Alaska Irish Music

About Joe Banjo Burke

Joe Burke and myself at the Alaska Folk Festival a number of years ago.

Joe Banjo Burke from Black 47 - Thanks to Larry Kirwan.

To say that Joe Banjo Burke was the "real deal" would be an understatement. Not only was he a brilliant musician, singer and collector of songs, he was also a County Kilkenny hurling star (and though I'm from rival Wexford, I have to reluctantly concede that Kilkenny hurlers do tend to set the standard). Joe was also what might be called "unconventional" for a top athlete. Let's just say he would have been more of a Ruth than a DiMaggio. But he had a heart as big as a lion's and was never found wanting in any endeavor. For me, he epitomized the back rooms of bars in the Bronx and the Catskills - a towering figure who dominated any situation and never had to ask for silence - the room just naturally hushed when he began to sing. And yet, he was a gentle person, an old style emigrant who knew and loved so many different parts of this country. He was one of those Irish who went to Alaska and worked on the oil lines for years. His stories, always modest and understated, still ring in my ears. We'll miss you Joe. There'll be certain songs that will always be yours. As our sound engineer, John Murray, said on Saturday night: "when Joe sang McAlpine's Fusiliers it was real - because he'd lived it."

Good luck,

Joe Pictured here with Jake Schumacher and Steve Brown at the same session at the Alaska Folk Festival, both of the photo's were taken at the Bergman Hotel.

Personally I feel Joe had a great influence on my music and I was very glad to have met him and to have had the opportunity to learn from him, I think he influenced quite a few musicians in Alaska. As my uncle used to say, they broke the mold when they made him.