Nigel Mooney’s Organ Failure -
21st Century Christmas Blues Show

Scott Flanigan – organ
Dominic Mullan – drums

The Sofa Sessions at Billy Byrne’s is delighted to present legendary blues guitarist and singer Nigel Mooney with his 21st Century Christmas Blues show live on stage. Nigel has been drawing the crowds since the 1980s when he founded the legendary Gripewater Blues Band. His fun-filled, critically acclaimed Christmas show includes such gems as ‘Twenty-First Century Santa Claus Blues’, ‘Let’s Cancel Christmas For Jesus’s Sake’ and ‘It Ain’t Nobody’s Christmas But Our Own’.

Nigel Mooney has long been regarded as Ireland’s leading blues singer/guitarist. His sensitive tenor voice, soulful jazz guitar stylings and preference for an acoustic-sounding, jazz approach to the blues have made him a unique and popular artist. Mooney’s Gripewater Blues Band was a significant group on the Irish blues scene of the eighties, but the Mooney of today was first documented on debut first album ‘All My Love’s In Vain’ (Rubyworks). It became the island’s biggest selling jazz album of 2005, with major airplay from champions such as RTE’s Ryan Tubridy, and chart placements for the single ‘Beautiful Day’.

An RTE album of the week with extensive pre-release airplay on Radio 1, ‘The Bohemian Mooney’ saw him repeat the success of his first album in both small group and big band settings, with VIP appearances by international music icons Georgie Fame and Louis Stewart. It featured his working group of Johnny Taylor (piano), Dan Bodwell (bass) and Dominic Mullan (drums), with Richie Buckley (Van Morrison), Linley Hamilton (Paul Brady) and Michael Buckley (Glen Hansard) among the horn section.