Oliver Kane

Bio:

Oliver Kane recorded a hard to find album for Polydor in the mid-70s. Note this is a different Oliver Kane to the one who recorded for Dolphin Records in their early days.

Career Summary:

• The Eccles Showband
No recordings.

• The Fontana Showband AKA The Fontanas:
Oliver Kane replaced Rory Gallagher in the Fontana Showband and recorded two LPs with them. Many sources claim the Fontanas had already changed their name to the Impact in 1965, so it's possible they used both names at different times, or the Impact was a breakaway from the Fontanas, led by Rory Gallagher. Ironically, Oliver later joined The Impact aswell. The Fontanas recorded two albums with Oliver Keane: If You're Irish Come Into The Parlour on Allegro Records (ALL 868) in 1967 and Songs of the Rebellion on Hallmark Records (HM 544) in 1968. This are considerd quite poor nowadays, poorly recorded and with clumsy arrangements. The Fontanas also recorded as...

• The Freedom Fighters:
Same lineup as the Fontana. They recorded two ballad folk albums (self-titled and Irish Rebel Songs) in the vein of the Wolfe Tones, whom they pre-dated.

• The Impact Showband:
Recorded another dreadful showband album which sat in bargain bins for an eternity: Ireland Swings [1968]. Nothing about this LP swings. It contains a passable version of Simon Says and a terrible cover of The Hucklebuck.

• The New Currency:
I haven't heard their sole 45 which has Gordon Lightfoot's Approaching Lavender backed by Raymond Frogett's Roly

• Frankie McBride and the Highwaymen:
A successful Country 'n' Irish outfit (the less said, the better) (on his website Oliver says he left after the Miami shootings, but that happened in July 1975).

• The Paddy Wagon:
The Paddy Wagon was formed by the McGettigan brothers from San Francisco. They released two singles in 1972: The Ghosts of the Molly Maguires / Lodi and Sunday Bloody Sunday / Greener Hills (Columbia IDB 806). The latter single topped the Irish singles chart in April 1972 and can be found on the Irish Hit Parade '72 compilation LP on EMI Talisman.

• The Big Four:
Oliver Kane spent two years with the Big Four before forming his own band.

• The Kane Band:
The Kane Band (ca 1974) played hard rock but unfortunately was never recorded. With Don Browne on drums and Christy Hurley on bass. Their set included covers of Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, the Gratefull Dead, and Status Quo as well as many band originals. They played all over Ireland in 1974-75. One of their most popular gigs was The Subway, an underground bar in McCurtain Street Cork. However, gigs got very scarce for the band after the initial burst, and all members had to take on day jobs to survive. They did two tours of Holland and during the second such tour - by which time the lineup was Don Browne on drums, Mike Grady on bass and Francie Conway on rhythm guitar - Oliver decided to go solo, in 1975.

Oliver released an original album entitled All My Own Work. on the Polydor label. This was followed by a single 'Let's Go Riding on a Rainbow'.

More details to follow.