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Bio:
Female singer from Derry who seemed set to follow in the footsteps of Dana but
whose career took an entirely different path.
Geraldine McKeever (b.1954) began singing and
playing guitar while still at school, initially influenced by people like Joan Baez, Tom Paxtron and Roger Whittaker.
At the age of 16 she approached Tony Johnston to manage her career.
Johnston was a school headmaster and part-time promoter. He'd discovered Dana and become her
manager, landing her a contract with Rex Records in Dublin. Dana ended her management agreement
with Johnston in 1970 which is when Geraldine came along.
Once under management, Geraldine began performing professionally and within a year or so had
recorded her debut LP for Beltona Records. Beltona, a Decca subsiduary, is strongly
associated with Scottish folk music but the label also released some Irish folk titles. Even so, it
was hardly the best choice of label for Geraldine's debut.
The album itself is a pleasant if minor mixture of folk and contemporary singer-songwriter material.
Most of the songs are covers: Gordon Lightfoot, Elton John, Joni Mitchell, etc., plus
a couple by manager Johnston (whose songs had also been recorded by Dana).
Geraldine's voice is light and pleasant and the arrangements are simple and uncluttered, featuring
harpsichord, sitar, flute, electric bass, hand percussion (no drums!) and some
electric guitar.
The album has been somewhat
over-hyped in recent times. The copy reviewed in the pages of Galactic Ramble is
described as "one of 3 known copies" which is ludicrous (there are more than 3 copies out there Richard!!).
As a result, the asking price for second-hand copies has risen substantially [Since writing this,
the LP has also been featured in Record Collector magazine].
Acid-folk seekers should be aware that there is certainly no suggestion of psychedelia about this record.
A followup LP was recorded during her period under Tony Johnston's management but this was shelved when
their relationship ended. She has had no further contact with Johnston and the current whereabouts of the
tapes of this unreleased LP are not known.
A second LP didn't emerge until 3 years later, by which time Geraldine's career had taken a
different path from that suggested by the debut. The second LP was a collaboration with
civil rights campaigner Tony Kearney. "Hang My Country" was released in 1974 on the Derry-based
Cuchulainn label, which was owned by Tony Johnston.
Geraldine also recorded solo material for Cuchulainn and it's subsiduary Flame Records.
The track listing for her second solo LP proper "Sing My Country Vol.1", a set of
depressingly over-familiar ballads, suggests her career was in the doldrums.
She continued to perform regularly though 1975, playing the folk circuit but not
adverse to cabaret work. She'd also completed a solo UK tour by 1975.
In 1975 another Northern singer named Geraldine Branagan [who'd sung with her
brothers in The Branagans earlier in the decade]
represented Luxembourg at the Eurovision song contest under the name Geraldine.
This must have led to some confusion and can't have been helped either singer's career.
Geraldine Branagan was married to Phil Coulter and recorded well into the 1980s.
Her recordings are largely forgettable. Meanwhile, Geraldine McKeever seemed to disappear.
The following article appeared in Spotlight magazine in February 1975, which is
the last trace of Geraldine I can find:
From the Liner Notes:
"When sixteen year old schoolgirl GERALDINE came to ireland's Eurovision-winning
star-maker Tony Johnston, she little expected the success that has come her way. From
all sides she has been acclaimed as a singer with a great voice and a great future, a
singer of great songs, who will carry on gher native city's passion as an ambasasador
of songs to all the nations.
Her performance on this fine selection of international and new native material is a sure
portent of that."
(c) 1971 The Decca Record Company Limited, London.
Producer: Tony Johnston
Arrangements: Mike Geoghegan
Engineer: John D'Ardis
Recorded at Trend Studios, Dublin
The book Geraldine is reading in the front cover photograph is the Childrens Brittanica.
Help!: We need your help to complete this entry. If you can tell us more about this band then please do! We welcome any corrections, missing details, connections to other bands, where are they now, etc. We also need photos, scans, copies of releases or live or demo recordings, and any other memorabilia gathering dust in the attic. If you can help, then please get in touch.