Royal Showband (original) (raw)

Royal Showband (1957-1975)

Photo Gallery -Band Lineups - Discography - Audio samples -Where Are They Now?

The Story

Not much has been written, shown, or said about the Irish Showband era without extensive reference to Brendan Bowyer and the Royal Showband. The Royal followed the initial success of The Clipper Carlton, the band that was credited with starting the whole music industry upheaval in Ireland. The Clippers transformed the genre from a conservative, static stage to an exciting display of talent, energy and entertainment.

However, where the Clippers left off, the Royal took it to a whole new level, playing to a dancing public that had awakened from the slumber and drabness of the 50's. In 1957, the Royal came roaring out of Waterford and took the entire country by storm, eventually setting many of the records for attendance which stand to this day.

Researching the band, we found the first mention of a "Royal Showband" in January 1956 when the Royal Theatre in Dublin put on stage shows between the films which featured Jimmy Campbell and the Royal Theatre Orchestra. It was basically a variety show which featured different musicians and singers and is only interesting as a precursor of the use of the word "showband" across the country a few years later.

The Royal also made the first single by a showband, had the first Irish showband number one hit on the Irish charts, and captured the imagination of a generation in the 1960's and beyond. The Royal Showband possibly stands alone as the most successful showband in Irish history.

As with most bands, tracing back their origins can be difficult. We originally thought Michael Coppinger and Jim Conlon started playing together first. Michael was the "guru" with his accordion and saxophone and Jim played banjo and guitar. Although we figured they joined up with the Harry Boland Band, which started in early 1956, this was not apparently the case. An advert in the Munster Express (25th January, 1957) for a concert in the Municipal Theatre in aid of St. Vincent de Paul listed the Harry Boland Band as one of the participants and "Jim Conlon, guitarist" as a separate act. One way or another they wanted to expand. "We wanted to play pop and rock music," said Jim Conlon a few years ago, "and we roped in Charlie Matthews, Tom Dunphy and Gerry Cullen." Charlie, Michael and Gerry all lived in Ferrybank (Ard Mhuire) in the same area, while Jim lived on the Cork Road - all in Waterford of course. T.J. Byrne was managing the band at the time.

Newspaper reports from the era say that the Harry Boland Band morphed into the Royal so it is a little difficult to tell whether there was a split or just a new direction for the band. More recent accounts of the band's history state they "changed their name" to the Royal Showband.

Brendan Bowyer was the only son of musical parents so it was probably natural he would become a musician. He made his first public appearance in the Redemptorist Church in Limerick where his Father conducted the choir (Spotlight, July 31, 1971) After leaving school, Brendan took a job as a clerk in Waterford and he was mates with Tom Dunphy. When Harry Boland left Waterford, the final piece of the puzzle came in the form of Brendan who had previously played with The Rhythm Kings and the line up was set. Eddie Sullivan also joined the band a short time later.

Launched in the Fall of 1957, Jim came up with the name, Royal, from a local theatre, "at the time, I felt that the band needed a name that would command respect. So, I used the Royal (from the Theatre Royal) because it suggested royalty (a stretch of course) and because Ireland had its own royalty long before our neighbors across the Irish sea. It had no connotation of the Empire. I reversed the words Band Show (the Clipper Carlton used it at times) and (eventually) joined the words into Showband. Tempo, acknowledged it as a "brainwave". All I can say is that it looked great on the Stardust Hotel sign on the Strip in Las Vegas later on. I had to clear the name with the Theatre Royal in Dublin at the time. They had no objections. Of course, we had our own one in Waterford as well." Early adverts and photos (right) listed them as the "Royal Show Band" and like everyone else, they had music stands.

The first gig we can find advertised for the band was in September 27th, 1957 as the Royal Show Band in the Arundel Ballroom, Waterford. On May 9th, 1958 (see below) when they were part of a two session with their idols, the Clipper Carlton. We found an interesting piece in the Tempo column of the Evening Herald from November 1958 where T.J. Byrne asked Michael Ryan (the column's writer) to come along and see the band and help them decide if they should turn professional. In describing what he heard, Michael commented on the band like this: "Not to be unkind about it, this is just another showband: not as bad as some, not as good as others. Honest, hard working lads bent on giving satisfaction. It could become a competent little band in time." Not the best endorsement of the band that would go on to define the era for so many. He went on to say that Mr. Byrne "feels the boys should finish their apprenticeships. I think he's right."

