According to his sleeve notes, Danny defines the “heroes” as the songs and their carriers, whilst the “soft targets” are the people for whom they were written. By that definition, then, as well as by many others, Danny Kyle was indeed a hero.
On this CD we have thirteen tracks which reflect exactly the mixture of material you would have encountered during one of this performances, minus of course the constant stream of banter and quips. Danny’s self-penned numbers such as “Music of the Loom” and “The Glasgow Pub-Bus Run to Ballyshannon” (with surely a record for the amount of name-dropping in one song) easily rub shoulders with “Weary Hobo” and “Midnight Special”, while more modern songs like Michael Marra’s “Hermless” and Richard Thompson’s “Galway to Graceland” also get the Danny treatment. A special mention, too, for the rendition of Pete Seeger’s haunting “Sacco’s Message to his Son”.
Danny Kyle was the irrepressible funny man of folk who also maintained a strong commitment to nurturing the grassroots of the music, encouraging fresh talent and bringing his own brand of zany lunacy to many a festival. His memory is preserved in the most fitting manner – by the Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections, which provides a showcase for emerging singers and musicians.
An exuberantly teddy-bearish presence, inevitably sporting a loud tie and topped by a tourie or Balmoral bunnet, Danny was a familiar and much welcomed character at festivals from Ballyshannon in Ireland to Tønder in Denmark. Despite his rovings, he remained a dedicated Paisley Buddy, living there all his days and involved in reviving the town’s traditional Sma’ Shot celebrations.
Artist website: http://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/hall-of-fame/danny-kyle/
Single title: Music of the Loom
Album title:Heroes and Soft Targets
Single artist: Danny Kyle
Single duration: 4:06
Record Label: Iona Records
Catalogue No: IRCD061
Writers: Danny Kyle
Publishers: MCPS / PRS
Explicit?: No
Search Terms:
Follow these topics: English language songs, Guitar, banjo etc, Releases, Scots language song
