voice Squad

Biography

The Voice Squad's (Phil Callery, Fran McPhail and Gerry Cullen) style of singing in harmony does not form part of the Irish singing tradition but each singer had already served their time in our individual tradition before coming together to sing in harmony. They have carried with them this individual approach to the song and it is this that gives the group its unique sound. The Voice Squad has been compared to those great English family groups, 'The Watersons' and 'The Copper Family' and while...

The Voice Squad's (Phil Callery, Fran McPhail and Gerry Cullen) style of singing in harmony does not form part of the Irish singing tradition but each singer had already served their time in our individual tradition before coming together to sing in harmony. They have carried with them this individual approach to the song and it is this that gives the group its unique sound.
The Voice Squad has been compared to those great English family groups, 'The Watersons' and 'The Copper Family' and while they would have enjoyed the singing of both these groups their strongest influences have come directly from our own traditional songs and the styles of our individual singers. It is the union of the distinct tenor voices of Fran and Phil plus the bass of Gerry, along with their own particular arrangements of good songs, that has made them one of the most distinctive unaccompanied singing groups of recent times.

However as a group they were also much in demand as studio session musicians adding their vocal textures and melodic colour to the recordings of other artists who have included:

* The Chieftains
* Rita Connolly
* Christy Hennessy
* Elvis Costello
* Jimmy McCarthy
* Sinead O'Connor
* Liam O'Flynn
* John Renbourn
* Dolores Keane

[The Voice Squad perform at the opening ceremony for the Special Olympic games, Dublin 2003] This group add a unique dimension to the cultural heritage of Ireland which they have brought to many audiences as they tour across the UK, Europe and America.

While in recent years live performances by the group have been rare, in October 2002 they performed, in front of Ireland's President Mary MacAleese, at the Gala opening of Dublin's newest concert venue The Helix at DCU. The concert was recorded by RTE television for later transmission. The track they performed was a special Shaun Davey arrangement of The Parting Glass. In June 2003 the group appeared on stage for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympic World Games 2003 with Rita Connolly and Ronan Tynan to perform 'May We Never Have To Say Goodbye' composed by Shaun Davey, it was the theme song for the games.

"The Voice Squad represent the melding of two related but separate traditions — a British harmony-singing tradition (as exemplified by the Copper Family and the Watersons) and the unaccompanied solo singing tradition of Northern Ireland (as exemplified by such legendary artists as Paddy Tunney and Joe Heaney). By taking the traditional Irish repertoire and harmonizing it in a generally British style, the three members of the Voice Squad have created something new and absolutely wonderful. All three singers have excellent voices, but tenor Fran McPhail is the one who brings something tonally unique to the ensemble; his voice has an eerie, almost horn-like quality that blends beautifully with the harder-edged voices of tenor Phil Callery and baritone Gerry Cullen. This 1995 reissue of Many's the Foolish Youth, originally released in 1987, brings improved sound quality to a set of songs that showcases this group at its best, on a program that ranges from the romantic regret of "The Banks of the Bann" to the traditional parting song "The Parting Glass" and stops off in between for a couple of Christmas songs ("The Holly She Bears a Berry," "Kilmore Carol," "Shepherds Arise"). The Voice Squad deliver everything with a marvelous combination of power and tenderness that is bound to touch your heart". — Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Quotes from The Irish Times:

"...all three singers merge miraculously into a single, enchanting confluence."
Kevin Myers

"Hair-raising harmony" - Eugene McEldowney Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.