In April, 1958 Tom Dunphy's engagement was reported in the Munster Express where he was described as "a member of the clerical staff of the National Board and Paper Mills Ltd., Granagh" as well as "vocalist cum bass in the Waterford Royal Show Band."

The original lineup included: Brendan Bowyer (trombone), Michael Coppinger (sax), Jim Conlon (guitar), Tom Dunphy (bass), Gerry Cullen (keyboards), and Charlie Matthews (drums). Eddie Sullivan (trumpet) would join the band in early 1958. However, so uncertain were the band about their future that Jim Conlon took 18 months off in 1959 and 1960 to study accountancy. In the meantime Mickey Gilligan (pictured below who would eventually join The Blue Aces) stepped in on guitar. Other than this one change, the lineup would remain the same for the next 13 years. Originally, the band had no front man...several members sang different styles of songs as was the tradition in the early showbands. However, it wasn't long before Brendan's talent took center stage and he became the band's main attraction, even though they would be the only showband to have number one singles recorded with four different band members on lead vocals.

Meanwhile, T.J. Byrne had been working for Cotts of Kilcock (in Kildare) selling musical instruments among other things. Jim bought his first guitar from them on hire-purchase (HP) and T.J. became interested in Jim and his band. He heard Jim had a group in Waterford and Jim I invited him to hear the band rehearse. T.J. eventually offered himself up as their manager, but took no pay until they started to get some dates in 1957.

All the musicians had day jobs and could only play at the weekends. It wasn't until Easter, 1959, that the band turned professional, and never looked back. By mid 1959, the band had enjoyed what was called by many a "meteoric" rise in popularity, but bands like the Clipper Carlton, Mick Delahunty and Maurice Mulcahy still enjoyed top billing. In these early years the band were advertised as the "youngest showband in Ireland" (a title which would be claimed by many new bands over the years).

Over the next few years, the band's talent and showmanship (especially the young Brendan Bowyer), augmented by Byrne's astute promotion, coincided with the rise of popularity of the ballrooms across the country and by the early 1960's, the band was playing for huge money almost every night of the week. Eventually likened to Ireland's version of the Beatles, the Royal Showband had arrived.

In March, 1960, it was reported in the Evening Herald that the band was invited to appear at the Royal Variety Show before the Queen of England. There was even an advert for their dance on May 15th (the night before the Royal Variety Show) that they were the "The Only Irish Band Ever Chosen to Appear at the Royal Command Variety Performance. It gained some publicity for them in the press, but as far as we can tell, it never happened. The 1960 performance would be the night Sammy Davis Jr. stole the show, but there was no mention of the Royal Showband. Still, they were packing in crowds across Britain, mostly at the Irish clubs. The era of the Irish Showbands was at hand.

The lack of dance dates during Lent in Ireland also helped the band, who used the time to tour Britain and the United States, creating even more excitement. The Royal made their first trip to the States in 1960, invited by Bill Fuller, who brought all the bands to the East Coast in those days.

In 1961, they won Britain's Carl-Alan Award for box office achievements as "Most Outstanding Modern Dance Band" of the year. In May, 1962, they released the first record ever by an Irish showband, Come Down the Mountain Katy Daly, sung by the late Tom Dunphy. However, the song had been released on Walton's Glenside label in November, 1961 as sung by Eamon O'Shea, who wrote the song. In April of the same year, the band played the Pavilion Theatre on Lodge Lane in Liverpool with a little known support group (at the time) The Beatles, they still had Pete Best in the lineup.

However, nothing was to prepare the band for the magic that was 1963. That year, Brendan recorded Kiss Me Quick, which was to become the first number one single (of many) by a showband. They also starred in the film, The One Nighters, which was produced by Peter Collinson and followed the band through their "wholesome" private lives and onto the stage. In 1963, no other band in Ireland could touch the success enjoyed by Brendan, Tom and the rest of the Royal Showband.

