Biography
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Years Active
1986 – present (38 years)
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Founded In
Tuam, County Galway, Connaught, Ireland
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Members
- Anthony Thistlethwaite
- Davy Carton
- Fran Breen
- John "Turps" Burke (1986 – 1997)
- Johnny Donnelly
The Saw Doctors was an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in The Republic of Ireland including three number ones. Their first number one, "I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts for nine consecutive weeks in 1990, and still holds the record for the country's all-time biggest-selling single. Renowned for their live performances, the band won a cult following, especially in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. On 15 February 2008, they received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Meteor Ireland Music Awards. In 2013 the band decided to quit touring .Three members (Moran, Thistlethwaite and O'Neill) have formed a band called The Cabin Collective with some fellow Galway musicians. It is currently unknown whether the Saw Doctors will be returning from their break.
Formed by Leo Moran and Davy Carton, members have included singer, guitarist, and mandolin player John "Turps" Burke; bass player Pearse Doherty; keyboard and accordion player Tony Lambert; keyboard player and guitarist Derek Murray; and drummers Padraig Stevens, John Donnelly, Jimi Higgins, and Fran Breen. The current line-up is Leo Moran (vocals, guitar), Davy Carton (vocals, guitar), Kevin Duffy (keyboards), Anthony Thistlethwaite (bass guitar, saxphone), and Eímhín Craddock (drums).
There is a special place in rock 'n' roll mythology reserved for that rare phenomenon, the people's band. The Grateful Dead, The Faces, Status Quo and Bruce Springsteen during his years as leader of the E Street Band are examples which define the breed: performers who have established a special relationship with their audience irrespective of marketing budgets and media approval, and for whom the dictates of fashion are broadly meaningless. The Saw Doctors are the latest in this strangely noble line" - The Times
"One of the Great Live Bands"
Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2
"The Saw Doctors are the very definition of the people's band." - Q Magazine
"The band's formula can best be described as one part Creedence, one part Hootie, and one part Irish Historical Society" - Rolling Stone Magazine
"One of the world's most appealing roots rock outfits." - Washington Post
During 2010 the band played a number of music festival appearances, including playing at the 40th anniversary of the Glastonbury Festival. September 2010 saw the release of their seventh album, The Further Adventures of… The Saw Doctors.
In 2013 the band decided to quit touring .Three members (Moran, Thistlethwaite and O'Neill) have formed a band with fellow Galway musicians called The Cabin Collective. It is currently unknown whether the Saw Doctors will be returning from their break.
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