Born in 1947 in Strabane, Co Tyrone. He was a member of R&B group, the Kult, while a student in Dublin. He joined The Johnstons, renowned for their neat harmonies, and the group had enjoyed a number one hit with Ewan McColl’s The Travelling People. The Curragh of Kildare was another successful single.
In 1969 the group moved base to London. They played the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 1971 to favourable reviews in the American media. It was while he was with the Johnstons that Brady starting writing songs. He also took an interest in the songs and singing of fellow Ulsterman Paddy Tunny and the sean-nos of Darach O Cathain and Seosamh O hEanai.
In 1974 Paul Brady left The Johnstons for a brief spell with Planxty. Out of that came the liaison with Andy Irvine which resulted in the much-lauded album Andy Irvine-Paul Brady.
Brady’s interpretation of the old anti-recruitment ballad Arthur McBride earned him an enduring respect as a singer. The album helped his confidence and prefaced Brady’s solo career which began with the well-received Welcome Here Kind Stranger in 1978. That album won a Melody Maker Folk Album of the year award.
In 1981 he released Hard Station, which completed his transition from Irish folk singer to mainstream singer/composer. The album included his hit single Crazy Dreams. It also drew criticism that he had jumped upon the folk bandwagon and used it to further his career. This would be to underestimate his contribution and ignore the regard in which he is held by traditional musicians. He did, after all, record albums with Matt Molloy, Tommy Peoples and, in the 1990s, with Liam O’Flynn. And he has featured in recent years on stage with O’Flynn and on TV programmes with Mairead Ni Maoineagh and Altan.

His border town background gave him an understanding of both sides in the Northern conflict, without endearing himself in particular to either side. Lines from The Island irked the nationalisits:

Up here we sacrifice our children – To feed the worn-out dreams of yesterday.

The song Nothing But the Same Old Story upset the loyalists.

In February, 2008, he was reunited with Andy Irvine for a one-off concert at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow. Afterwards he talked to the Irish Times about life outside the fast lane: “I’m kind of happy with where I am, and I’ve more time to do things I want to do. I have a bunch of songs which I want to record but I’ve no release date planned and I’m just doing things at my own pace, although sometimes you do your best work when you’ve got a gun to your head. I’m at a stage in my life when I don’t have any deadlines – in fact I eschew them – and it’s interesting to see what I come up with in that gentle period.”

In 2009 he re-released Welcome Here Kind Stranger on CD. The 1978 album has a history. Being released on the ill-fated Mulligan label, it fell into the hands of an English company and Brady received no money (a fate shared by, among others, The Bothy Band). Worse still, a poor quality CD was made from that album and distributed. His 2010 Hooba Dooba album placed him firmly back in the mainstream, but he can instantly switch to the folk idiom with a technique and authenticity many others aspire to.

In 2010 he donated €20,000 to provide €700 scolarships to 25 musicians to attend the Blas Summer School at Limerick University.

Discography

Hooba Dooba, Paul Brady, Proper Records, 2010

Welcome Here Kind Stranger, (remastered), 2009

Say What You Feel, Paul Brady (2005)
The Given Note, with Liam O’Flynn, (1995).
Molloy, Brady, Peoples, with Matt Molloy and Tommy Peoples, (1986)
Hard Station, Paul Brady (1981)
Welcome Here Kind Stranger, (1978)
The High Part of the Road, with Tommy Peoples, (1976)
Andy Irvine-Paul Brady, (1976)
Also
Paul Brady on DVD: The guitar of Paul Brady Playing Traditional and Contemporary songs. Homespun Video. ISBN 1-932573-29-5