In September, 1964, the entertainment scene was rocked by the news that T.J. Byrne and the Royal had parted company on the eve of their first major tour of America (see below). The rift between the band and their manager led to all kinds of rumours that the band was actually breaking up, but just 10 weeks later, things had been sorted out and in early November T.J. and the Royal had signed a new "long term contract."

By the time 1965 rolled around, the band had achieved almost everything possible. That year, they released a single called I R an All The Way Home, the B-side was a little R&B number from the late 1940's called The Hucklebuck which had been made into a minor U.S. hit by Chubby Checker in 1960. Once the band realized the potential for the song, it was made the A-side and reached Number 1 in the Irish charts, staying on the charts for 12 weeks. It even charted in England as well. The song would chart again in 1976 and has become the song most associated with the showband era by many people, due to its enduring popularity even though it came relatively late in the peak of the showband era.

As the sixties progressed, so too did the band's popularity and earnings. 1966 was the first year they went to Las Vegas, a destination that was soon to become too strong a lure for Brendan and the boys. They played for four weeks at the Desert Inn. The following year, they would play the Stardust Hotel on the strip.

That same year, 1967, the Irish entertainment industry was once again stunned when T.J. Byrne announced he was giving up managing the band, a shock that was comparable to Big Tom leaving the Mainliners, Dickie Rock departing from the Miami, or a few years later when Brendan quit the Royal! By the way, all of which actually happened within a couple of years. This time, there would be no reconciliation.

Connie Lynch, who was already managing Pat Lynch and the Airchords, stepped in as the new manager and from then on, they divided their time between Ireland and Las Vegas. In 1967 they signed a five year deal to appear in the Stardust in Vegas which was reported to be worth in excess of $250,000 for two eight week stints a year. The band took four girl dancers with them as well - Rita Holohan, Angela Larney, Jessie Fagan and Pauline Barry.

Later, they would generally go to the States between Christmas and July, missing the Irish winter. The fact that they were gone for nearly six months, made them an even hotter commodity when they returned home to the summer ballroom circuit.

In 1970, the seeds of change were sown when Tribune Records management tried to lure Brendan away from the Royal. In October, a pair of articles in Spotlight reporting that not only was Brendan considering leaving the Royal, and apparently Tom Dunphy was also approached to start a new country band. At one point it was reported that Brendan had accepted the offer and was leaving the band, but last minute meetings with the Royal convinced Brendan (and Tom) to stay. The following week, it was reported that both Brendan and Tom would be staying. However, in the January 4th, 1971 issue of Spotlight, the Royal were in the news again as it was reported that the Tribune Organization had failed in getting the High Court to issue an injunction which would prohibit Brendan singing with the Royal. The Tribune group claimed that he actually had signed a contract, but later changed his mind. A hearing was scheduled for January 12th. From what we can gather, Brendan never sang with the Royal in an Irish ballroom again as they left for Vegas January 4th.

It was only a matter of seven months before Brendan and Tom were gone. The original Royal Showband played it's last gig on July 29, 1971 in the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. Their fans in Ireland wouldn't learn of the break up until August 5th. Jim Conlon, the band's original guitarist (and a Certified Public Accountant) decided to retire from show business. Jim cited a lack of a home life, financial matters within the band and concern over his own health among his reasons for leaving the band.

Shortly thereafter, Brendan and Tom announced the formation of The Big 8, along with former member of the Capitol, sax player Paddy Cole as bandleader. The band also enlisted Twink (of Maxi, Dick and Twink) on vocals, Dave Coady of The Real McCoy on trumpet, Mickey O'Neill of The Times on drums, Johnny McEvoy's Michael Keane on keyboards and ex-Stranger, Jimmy Conway on guitar. The Big 8 took Las Vegas by storm, playing for five years in the Stardust until 1975. The split in the band did create some legal problems as it was the Royal who had contracts in Vegas, while Brendan and Tom were the main stars of the show.

