Ron Kavana


Ronnie Kavanagh, known by his stage name Ron Kavana, was an Irish singer, songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, and band leader. Born in the County Cork town of Fermoy, he was the son of an Irish father and an American mother from Chicago with Cajun roots.
Performing with a lengthy list of bands, Kavana performed with influential musicians from the worlds of Celtic music, British soul, blues, rhythm & blues, rock, Irish folk and folk-rock, and worldbeat music. His Galway to Graceland album was described as an album of blues, Tex Mex, country, rock, cajun, and occasionally Irish influenced music. A talented songwriter, Kavana has written songs exploring history and politics, as well as drinking, dancing, and playing music. The Village Voice has called him a "hard-hitting, no-nonsense realist".

Biography

Early career

Kavana joined the Fermoy folk/rock band Loudest Whisper in the early 1970s. Band member Brian O'Reilly wrote a celtic musical based on the Irish myth of The Children Of Lir in 1972, which was developed into a stage production the following year with Kavana in the role of Lir. The project was adapted into the group's first record, Children Of Lir, in 1974, which was to be Kavana's final contribution to the band, playing slide guitar and also singing "Lir's Lament".
In the late 1970s, he moved to London, getting a job at Rock on Records, replacing Philip Chevron, who was leaving to work full-time with his band, The Radiators From Space. In 1977, Kavana put together Kavana's Krisis Band, playing regularly at Islington's Hope & Anchor. This band evolved into Juice on the Loose, who became something of a house band for Ace Records, with Kavana as band leader and producer. During this era, Kavana and members of the band toured and recorded with many American acts, including Big Jay McNeely, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Willie Egan, Dr. John, Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers and Flaco Jiminez, Wallace Davenport, Gatemouth Brown, Memphis Slim, Champion Jack Dupree, and Slim Gaillard. Kavana appears on Juice on the Loose's self-titled album, released on Line Records in 1981. Other Juice on the Loose recordings would surface on Kavana's first solo album, Rollin' & Coastin'.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Kavana also played with Panama Red, The Thunderbirds, The Balham Alligators, and The Alexis Korner Band. Following a European R & B package tour backing Korner, Kavana played an anniversary show for the Boogie Woogie Band's anniversary at Dingwalls, with an all-star band that included Charlie Watts on drums and Jack Bruce on bass.

Solo career

Kavana released his first solo album, Rollin' & Coastin' in 1985, on the Italian record label, Appaloosa. The album was a compilation of solo tracks and Juice on The Loose recordings.
In the mid/late 1980s, Kavana opened several tours for The Pogues, including a December/January 1985/1986 jaunt through Ireland, where he performed as a duo with Elvis Costello. Pogues management considered Kavana as a replacement for departing bass player/singer Cait O'Riordan. The band chose road crew member Darryl Hunt for the job, but Kavana made several appearances on The Pogues' album If I Should Fall From Grace With God, and co-wrote two songs with Pogue Terry Woods: "Every Man Is A King " and "Young Ned of the Hill", the former released originally as a B-side and the latter included on The Pogues album, Peace and Love.
In 1990, Kavana produced the album For The Children. Featuring 29 guests, the album was a fundraiser for LILT, a charity organisation working for peace in Northern Ireland.
By the late 1980s, Kavana had formed the eclectic group Alias Ron Kavana. The group was subsequently named "Best Live Act in the World" by Folk Roots magazine in 1989, 1990, and 1991. The Alias Band's first album, Think Like a Hero, was released in 1989. Alias Ron Kavana's second album, Coming Days, followed in 1991.
Ron's second solo effort, Home Fire, was released by Special Delivery in 1991. The album included vocal and instrumental contribution from Pogue Terry Woods, who also appeared together with Kavana in the 1990 Ken Loach film, Hidden Agenda, performing the Wolfe Tones' song "The Ballad Of Joe McDonnell".
Kavana again entered Pogues territory, this time playing guitar in an early version of Shane MacGowan's band The Popes. Kavana's guitar work can be heard on "Haunted", a duet featuring Sinéad O'Connor. He also came up with the tune for "Snake With Eyes of Garnet" from MacGowan's first solo album, The Snake, although he received no credit for this work.
After quitting The Pogues, Woods joined with Kavana and formed a new band, The Bucks. This line-up recorded the album Dancing to the ceili band, released in 1994 on WEA. The album and the band's live shows were well received by fans and critics, but the group disbanded after a short time. Kavana cited lack of label support as a reason, and claimed he "never got a penny" for the album.
Re-establishing Alias Ron Kavana with a mostly new lineup, Kavana recorded Galway to Graceland in 1995. The album was self-financed and produced independently. Due to financial difficulties it was deleted before getting a full release.

