At the time, it was a brave and challenging move by manager Willie Carty.
Success did not come overnight for Mike Denver, but it did come through a lot of hard work, some lucky breaks and a sincere commitment to all who came to support him.
Mike’s rapport with his followers is legendary and it comes from the heart. He has never lost the run of himself.
Two years ago at the inaugural Country Music Awards Show on RTÉ, sponsored by the Farmers Journal, Mike captured the most coveted award of all, entertainer of the year.
This was the one voted on by the public and he emerged a clear winner on the night.
Mike does not have much time for singing the blues these days. His annual concert tour is in full swing, which, along with weekend dancing dates, will keep him fully occupied until the end of April.
Massachuetts
The Galway man is especially looking forward to a weekend venture in Massachusetts in May.
It is a new undertaking for Mike and one that he is already gearing up for in a special way.
“There is always something unique about the way the Americans promote these weekends and this is something I have never done over there before.
"They are hosting the Mike Denver Dancing Weekend at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center, a resort situated on Cedar Lake, an hour from Boston.
“The promoter is very confident the weekend will attract a lot of support from a wide area," says Mike.
"I’ll have the full band over for the weekend and there are also a number of guest performers who are based in the USA, such as The Silver Spears, Big Bamboo and a few more.
"It is all happening from Friday, 25 May, until Sunday, 27 May, and I understand they are getting plenty of enquiries about the weekend at this stage, mostly from Irish-Americans."
Mullingar
The Mullingar Park Hotel will host the Mike Denver Dancing Festival 2018 on the Easter weekend.
It starts on Saturday, 31 March, with Declan Nerney and his band on stage at 9.30pm, followed by Mike and the band with dancing from 11.45pm until 2am.
Mike Denver. \ Eleanor Keegan
Easter Sunday night will see Ciarán Rosney and his new band open proceedings at 9pm, with Mike and the band taking it home from 11.15pm until 1.30am.
Easter Monday will see Mike and the lads bring the curtains down on the weekend with an afternoon dance.
Mike is hoping that his new album will be ready for launch at Easter.
“Most of it was recorded with Peter Maher down in Nenagh and I also did some studio work with Jonathan Owens in Granard, Willie Dunne in Fintona and Barry Conboy in Portumna.
We released a single from it last week, Will You Walk With Me, a song written by Isla Grant.
Also on the horizon is the Paul Claffey Tours week in Spain, 5-12 June. Mike has been a part of this series for several years now.
Week days
Meanwhile, fresh from his recent appearance on the Late Late Show Valentine’s special, the countrywide concert tour is where it’s at for Mike these weeks.
“The concert scene is so different from the dancing circuit. We are lucky that we have such a regular and loyal clientele that comes along to our shows each year.
"Ray Lynam and Philomena Begley are the guests on the vast bulk of the shows.
“I’m delighted to have Margo as a guest on four shows on this tour. She got a great response on her debut with us in Castlebar and her next spot is at the Limerick University Hall on 24 February.
"Her other guest spots are at the INEC, Killarney, on 3 March and on the final night of our tour at the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny on 27 April.
“Overall, things are going steady for us. There is a good bunch of lads in the band and I am very content with life right now.”
The Mike Denver Concert Tour will play dates in Tullamore, Limerick, Kilkenny, Newbridge, Killarney, Waterford, Carrick-on-Shannon, Galway, Enniscorthy, Drogheda, Cork, Bantry, Sligo, Kells, Dublin, Dundalk, Claremorris and Letterkenny. Full details can be had by checking tomkellypromotions.com or the mikedenverband.com.
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