Back home, the shattered Royal had to fill the three gaping holes left by the departure of Bowyer, Dunphy and Conlon. Several members of the Airchords, Arthur Madden (keyboards), Billy Hopkins (brother of drummer Des Hopkins) on bass and Fergie Burke (guitar) were joined by Lee Lynch on lead vocals. Lee, from Ballinasloe, had previously been singing in London with his own group, The Blue Angels. Lee had left Ireland for England in 1959, returning in 1964, but only stayed a few months before returning to the UK. Lee and the "New" Royal hit the road playing their first gig in the Majestic Ballroom, Mallow on September 3rd, 1971.

However, only four months later, they had to make a change: Lee Lynch was gone and soon-to-be Elvis impersonator Frank Chisum was the new lead vocalist, making his debut on St. Stephen's Night, (December 26th) 1971 in the Dreamland Ballroom, Athy. Frank had previously been with the Omagh group, Pebbles. Another big change in the lineup was the loss of original member, Gerry Cullen who left the band, and show business.

However, this version of the "New Royal" would not last long either as in March, 1972 band manager Connie Lynch (who had taken over from T.J. Byrne five years earlier) announced he was leaving the band and taking Frank with him and they were going to start a new band. Said Connie, "I am leaving the Royal because I can't see any future in the band without Brendan Bowyer and Tom Dunphy. Both these boys have proved what great artists they are and I think it is just pointless trying to carry on the Royal without them. They would form the Top Seven Showband which would hit the road on Easter Sunday, 1971, but be gone off the road by November 1972 with Frank going back to the local Omagh cabaret scene with a trio called Fashion.

Meanwhile, the band was taken over by Greg Hughes and in April Frank was replaced by Carl Phillips, a Dublin cabaret singer who had been with the Actions Showband and also done some theatre in the city. By this time both Eddie Sullivan had left the band leaving only Charlie Matthews and Michael Coppinger from the original lineup. There would be trouble when Carl (real name Phillip Carroll) was brought to court by the Actions manager, James Kierans for breach of contract.

In May, 1972 they added Barbara Dickson, better known as Dick from the girl group Maxi, Dick and Twink. By coincidence, Twink had joined Brendan and Tom in The Big Eight the year before and Barbara would also end up with the Big Eight some time later! The "New" New Royal hit the road in May, 1972 with a short English tour, and then came home to Ireland in the first week of June, playing their first gig in Johnstown on June 2nd.

Although the duo were heralded by manager, Greg Hughes, as "tremendous singing talents...and just what the band needed to get them back to the big time," it was not to be. Less than five months later, Carl was gone and he was replaced by the former front man of The Sounds, Derrick Mehaffey.

In September, 1972, Derrick, who had emigrated to Canada after previously being with the Sounds, and had been singing with the resident band in Toronto's Maple Leaf Ballroom, returned to take over from the front spot. Within a few months of him joining, Dick announced she was leaving the band.

Despite the addition of Derrick to their lineup, the summer of 1973 saw crowds for the Royal steadily dwindling while Brendan and the Big 8 managed to generate continued interest in the new band on their annual trips home. At the beginning of 1974 the band released a single, Visions. However, after the New Year Charlie and Michael decided to call it quits and the Royal performed its last gig on February 9, 1974 in Bantry, Co. Cork. Strangely enough, though, Julie Boyd reported in her Spotlight column on April 4, 1974 that Arthur Madden and Fergie Burke had quit the band. It is possible that Julie was not aware the band had called it quits as she reported the two musicians were going into cabaret in the Pig and Whistle in Dublin. Further to this, a story in the May 2, 1974 issue of Spotlight stated that Derek Mehaffey was leaving the band as he had grown tired of traveling.

One way or another, fifteen years after the band had set records in ballrooms across the country and set the standards by which all future showbands would be measured, they were no more.

At the same time, The Big 8 continued to build on their success in America and returned home to Ireland for a tour every summer. It was during one of their trips home in 1975 that tragedy struck the Irish entertainment industry.

O n July 29th, 1975, 40-year-old Tom Dunphy died in a car crash at Drumsna, near Carrick-on-Shannon on his way to a gig in Donegal. His passing was one of the truly sad days for fans of the Royal, The Big 8 and the entire showband era. Two days later, the showband world would be rocked by the Miami massacre, an event that would dramatically overshadow Tom's tragic passing.

