The Irish Rovers - Songs

ABOUT

The Irish Rovers are a highly acclaimed and veteran folk group from Canada that became famous during the late 1960s and helped popularize Irish traditional music throughout North America and beyond. Best known internationally for their rendition of the Shel Silverstein-penned "The Unicorn" (1968), which became a Top 10 hit in the U.S. and several other countries and soon after went gold, other hits include "(The Puppet Song) Whiskey On A Sunday" (1968) and "The Biplane, Ever More" (1968). They re-emerged on the U.S. charts in 1981 with the Top 40 smash, "Wasn't That A Party" (credited as The Rovers), which became a Top 5 hit in Canada and a country rock crossover success.

Formed in 1963 in Toronto, Ontario, the classic hitmaking lineup consisted of Jimmy Ferguson (vocals), Wilcil McDowell (accordion), brothers George (vocals, guitar, bouzouki) and Will Millar (vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, tin whistle), and their cousin Joe Millar (vocals, accordion, harmonica, bass guitar), all originally from Northern Ireland. This lineup remained unchanged through 1994, with a number of personnel changes and additions thereafter. At the height of their commercial fame, they appeared on such TV programs as "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and "The Mike Douglas Show." From 1971-1978, they hosted their eponymous TV variety show on CBC, which won an ACTRA Award for Best Variety Performance. In 1981, they starred in a second Canadian TV series, "The Rovers Comedy House." Over the years, The Irish Rovers have represented Canada at five World Expos, and in 2018, they were honored as one of Ireland's greatest exports at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin.

The Irish Rovers have continued to perform and record actively to the present day, with George Millar as the only remaining original member. Their numerous honors and accolades include RPM Awards for "Folk Group of the Year" (1968), the PROCAN Harold Moon Award for International Achievement (1979), and the VIMA Award for SOCAN Song of the Year (2010), as well as a Grammy nomination for "Folk Performance of the Year" in 1968 and multiple Juno Award nominations throughout their career.

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SONGS

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The Irish Rovers

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