Forty years in the business and still going strong - that’s Johnny Carroll - known far and wide as “The Man With The Golden Trumpet”, who comes to the Hawk’s Well tomorrow night, Thursday November 1.
He is one of the most highly regarded entertainers in the country, and one of the best-known faces in Irish show business. That’s not surprising because Johnny Carroll has appeared on almost every entertainment show screened by RTE in recent years.
He is one of those entertainers who served his apprenticeship with well-known showbands, such as the “Premier Aces” and “The Magic Band”.
It’s only in the last decade that he has become a household name since embarking on a solo career. It was his debut solo album “A Touch of Class” that paved the way for this top class instrumentalist on the showbiz ladder.
Since then, he has been reaping the rewards of his success in both the recording and performing fields.
For those who may not be aware, to date, the Roscommon-born musician is the only one to take a trumpet solo right to the top of the charts.
That, he achieved in 1988 with the old favourite “Oh Mein Papa”. Top-selling albums/CD’s are nothing new to Johnny Carroll. “A Touch of Class”, “Golden Moments”, “Legends” and “From the Heart” have all commanded huge sales and earned him gold discs.
The good news is that his new album, entitled “Be My Guest”, has just been released and is expected to bring him even greater acclaim.
His recordings are in great demand in such countries as Australia and Canada. Up until recently, despite a hectic schedule, Johnny Carroll looked after his own bookings and promotional work, and continues to do so with some help from his manager.
The Galway-based musician is what some would call a born perfectionist who believes in doing things his way, and is not prepared to sit back and let somebody else do it for him.
As mentioned earlier, TV appearances are nothing new to Johnny Carroll. He has performed on many of RTE’s to- rating TV shows such as The Late Late Show, Live at Three, Brendan Shine TV Special, Sunday Night at the Olympia, Bibi Show, to name but a few.
The highlight was the 1989 All-Ireland Hurling Final half-time interval, where he performed to a live audience of 63,000 people and was seen worldwide by viewers in UK, Australia and America.
He’s an outstanding musician whose unique brand of music gives pleasure to thousands of people, not only in this Isle but across the water and further afield.
Johnny and his all star band come to the Hawk’s Well Theatre tomorrow night, Thursday November 1. Demand for tickets is high so book yours now from the Hawk’s Well box office on (071) 61518/61526.