Ken O'Malley

Performing for the Folkworks concert October 26, 2013

KEN O’MALLEY "Widely regarded as the finest Irish folk singer/songwriter in the United States today” raves the University of St. Thomas at Houston; the Irish News calls this consummate entertainer "without question, . . .the single most enduring, influential and proficient of all Irish musicians in Southern California .." He has shared the stage with such household names in Celtic music as The Chieftains, Makem and Clancy, Mary Black, Paul Brady, Luka Bloom, and The Saw Doctors. Born and raised in Dublin, Ken O'Malley takes his audience on an auditory journey across the sea with his rich, resonant voice and engaging stage presence accompanied by his remarkable talent on guitar and mandolin. His wealth of knowledge of Irish music, folklore and history is well known and he is a sought after performer and lecturer at schools, colleges and universities throughout the United States. A true ambassador of Irish culture, he infuses every performance with the rich history of his native land and audiences are quickly engaged by his compelling stories. One show producer put it this way: “He holds nothing back. Whether singing a passionate ballad, playing a solo on the mandolin, or explaining the gloriously sad history of Erin his homeland, Ken O’Malley is all-in, wide open to the world, and as true as an arrow’s flight.” And, in the words of one longtime fan, “the songs Ken sings touch all of us, Irish or not, to the very core of the human heart.”

MIKE KELLY Michael Kelly began his musical life as a classical violinist at nine years of age. He had his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Strocheim, write a letter to his mother insisting that he be allowed to play the violin. If it hadn't been for the kindness and diligence of this fine educator, it is likely Michael would've grown up to be a respectable doctor or lawyer.

Michael went to the University of Utah, where he studied violin performance ... and psychology. The latter subject he calls his "BA in BS." It was in his senior year at the university when he decided to jump ship and play fiddle. He joined a Country Western band. From there it was all downhill. He degenerated his music further by branching out into bluegrass, old time fiddle, jazz fiddle, blues fiddle, rock fiddle ... even reggae fiddle. Then he made a brilliant decision to move to Southern California in 1999. Everybody knows that Country Western was big in SoCal back in the late 1990s, right?

What he discovered, instead, was Celtic music. He fell in love with the genre, and with everything Celtica: Culture, people, history, mythology. He started his own band in 2001, Sligo Rags, and fused bluegrass stylings and energy with his new passion for Celtic music. Currently, Michael and Sligo Rags can be found on stages across the West Coast, and more often than not at Disney California Adventure.

DEAN O’LEARY Born in Sydney, Australia, Dean O’Leary began his professional musical career at the age of 15, touring with his father, well known Australian comedian and vocalist, Jack O'Leary. He is a multiple winner of the Australian Club Entertainment Awards for Best Solo Guitarist, Best Vocal, Best Duo & Trio Band Awards. Known as the front man for his own Dean O’Leary Band, he has also performed with numerous musical groups all across Australia; in the US, he has toured with such luminaries as Connie Stevens and the Top 10 US Billboard 70s Disco Sensation - Maxine Nightingale as her lead guitarist and background vocalist.

A versatile performer who is fluent in a variety of musical styles, Dean particularly enjoys the opportunity to bring his Irish heritage to life with his music.