One good night for Derek Ryan

The young Carlow man has been blazing a trail from the south midlands that has taken him right to the top of the showbusiness ladder. This week sees the release of his brand new album, One Good Night. This is his sixth studio album and also charts his progression as a songwriter, with five of his own songs on the new collection. One song sees him duet with Roly Daniels on Wrong Side of Sober.

“We had good fun recording that one,” says Derek.

A sampler of what to expect from the much-anticipated album comes with the release of the single Bendigo. No, it’s not about the famous tobacco plug, but the mining town in Australia. With fiddle and banjo, a good story and a catchy chorus, Derek has once again tapped into something that makes him quite unique on the circuit.

Inspiration for the song came from his visit to Australia last year, which saw him play seven dates on the tour. His visit to the old gold rush town in the state of Victoria evoked special feelings. The Bendigo mines operated from 1851 until they closed down in 1954.

“I just couldn’t get the name of the town out of my head. I don’t know exactly why that was. Maybe it was because the word itself sounded so musical and catchy. I could really feel the history of Bendigo as most of the main street buildings and bars were still intact in that old frontier gold rush-style town. It actually looked like the set from an old Hollywood cowboy movie. But it wasn’t make-believe. It was real life.

“I came up with the hook for Bendigo when I was there. I sang it into my iPhone that night and I knew that I had to keep working on this.”

When Derek got home to Carlow, he linked up with long-time creative collaborator Eoin Glackin and came up with the happy-go-lucky song of gold digging dreams with a moral final twist.

Early influence

Never afraid to broaden his horizons and experiment with different genres, county music shaped his formative years down Carlow way. His dad, Pat, who still performs on the céilí and social dancing scene along with Richie Kelly (they are known as Cúpla), always had a fondness for country music, and albums and cassettes of favourites from that era were constantly being played in the Ryan home in Garyhill.

In an early interview with Irish Country Sound, Derek alluded to those memories that seeped into his young mind and that were to surface again when choosing songs for his Band of Gold album.

“When I was thinking of material for the album, I thought of one of the first songs I heard and could remember. It was Big Tom singing The Old Account. It was on a tape that daddy used to play over and over in the car as we travelled here and there. I’ll Settle For the Shores of Ireland was another of Tom’s and I have included both of them in the collection.”

Versatility has served him well. His ability to interpret songs, like the Merle Haggard classic Silver Wings to Phil Coulter’s Home From The Sea, is quite remarkable. Not many entertainers can accomplish these challenges with such consummate ease as Derek.

Most of the new album was recorded and produced by Jonathan Owens in Granard, while Peter Maher in Tipperary also worked on some of the new release. It was mastered by Metropolis in London and Derek is very pleased with the end result.

A tour to coincide with the launch will be held in September and October of this year and then in January and February, on both sides of the Irish Sea.

“The UK scene is really beginning to click for us now and we are very pleased with that. It is lovely when audiences begin to sing along with you. I now conclude my concert shows with just myself and my guitar. The audiences seem to like the intimacy of this and it is certainly working for us. The crowd love to take over and sing along themselves. It’s a very special feeling for any artist when you have an audience with you in that manner,” reflects Derek.

The dancing scene, of course, remains central to his busy schedule. Derek and his talented band provide a fine mix of music for their dancing programme and they are now right up there at the top of the league when it comes to pulling in the crowds.

“Our shows are all about the songs and we work towards providing those who come to see us with what they enjoy. We try and maintain a nice balance all along.

“We are fortunate that we get the young and not so young at our dance dates. We love to see them all because we know they appreciate what we are doing.”

The young man is mining his own vein of showbusiness talent in fine style.