Ron Kavana

Ron Kavana has been on the cutting edge of contemporary Celtic and British pop music for more than two decades. His collaborations have brought him together with such influential musicians as Alexis Korner, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Jack Bruce, the Pogues, Donovan, the Chieftains, Elvis Costello, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Doug Sahm, Richard Thompson, and the late Sandy Denny. Performing with a lengthy list of bands, Kavana has blended the musical traditions of the British Isles with blues, Tex-Mex, country, Cajun, and rock influences. Called a "hard-hitting, no-nonsense realist" by The Village Voice, Kavana has produced music that has been described, by Music Week, as "charming, disarming with a very dry sardonic wit." The son of an Irish father and an American mother, Kavana was born in the Country Cork village of Fenmoy. After cutting his early musical teeth in a R&B band, the Wizards, Kavana helped to form a trad rock group, Loudest Whisper. Although together for a very brief period, Loudest Whisper recorded one album, The Children of Lyre, for the Polydor label. The album was re-recorded in 1993 by a group that included Donovan, Liam Og O'Flynn, Philip Donnelly, and the RTE Chamber Orchestra. Leaving Loudest Whisper in 1993, Kavana moved to London and became involved with the city's top folk, country, and R&B musicians. As a member of Panama Red, an all-acoustic, harmony-emphasizing band, Kavana played nightly at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. Replacing Albert Lee in the Thunderbirds, Kavana began a long association with Chris Farlowe. Kavana continued to change bands as fast as a chameleon changes colors. Together with Irish guitarist Ed Deane, he formed a duo, Identity Kit. With the addition of four top British session players, the duo evolved into a...