Later Career

In 1995, frustrated by problems with record labels and the music business generally, and finding himself financially under pressure, Kavana took a three-year break from the industry, enrolling in a full-time Humanities course, graduating with first-class honours in Irish studies and film studies.
Through the 1990s, Kavana worked with Ace Records to license and release Irish music from the extensive archives of Topic Records, resulting in the "Irish" series - nine albums compiled & annotated by Kavana, released between 1993 - 1997 on Ace's "Globe Style" imprint
In 1999, Kavana released a live album Alien Alert, recorded in the San Francisco Bay area with local band The Resident Aliens.
Kavana returned to Fermoy, Ireland, in the early 2000s, and continued to play small shows on his own, with The Alias Acoustic Band, or other friends and performers, throughout the years.
Working on and off for several years, Kavana released a two-disc set Irish Songs of Rebellion, Resistance and Reconciliation in 2006. This was followed by the 2007 four disc set Irish Ways: Story of Ireland in Song, Music & Poetry. The albums followed Irish history through songs and poems from 1796 to the present day. The albums are credited to The Alias Acoustic Band.
A final collection was released on Primo in 2011, 40 Favourite Folk Songs, was a collection of recordings by Kavana and a number of friends, and was credited to "Ron Kavana & Friends".
In November 2016, Kavana joined his old Juice On The Loose bandmates Charlie Hart, Ed Deane, Gerraint Watkins and Les Morgan for a few low-key reunion shows in Ireland and England.

Personal Life

At some point in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Kavana became romantically involved with Dutch fiddler Miriam Kelly, who would later change her name to Miriam Kavana, and become a member of Alias Ron Kavana and The Bucks.
Kavana later married Breda, and the two had a daughter, Georgia.
Kavana died on 4 May 2024, at the age of 73, after a long illness.

Discography

Albums

  • Juice on the Loose , Chiswick Records
  • Rollin' & Coastin, Appaloosa Records
  • Think Like a Hero , Chiswick Records
  • For the Children , Alias Records
  • Coming Days , Chiswick Records
  • Home Fire , Special Delivery/Topic Records, Green Linnet Records
  • Dancin' To The Ceili Band , WEA
  • Galway to Graceland , Alias Recordings
  • Alien Alert , Proper Records
  • Irish Songs of Rebellion, Resistance and Reconciliation , Primo Records
  • Irish Ways: Story of Ireland in Song, Music & Poetry Proper Records
  • 40 Favourite Folk Songs , Primo Records
  • Forgotten People , Real Records
  • Respect , Real Records

    Other releases

  • "Any Way The Wind Blows" and "Fermoy" on Any Way The Wind Blows 7" Single The Songwriter's Workshop
  • "Sweet Love In The Valley", b-side on Cowboys And Indians 7" Single The Songwriter's Workshop
  • "A Living Wage" on Hard Cash Green Linnet Records
  • "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" on Get Weaving Weaving Records
  • "Stand/Close It Down" Undefeated - A Benefit For The Miners Fuse Records
  • "Lovely Cottage-Gold Ochra At Killarny Point To Points" on Folk Heritage Music Club International
  • "Lovely Cottage-Gold Ochra At Killarny Point To Points" on Folk Heritage II Music Club International
  • "As I Roved Out" on Giving People Choices ActionAid
  • "Reconciliation" on The Folk Collection Topic Records
  • "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" on The World Is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson Green Linnet Records
  • "Sloop John B." on Out on the Rolling Sea - A Tribute to Joseph Spence Hokey Pokey Records
  • "The Kilshannig Wager" on The Folk Collection 2 Topic Records
  • "Home Fire/Beyond The Pale" on Delicias Celtas Ediciones Resistencia
  • "St. Patrick's Day In New Orleans" on fRoots #6 Folk Roots
  • "Reconciliation", "Fermoy Regatta/Tom's Tavern" on A Living Thing: Contemporary Classics of Traditional Irish Music Globe Style
  • "Pennies For Black Babies" on Roots - 20 Years Of Essential Folk, Roots & World Music Manteca
  • "Reconciliation" on Topic Records: Three Score & Ten: A Voice to the People Topic Records

    In film

Kavana has appeared in and/or composed music for the soundtracks of such films as Sid and Nancy, Ryan's Daughter, and Hidden Agenda.