When the band returned to Las Vegas later that year, they moved to the Aladdin Hotel where they stayed until 1980. Frankie Carroll of the Ranchers replaced Tom Dunphy and The Big 8 finally relocated to Las Vegas on a permanent basis in 1983.

Despite the fact that the band called it quits in 1975, EMI and HMV released several of their earlier records which made the charts for a second (and in the case of the Hucklebuck a third) time.

Obviously, Brendan Bowyer's fame and longevity far surpassed that of the band that brought him to the forefront of the Irish Showband era. With his gyrating hips, and exciting performances, he captured the hearts of a generation of dancers that packed the ballrooms and dance halls of Ireland all those years ago. One thing is for certain: together they played a very big part in the rejuvenation of the Irish music industry and contributed in their own small way to the economic revival of the country.

T.J. Byrne, the band's manager, sadly passed away 10th December, 2016. (from Michael Coppinger Jr.)

(Some facts for this page were referenced from "Send 'Em Home Sweatin" by Vincent Power and also provided by Jim Conlon, Mickey Gilligan and Liam O'Reilly.)

Photo Gallery

click on thumbnails for full size image

Royal Showband-1956	Harry Boland Band (LR)	Royal - 1958	Royal - 1958	Royal - 1958
Royal - 1960	Royal Showband (LR)	Royal Showband (LR)	Royal Showband (LR)	Royal Showband (LR)
Royal Showband (JD)	Royal Showband (LR)	Royal Showband (PB)	Royal Showband (BS)	Royal Showband (JD)
Royal - 1967	Royal - 1964	Royal (LR)	Royal (LR)	Royal - 1962
Royal (JD)	Royal (JD)	Royal (JD)	Royal (JD)	Royal (JD)
Royal (JD)	Royal (JD)	Royal (JD)	Royal (LR)	Royal Live(JB)
Royal (BF)	Royal in 1967 (LR)	Tom Dunphy - 1967 (LR)	Brendan Bowyer (LR)	Tom Dunphy (LR)
Brendan Bowyer (LR)	Brendan Bowyer Live in 1966 (LR)	Brendan Bowyer (LR)	Brendan Bowyer (LR)	Brendan Bowyer (LR)
Royal (LR)	Royal (LR)	Royal (LR)	Royal in Arklow (LR)	Royal in Las Vegas (LR)
Royal - 1966 (LR)	Royal - 1971	Royal -Lee Lynch (DD)	Frank Chisum - 1972	Royal (JB)
Royal - 1972	Royal - 1972	Brendan Bowyer& The Big 8 - 1974	Royal - 1974	Royal - 1974(LR)
Royal in 1966 (MY)	Royal - 1968(LR)	Brendan Bowyer (LR)	Brendan Married-1967	Brendan Bowyer - 1967
Tom Dunphy - 1967	Charlie Matthews - 1967	Tom Dunphy	Brendan Bowyer - 1967	Royal in Vegas-1967
Royal - 1969	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1969	Royal	Brendan Button (LR)
Royal Cancer Fund (LR)	Royal Cancer Fund (LR)	Bowyer - 1968	Royal (MQ)	Bowyer - 1967
Bowyer - 1968	Bowyer - 1968	Bowyer - 1968	Bowyer - 1969	Royal - 1970
Royal - 1971	Royal - 1971	Royal - 1971	Royal - 1971	Charlie - 1971
Royal - 1967	Royal - 1967	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1968	Royal - 1970
Royal - 1968	Royal - 1971	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1970
Royal - 1970	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1974	Royal - 1972	Tom Dunphy - 1967
Royal - 1967	Royal - 1970	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1969	Royal - 1971
Royal - 1971	Royal - 1968	Royal - 1968	Royal - 1968	Royal - 1971
Royal - 1970	Tom Dunphy - 1968	Tom Dunphy - 1968	Tom Dunphy - 1967	Tom Dunphy - 1968
Tom Dunphy - 1967	Tom Dunphy - 1970	Royal (PL)	Royal (PL)	Royal (PL)
Royal (PL)	Royal (PL)	Royal (PL)	Royal (PL)	Royal (PL)
Royal - 1971	Royal - 1964	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)	Royal (RF)
Royal (RF)	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon
Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon
CASUAL PHOTOS FROM JIM CONLON'S COLLECTION
Royal-One Nighters (LR)	Royal-One Nighters (LR)	Royal-One Nighters (LR)	Jim and Dusty (LR)	Jim Reeves (LR)
Nino Tempo & April Stevens (LR)	Royal Showband Families (LR)	Hank Thompson (LR)	Faron Young (LR)	George Morgan & Skeeter Davis (LR)
Marty Robbins (LR)	Johnny Tillotson (LR)	Jim Conlon (LR)	Tom and Gerry (LR)	Gerry at the piano (LR)
Jim and Sammy (LR)	Royal Dance Crowd (LR)	Royal-One Nighters (LR)	Charlie, Michael and Jim (LR)	Las Vegas Airport (LR)
TJ and Jim (LR)	Niagra Falls (LR)	The Lads at play (LR)	Las Vegas (LR)	Tom & Jim's Mum (LR)
On Parade (LR)	Belfast (LR)	Jim Conlon (LR)	Jim Conlon (LR)	Royal-One Nighters (LR)
Jim and Family-1967	Letter to Jim 1954	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon

