Michael Coleman - Chicago Blues Festival 1991 feat. Kenny Neal (1991/2008)

Michael Coleman (1891-1945) of Killavil, Sligo county, Ireland, is one of the seminal figures in Irish and Irish-American traditional music. He came to the United States in 1914 and became a successful performer of Irish music in vaudeville and variety theaters across America. He settled in New York City, where Irish music was in great demand by the large Irish population. Between 1921 and 1944 he recorded many 78 rpm recordings of fiddle music that even today exert a great influence on players both in America and Ireland. Coleman's recorded material is one of the reasons why the Sligo fiddle style and tune repertoire predominates in much Irish and Irish-American fiddling. Many of Coleman's classic recordings have been re-released on albums. ~ Steve Winick