FM
History
A sort of cult Celtic prog-folk rock band with a theatrical bent, Loudest Whisper started off as another sort of band altogether. Formed in the early '60s in Fermoy, Ireland, by guitarists Brian O'Reilly and Michael Clancey, bassist John Aherne, and drummer Jimmy Cotter (all four members shared vocals), the band was initially known as the Wizards. The Wizards played mostly covers of Beatles, Hollies, and Spencer Davis songs and after Jimi Hendrix and Cream hit, the band took a turn into heavier blues territory, changing its name to Loudest Whisper as the 1970s opened. The band also had some lineup changes, with Cotter leaving and Brendan "Bunny" Nelgian coming in as his replacement on drums. When guitarist Paud O'Reilly (Brian's brother) joined, he switched over to drums and Nelgian became the group's lead singer.
It was here that the general direction of the band changed. Brian's songwriting had always drawn heavily on American folk-rock groups like the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas & the Papas, but he had also been working in amateur musicals staged by a local theater group and finding his attention increasingly drawn to traditional Irish folklore as well. He decided in 1973 to fuse all of these strands and interests together in a Celtic musical based on the legend of the Irish King Lir. The resulting Children of Lir premiered in Fermoy on January 7, 1973, as a full-blown stage production, with Ron Kavanagh, a singer and guitarist who had recently joined the band, taking the lead role. With nearly 60 performers involved, Children of Lir wasn't a rock opera so much as an actual musical, and it attracted a lot of regional attention, leading to the band signing a recording deal with the Irish branch of Polydor Records and beginning to record a studio adaptation of Children of Lir in 1974. Meanwhile, O'Reilly had written and staged another musical, Perseus, based on the Greek legend, with vocalist Geraldine Dorgan in the main role.