Records

A - Tom Dunphy	B - Tom Dunphy	A - Big Eight	A - Royal - 1974	B - Royal - 1974
A - Royal - 1964	B - Royal - 1964	A - Royal - 1967	B - Royal - 1967	A - Royal - 1970
B - Royal - 1970	A - Royal - 1976	B - Royal - 1976	A - Royal (LR)	B - Royal (LR)
Come Down The Mountain Katy Daly - Tom Dunphy & The Royal Showband - 1962	Kiss Me Quick Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1963	Come Down The Mountain Katy Daly - "Royal Waterford Showband" - 1963	No More Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1963	Bless You Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1964
The Hucklebuck Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1964	Don't Lose Your Hucklebuck Shoes - Royal Showband - 1965	The Fly Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1966	Don't Lose Your Hucklebuck Shoes - Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1965	The Wonder Of You Bowyer, Brendan - 1965
If I Didn't Have A Dime Tom Dunphy & The Royal Showband - 1965	One Way Street Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1966	I Can't Get You Out Of My Heart Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1966	Everything I Touch Turns To Tears Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1966	Somewhere My Love Charlie Matthews & The Royal - 1966
The Rapparee Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1967	Time and The River Charlie Matthews & The Royal - 1967	Da Do Ron Ron Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1967	Silent Night Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1967	Lady Willpower "Brendan Bowyer With the Royals" - 1968
Sweet Caroline Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1970	Both Sides Now Charlie Matthews - 1970	500 Miles Tom Dunphy & The Royal Showband - 1970	The Hucklebuck Brendan Bowyer & The Royal	The Hucklebuck Brendan Bowyer & The Royal
The One Nighters Royal Showband	The Hucklebuck Brendan Bowyer & The Royal	The Same Old Song Brendan Bowyer & The Royal	The Hucklebuck Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1964	The Hucklebuck Brendan Bowyer & The Royal - 1964
Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Coming Soon

Discography:

Singles Our thanks to Liam O'Reilly for much of this info!

