Mayo singer Stuart Moyles is a busy man. Just back from a weekend in Scotland, he will be heading overseas again towards the end of May with Paul Claffey Tours on their annual trip to Spain.

Stuart hails from a well-known music family from Ardagh near Ballina. His brothers Trevor and Jason have been associated with the scene over the years and he is also a first cousin of Gerry Guthrie.

His latest single, Jessie, a song composed by Kieran Henry from Tooreen, is proving popular since its release three weeks. It is also getting a good response at his gigs. Between his regular concerts and guest spots, Stuart is on a good roll these days.

New releases

Roscommon man Frank Nelson has recorded 10 albums over the years and a batch of singles. The latest sees him take on the Willie Nelson composition, I Don’t Have A reason To Go To California Anymore.

Should Have Asked Her Faster is the new single from Declan Nerney. The song is taken from his album One More Kiss.

Joe Davitt has penned a new original song – The Night That We Met. The Davitt Country Band is looking forward to four nights in Scotland over the St Patrick’s weekend.

Eimear Furlong from Louth has released a double single. Walk Me To The Door and Raggy Old Sweetheart are both from the pen of Tyrone’s BG Pollock.

Co Antrim singer Rebecca Stewart is new to the country music scene and has been to Coleraine recently where her single, My Mistake, was produced by Clive Culbertson.

Don dies in California

Don Markham, a long-time member of Merle Haggard’s band The Strangers, died in his native Bakersfield, California, last week. He was 85.

He started out as a jazz and pop musician and was heavily influenced by the brass sound, excelling on the saxophone, horn and trumpet.

He joined The Strangers in 1972 and brought a whole new dimension to their style, which can be heard on many of Merle’s big songs over the years.

Andy and Dee for short tour

American-based Andy Cooney and Dee Reilly will undertake a short Irish tour in April. Andy is the promoter behind the annual January cruise ship venture out of Miami to the Caribbean and the recent one was a resounding success.

“We had 700 patrons on board and it was a tremendous success. Among the headline acts were Mike Denver and Ronan Tynan. We all had a wonderful time,” says Andy, who is a New York-born singer and promoter with strong Irish connections.

Dee Reilly, who has resided in Nashville for several years, is a top-class performer. Her dad is from Belmullet in Co Mayo and her mother is from Cork. She recorded a duet album with Roly Daniels some years ago.

“We look forward to meeting a lot of folks on our short tour. We plan to open with a show in The Broadhaven Bay Hotel in Belmullet on Wednesday 5 April. Other shows are planned for Ballymoney (6 April), The Abbey Hotel, Donegal Town (7 April), The Ború Theatre, Cashel (8 April), and The Moat Theatre, Naas (9 April).

“Both of us have a huge affinity with Irish audiences and we are calling this On The Eight Day Tour, named after my single which proved so popular last year,” says Andy.