Black 47 is an American-Celtic rock band made up of Irish expatriates, formed in New York City by Larry Kirwan and Chris Byrne in 1989. Their name is derived from the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine, 1847. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York and abbreviated NYC) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... Larry Kirwan is something of a renaissance man, being a playwright, writer, musician, and co-founder and head of the band Black 47. ... Chris Byrne is a musician who co-founded the band Black 47 with Larry Kirwan in 1989 and, after leaving in 2000, founded the band celtic hip-hop band Seanchai & the Unity Squad. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Starvation during the famine The Irish Potato Famine, also called The Great Famine or The Great Hunger (Irish: An Gorta Mór), is the name given to a famine which struck Ireland between 1846 and 1849. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The band had a shaky start. They generally failed to live up to stereotypical expectations of what music an Irish band should play and how they should behave. It burst into prominence in 1993 with the hit single "Funky Céilí" and is also known for the song "Maria's Wedding", both humorous songs from their album Fire of Freedom.

Black 47 is an irreverent band, a political band (hence their name), a band with a feisty, militant attitude, and a band that has been influenced by a broad variety of sources, including rock, classical Irish and Celtic music, rap, reggae, hip-hop, African and Latin roots. Over time, they have found an audience, especially in the New York City area, and while they have never become wildly popular, the group has managed to carve a loyal niche for themselves. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... The term Celtic music encompasses Irish traditional music and traditional musics of Scotland; Cape Breton Island and Maritime Canada; Quebec; Wales; the Isle of Man; Northumberland (northern England); Brittany (northwestern France); Cornwall; and Galicia (northwestern Spain). ... The word rap has these meanings:- verb: to knock with something, e. ... Reggae is a style of music developed in Jamaica and is closely linked to the Rastafari movement, though not universally popular among Rastafarians. ... Hip hop is a cultural movement that began among urban African Americans in New York City in the early 1970s, and has since spread around the world. ... Africa is a large and diverse continent, consisting of dozens of countries, hundreds of languages and thousands of races, tribes and ethnic groups. ... Latin American music, or the music of Latin America, is sometimes called Latin music. ...

Discography

• 1991 - Black '47
• 1992 - Black '47 EP
• 1993 - Fire of Freedom
• 1994 - Home of the Brave
• 1996 - Green Suede Shoes
• 1999 - Live in New York City
• 2000 - Trouble in the Land
• 2001 - On Fire
• 2004 - New York Town
• 2005 - Elvis Murphys' Green Suede Shoes

External links

• Black 47 band website