Kevin Burke

About the Artist

Born in S.E. London, Kevin Burke took his first violin lesson when he was seven or eight years old. Learning from an open-minded, classically trained teacher, he was able to explore other possibilities of his instrument, beyond the classical. During his early teens, he found himself at music pubs where influences from the Irish pub community’s love of music, dance, history, and tradition nurtured his creativity and helped him discover “the Nyaah.” He began playing with a ceili band, the Glenside and at various Irish Dance Halls around London; and in 1966, the band won the Ceili Band competition. Arlo Guthrie later invited him to Los Angeles where he played with Galway accordion player, Joe Burke and slide guitarist Ry Cooder in addition to being recorded on Guthrie’s album, “Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys.” Afterwards, he returned home and joined the Bothy Band which broke up at the end of the 70’s, leaving the opportunity for Kevin to play as a duo with Michael O’ Domhnaill. The two recorded “Promenade” which received critical acclaim and encouraged them to plan a few concerts in the US. Their tour included a concert in Portland, Oregon where they soon moved and recorded their second album “Portland” and formed the group Nightnoise.