Come Down The Mountain Katie Daly / I Heard The Bluebird Sing_(Tom Dunphy)_ HMV Records - POP(I)1011 - May, 1962 Marta / Bless Your Heart My Darling (Tom Dunphy) HMV Records - POP(I)1070 - September, 1962 Kiss Me Quick / Love Thee Dearest (Brendan Bowyer) -#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1293 - May, 1963 Theme From The One Nighters (Jim Conlon) / Goodbye And God Bless You (Tom Dunphy) HMV Records - IP.1294 - September, 1963No More / Fountain Of Love (Brendan Bowyer) -#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - POP(I)1238 - December, 1963 So Deep Is The Night (Brendan Bowyer) / From the Bottom of My Heart (Charlie Matthews) / Dear Waste Basket (Tom Dunphy) / C'mon Everybody (Brendan Bowyer) HMV Records EP - S EGC.30 - 1964 Bless You (For Being An Angel) / California Sun (Brendan Bowyer)-#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1295 - June, 1964 I Ran All The Way Home / Hucklebuck (originally the B-side) (Brendan Bowyer)-#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - POP(I)1377 - Dec., 1964 If I Didn't Have A Dime (Tom Dunphy) / What Will My Mary Say -#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1296 - March, 1965 Don't Lose Your Hucklebuck Shoes / Hawaiian Wedding Song (Brendan Bowyer)-#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1301 - July, 1965 She Was You Again / Count Me In (Tom Dunphy) HMV Records -POP.1444 - 1965 The Wonder Of You / Fun Fun Fun (Brendan Bowyer)-#2 Irish Charts HMV Records -POP.1481 - 1965 One Way Street / Everything I Touch Turns To Tears (Brendan Bowyer) HMV Records - IP.1306 - Feb., 1966I Know What It's Like (To Have Loved) / My Little Girl (Tom Dunphy) HMV Records - POP(I)1505 - January, 1966 The Fly / Answer Me (Brendan Bowyer)-#6 Irish Charts HMV Records - POP(I)1521 - March, 1966 I Can't Get You Out Of My Heart / Can I Forget You (Brendan Bowyer) -#4 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1304 - August, 1966 Somewhere My Love / Spanish Lace (Charlie Matthews)-#1 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1305 - 1966Time And The River/ Younger Than Springtime (Charlie Matthews) -#17 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1307 - Jan., 1967 The Rapparee / Whistling Phil McHugh (Brendan Bowyer) -#20 Irish Charts HMV Records - IP.1308 - May, 1967 Da Do Run Run / Sitting In The Sun (Brendan Bowyer) King Records - KG.1059 - May, 1967Look Into My Teardrops / Between The Window and the Phone (Tom Dunphy) King Records - KG.1065 - November, 1967 The Holy City / Silent Night (Brendan Bowyer) -#7 Irish ChartsKing Records - KG.1066 - December, 1967 Lady Willpower / Woman Woman (Brendan Bowyer) -#9 Irish ChartsKing Records - KG.1078 - 1968 Same Old Song / Come On Let's Go (Brendan Bowyer) -#9 Irish ChartsDolphin Records - DOS.19 - 1968 Both Sides Now / My Way (Charlie Matthews) -#13 Irish Charts Pye Records - 7N.17905 - 1970 Sweet Caroline / Kentucky Woman (Brendan Bowyer) Pye Records - 7N.45024 - 1970 500 Miles / Doc Brown (Tom Dunphy) Release Records - RL.547 - 1970 No One Can Break A Heart Like You / My Child (Charlie Matthews) Columbia Records - IDB.797 - Late 1971 Stand By Your Man / Me and Bobby Magee / Four and Twenty Hours (Barbara "Dick" Dickson) Release Records - RL.655 - Late 1972 Visions of You / All My Love (Derrick Mehaffey) Release Records - RL.710 - 1974 Reissues The Hucklebuck / I Ran All The Way Home / Fun, Fun. Fun (Brendan Bowyer) -#4 Irish ChartsEMI Records - EMI.2459 - March, 1976 If I Didn't Have A Dime / What Will My Mary Say (Tom Dunphy) -#4 Irish ChartsHMV Records - IP.1296 - July, 1976 The Hucklebuck / I Ran All The Way Home / Fun, Fun. Fun (Brendan Bowyer) -#10 Irish ChartsEMI Records - EMI.2459 - February, 1981

Albums

The One Nighters HMV Records - HMV 1779 - 1964 The Best Of The Royal HMV Records - HMV 3620 - 1967 The Royal's Stardust Show - Las Vegas King Records - KGL 4008 - 1968* Ireland Calls Pye Golden Guinea Records - GSGL 10456 - 1970 The Royal Showband Story EMI Records - EMI 1046 - 1976

* Additional record info provided by Liam O'Reilly.

Audio Clips

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Where Are They Now?

