About Tom McConville
Tom was born on Tyneside to an Irish father and Scottish mother and brought up in a pub on the famous Scotswood Road with clientele drawn from the Irish and Scottish communities. This is where he first experienced traditional singing and fiddle music; the Hornpipes of James Hill amongst his first influences.
Tom’s musical journey started in the North East folk clubs in the early 70s. Newcastle’s thriving Irish scene provided the opportunity, with his first band, to support Sean McGuire, John Doonan, The Fureys, Boys of the Lough and even a lock-in with The Dubliners. Tom still credits the legendary Sean McGuire, the fiddle genius from Belfast, for teaching him his bowing techniques.
In 1974 he joined Bob Fox in a duo then folk/rock band Magna Carta to play all over Europe. A memorable partnership with Kieron Halpin produced two award winning albums.
His next group Dab Hand made several visits to the USA. After a spell with Syncopace and a partnership with guitarist Chris Newman, Tom spent the next 11 years recording and touring with Northumbrian piper Pauline Cato. Later he worked with Scots instrumentalist of the year, Aaron Jones & All-Ireland Champion flute, fiddle and whistle ace Claire Mann,
Tom was voted Musician of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
Recently Tom has travelled extensively as a duo with David Newey and with three & four piece line ups featuring David, Shona Kipling, Phil Murray and Andy Watt.
The first of his critically-acclaimed solo albums, Cross the River, produced by Chris Newman, was released by Old Bridge Music and is a wonderful showcase for his gorgeous singing and beautiful fiddle-playing.