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Bio:
Seventies blues rock band from Cork who were very popular in the Cork area.
They were originally been known as Chapter Five according to the following
advert for Saxo's Revolution in Galway in 1972:
The original lineup was Bill O'Brien (guitar), Paddy Madden (guitar), and Len De La Cour (drums) -- all ex Gaslight -- and Johnny Rice (bass). This original lineup began a tradition of an annual gig at the Savoy Cinema for Cork school kids, which gave local kids who couldn't get into clubs the opportunity to experience live rock music and undoubtedly contributed to a healthy music scene in Cork.
Johnny Rice left the band in late 1971 or 1972 and went to London where he
played with a band called Bent Frame. Bill O'Brien
then switched back to bass and Declan McGrath, a blues harmonica player, joined
the band. This is the lineup pictured at the top of the page which lasted about a year, after
which Rice was persuaded to return circa September 1973.
Paddy Madden left and later revived Gaslight.
The second main lineup of the band was Bill O'Brien and Len De La Cour with Mick Daly (guitar, vocals) and
Fin Costello (bass guitar, vocals):
The classic mid-70s lineup of
Sleepy Hollow included Pat Crowley
on keyboards and Declan Pender (previously in Boothouse
with Joe O'Callaghan) on lead guitar.
They became one
of the hottest bands in Ireland in the mid 70s. They toured extensively
with Rory Gallagher in Ireland and the UK, including
the famous tour documented in "Irish Tour '74".
They self-released a single on their own label in 1975.
Both tracks are band originals, the A-side by Johnny Rice
the B-side by Bill O'Brien. Both are riff driven high energy blues/boogie
rock tracks. It was recorded at Eamonn Andrews Studuos in Dublin in 1975
produced by the band themselves. This single is tough to locate in good condition.
As far as I know it was their only recording although the band was still
active four years later in 1979.
Bill left Sleepy Hollow
for London where he played in Sunwheel with Johnny Campbell, touring as support for
Rory Gallagher once again. He also backed Chuck Berry on one of his European
tours. In the late 70s he returned to Ireland and formed the Hot Guitars
with Joe O'Callaghan and Johnny Rice. Pat Crowley and Arty Lorrigan were in another late 1970s/early 1980s
blues band called Small Change.
Sleepy Hollow's roadie was Joe O' Herlihy, who later worked as sound engineer for U2. Manager
Denis Desmond (early 1970s) later formed MCD.
Declan McGrath (who also played with The Medication Blues Band) passed away
in the early 1990s.
At one point, early drummer Len Der La Cour set a new European drumming record at
The Cavern Club by playing non-stop for 52+ hours without a break, i.e. without realising
that the rules allowed regular short breaks!
Note this Sleepy Hollow are not related to the obscure US band who released an LP and a
single ("Take Me Back" / "Roller Coaster Man") of Beatles/Badfinger-esque pop-rock on Family
Productions (USA) and Philips (Europe) in 1972-73.
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.