	Brendan Bowyer - RIP: Brendan had been living in Las Vegas and "semi" retired for many years, and continued to do residencies in Las Vegas for twenty five years, building a reputation as one of the top local performers. Although he will always be remembered in Ireland as the gyrating "Elvis" of the Royal and later The Big Eight, in Vegas, he is known more as an Irish crooner of immense versatility who played for over a quarter century with "The Irish Showband." He was still still touring with daughter, Ashling, who lives in Dublin, and has a website atwww.brendanbowyer.com. Sadly, Brendan passed away on May 28, 2020 at the age of 81 after a short illness. Our sincere sympathies are extended to his family, friends and fans around the world.
	Tom Dunphy RIP: Tom was tragically killed in a car accident on July 29, 1975 at the age of 40. The accident occurred en route to Donegal near the village of Dromod in Co. Leitrim. News of his passing was sadly overshadowed by Miami Showband tragedy just two days later. Tom was the first showband star to record a single and was one of the true gentlemen of the era. His tragic passing at the young age of forty left a gaping hole in the Irish entertainment industry.
	Mickey Gilligan: Mickey left the Royal when Jim Conlon finished his accountancy exams and went on to play with the Blue Aces for many years. Married now for over 40 years, Mickey retired in 1993 and still plays guitar regularly with a local pub group.You can read his story here.
	**Michael Coppinger - RIP:**Michael's son, also Michael, wrote to tell us his dad still lives in Waterford. In the early 80's he formed a ten piece band called Brass and Co, with fellow ex Royal Eddie Sullivan, who are still on the go. He retired in 2004 and spend most of his time golfing. As of February 2018, his son Michael, tell us he no longer is able to perform and hasn't been in great health recently but is still on the go.
	Eddie Sullivan: Lizanne Sullivan (Eddie's daughter-in-law) writes to tell us that Eddie now lives in Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny with his wife of 42 years, Celia, and their youngest son Fred (17). He has 6 children--Paul, twins Garry and Greg, Lynne, Laura and Fred. After the band days he set up a very successful jewelry business which he retired from a few years ago to a farm in Mooncoin, where he and Celia raise horses. He has been playing with Michael Coppinger in Brass and Co.
	Jim Conlon - RIP: After leaving the band, Jim emigrated to the United States where he went to work for B.M.I. (Broadcast Music, Inc.) the largest performing rights organization in the work, tracking royalties for music performed in the United States and around the world. He lived in New York and then moved to Nashville for several years also with BMI. Since the early 2000's he lived in New York and played a couple times a week in The Irish Coffee House. Sadly, Jim passed away of December 8th, 2018.
	Gerry Cullen - RIP: After leaving the band Gerry went into sales and marketing initially with McInerney's and eventually with Hospital Enterprises. Born in 1938, Gerry (82) was retired and lived in Waterford, although these days in a retirement home where he enjoys a leisurely lifestyle. He gets together with former bandmate Eddie Sullivan from time to time and their favourite spot is Tom Mahers pub (from Waterford.fyi interview in March, 2020 - our thanks to Paul Power). Sadly Gerry passed away on April 9th, 2024
	Charlie Matthews: Michael Coppinger junior writes to tell us that Charlie is retired and still lives in Waterford where he also enjoys golfing. If you have any additional info please email us
	Billy Hopkins: In the early eighties, Billy joined with brother Des Hopkins (who now runs DH Entertainment as well) to form the Cluskey Hopkins Band. The band plays jazz and has been on the road for over twenty years. They have played all the major jazz festivals in Ireland and the UK, as well as touring. They have a close association with Guinness and are the original Guinness Jazz Band. Sadly Billy passed away on the 16th February 2010.
	Lee Lynch: Lee quit the Royal after a very short time in late 1971 to return to his home in London where he had been based since 1959 (from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway) and had a band called the Blue Angels. He continued to perform, write and record until the mid 90's, when ill health forced him to retire. He is now 69 years of age and living with his wife in a small country village in Bedfordshire. Our thanks to Phil Lynch for the update on Lee.
	Carl Phillips: . If you have any additional info please email us
	Derrick Mehaffey - RIP: After a time with the Royal, Derrick was drafted to front the Conquerors. After his short time with the Conquerors, Derrick remained one of the most enduring artists on the Irish scene. His musical travels took him to Canada, Nashville and Denmark where he enjoyed continuing success. He released several albums and although his original leaning was toward pop music, Derrick eventually did most of his crooning in the country and Irish vein. He suddenly passed away age 78 on August 26th, 2024.
	Frank Chisum: Frank would go on to become one of Ireland's great cabaret artists with his tribute to Elvis show.

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