Sean Dunphy

Irish singer

Sean Dunphy (30 November 1937 – 17 May 2011) was an Irish singer who represented Ireland at the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, achieving second place with "If I Could Choose". He was also the first Irish singer to record in Nashville.[1]

Career

Born in Whitehall, Dublin, Dunphy first became famous in his home country as lead singer with The Hoedowners, a showband led by trumpeter Earl Gill.[2] Between 1966 and 1973, fourteen singles by Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners entered the Irish Charts including, in 1969, two number ones: "Lonely Woods of Upton" and "When The Fields Were White With Daisies". In the late 1970s, Dunphy went on to have two further hits as a solo artist.

Despite undergoing a quadruple heart bypass operation in 2007, Sean Dunphy continued to give live performances.[3] In March 2009, he sang many of his greatest hits in a one-off concert at Dublin's National Concert Hall.[4] His last public engagement was at a charity event twenty-four hours before his death.[5]

On May 17, 2011, Dunphy died at his home in Baldoyle, County Dublin and is buried at Greenogue cemetery in Ashbourne, County Meath.[6]

Sean Dunphy and his wife Lily had four children. His son Brian is a member of the Irish band, The High Kings.[5]

Discography

Sean Dunphy and the Hoedowners

Year Single Chart Positions
IRE
1966 "Wonderful World of My Dreams" 3
"Showball Crazy" 2
1967 "4033" 17
"If I Could Choose" 2
"Talking Love" 13
1968 "Two Loves" 2
"Christmas Polka" 2
1969 "Lonely Woods of Upton" 1
"When the Fields Were White with Daisies" 1
1970 "The Old Fenian Gun" 5
"The Old Refrain" 19
1972 "There's an Island in the Sun" 10
"Michael Collins" 12
1973 "Pal of My Cradle Days" 3

Sean Dunphy solo

Year Single Chart Positions
CAN Country CAN AC IRE
1972 "Fields of Green" 3[7]
"And the Old House Died" 47[8]
"The Great White Horse" 23[9]
1977 "Santa Claus Is Coming Tonight" 14
1979 "Rosie" 30

References

  1. ^ RTÉ One A Little Bit Showband Archived 2009-09-17 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved September 25, 2009)
  2. ^ The Irish Times, "No injunction against dance band", August 10, 1967
  3. ^ The Irish Times, "A fresh spin for a ballroom of romance", June 12, 2007
  4. ^ Evening Herald, "Sean Dunphy - Showband era legend", March 26, 2009
  5. ^ a b Irish Independent, "Tributes as singer and showband legend Sean Dunphy dies", May 18, 2011
  6. ^ Irish Independent, "A final rapturous applause as 'the Duke' laid to rest", May 21, 2011
  7. ^ "RPM Adult Contemporary Chart March 25, 1972". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  8. ^ "RPM Country Singles Chart March 25, 1972". Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  9. ^ "RPM Country Singles Chart August 19, 1972". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2010.

External links

  • Profile of Sean Dunphy and The Hoedowners at irish-showbands.com
Preceded by
Dickie Rock
with "Come Back to Stay"
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest
1967
Succeeded by
Pat McGeegan
with "Chance of a Lifetime"
  • v
  • t
  • e
ParticipationArtistsSongs
  • "22"
  • "All Kinds of Everything"
  • "Born to Sing"
  • "Ceol an Ghrá"
  • "Chance of a Lifetime"
  • "Come Back to Stay"
  • "Could It Be That I'm in Love"
  • "Cross Your Heart"
  • "Do I Dream"
  • "Doomsday Blue"
  • "Dreamin'"
  • "Dying to Try"
  • "Et Cetera"
  • "Every Song Is a Cry for Love"
  • "Happy Man"
  • "Heartbeat"
  • "Here Today Gone Tomorrow"
  • "Hold Me Now"
  • "Horoscopes"
  • "If I Could Choose"
  • "If My World Stopped Turning"
  • "In Your Eyes"
  • "Irelande Douze Pointe"
  • "Is Always Over Now?"
  • "It's for You"
  • "It's Nice to Be in Love Again"
  • "Lipstick"
  • "Love?"
  • "Maps"
  • "Millennium of Love"
  • "Mysterious Woman"
  • "One Day Love"
  • "Only Love Survives"
  • "Playing with Numbers"
  • "The Real Me"
  • "Rock 'n' Roll Kids"
  • "Somewhere in Europe"
  • "Story of My Life"
  • "Sunlight"
  • "Take Him Home"
  • "Terminal 3"
  • "That's Rich"
  • "That's What Friends Are For"
  • "They Can't Stop the Spring"
  • "Together"
  • "The Voice"
  • "The Wages of Love"
  • "Wait Until the Weekend Comes"
  • "Walking the Streets in the Rain"
  • "Waterline"
  • "We Are One"
  • "We've Got the World"
  • "What's Another Year"
  • "When"
  • "When You Need Me"
  • "Why Me?"
  • "Without Your Love"
  • "You Can Count On Me"
  • Note: Entries scored out signify where Ireland did not compete
  • v
  • t
  • e
Countries
Artists
Songs
  • "L'amour est bleu"
  • "Anouschka"
  • "Boum-Badaboum"
  • "Dukkemann"
  • "Hablemos del amor"
  • "If I Could Choose"
  • "Ik heb zorgen"
  • "Il doit faire beau là-bas"
  • "Non andare più lontano"
  • "Puppet on a String"
  • "Quel cœur vas-tu briser ?"
  • "Ring-dinge-ding"
  • "Som en dröm"
  • "Varjoon – suojaan"
  • "O vento mudou"
  • "Vse rože sveta"
  • "Warum es hunderttausend Sterne gibt"
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  • ISNI
  • VIAF
National
  • United States
Artists
  • MusicBrainz
People
  • Ireland