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Storm in My Heart: A Lifetime in Music, by John Faulkner
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‘John Faulkner's journey through the world of music has been made with passion, showing a creativity that has a profound dedication to justice at its heart. . . ’ – President Michael D. Higgins
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'A singular life . . . written with focus, insight and wisdom.' – Tony Clayton-Lea, The Irish Times
‘John Faulkner's journey through the world of music has been made with passion, showing a creativity that has a profound dedication to justice at its heart. . . My deepest appreciation to John for his contribution to Irish life, its music and words . . . a legacy of profound generosity and empathy.’ – President Michael D. Higgins
For more than six decades John Faulkner has been at the heart of British and Irish music-making, as a singer, songwriter, composer, musician, producer and film-maker. Storm in My Heart is John’s highly personal account of his life in music, from his childhood in wartime London, through his years in the English folk explosion and on to life in Ireland as a significant player in the traditional music scene.
In a lifetime’s journey John falls under the influence of Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger, marries tempestuous singer Dolores Keane, and moves to County Galway where he brings his words and music to the world. He has an international number one success with ‘Lion in a Cage’, his campaigning tribute to the imprisoned Nelson Mandela, whom he subsequently meets.
In this honest and witty memoir John recalls his work with Frankie Gavin, Alec Finn, John Prine and others, revealing the dark arts of the Irish music business while revelling in the freewheeling delights of a life devoted to performing. Storm in My Heart is a clear-eyed chronicle by one of Ireland’s finest artists.
Storm in My Heart includes QR codes to a curated selection of John Faulkner’s music.
About the Author
John Faulkner’s most recent CD is Storm in My Heart (2022). He lives in Kinvara, County Galway.
More Information
| Author | Faulkner, John |
|---|---|
| Print Format | Paperback |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-0686645-0-2 |
| Illustrations | 50 colour photographs |
| Date of Publication | October 11, 2024 |
| Number of Pages | 320 |
Reviews
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A great read giving a fascinating glimpse into the world of Irish folk and traditional music.John Faulkner is one of those musicians who always seems to have been there but about whom I knew nothing. The book charts his life all the way from humble beginnings in London, his first introduction to music, working with Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, visiting Ireland and meeting and working with Dolores Keane, their stormy relationship and then going on to work with other prominent groups and musicians such as De Danann.
Music allowed John to travel the world and he paints a vivid picture of the places he went and the people he met, including Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro and Mohammed Ali.
The Irish folk world is small and tight-knit and John has worked with many of the top names, including Dolores Keane, Tommy Peoples, Alec Finn, Frankie Gavin and Arty McGlynn and Andy Irvine, to mention just a few. He doesn’t hold back in describing the egos and foibles of some of the artists he’s worked with.
There’s also a discussion of the failure of his first two marriages, to Sandra Kerr and Dolores Keane. The reader doesn’t really get a clear understanding of why they ended, although he probably didn’t want to go into detail out of respect for the women involved.
An interesting feature of the book is the inclusion of QR codes which enable the reader to listen to online music tracks while reading.
One unfortunate thing about this book is that it is littered with typos on almost every page. Although the author mentions a proofreader in the Preface, you get the impression that the manuscript didn’t come under proper scrutiny from an editor before it went to print. Thus, Máirtín O’Connor becomes Martin throughout, Máire Breathnach becomes Maura Breathnach, Niall Tóibín is Niall Tobin and so on. The fada in the Irish names is missing in most cases. Things like using ‘paired’ instead of ‘pared’ and many similar examples. This is extremely careless and sloppy, coming from a prominent Irish publisher.
That said, this was a marvellous read. An interesting and humorous journey through the world of Irish and British folk music during its most exciting era, written by one of its leading lights. It would be wonderful to see similar volumes from other leading lights on the Irish folk and traditional music scene.
I love hearing the details about recording sessions, studios and the intricacies of making albums.Posted on
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