NEW YORK, NY. (Top 40 Charts/
Celtic Thunder Limited) - Sharon Browne, creator and former producer of the chart-topping Irish musical ensemble Celtic Woman, will introduce her brand-new show, entitled Celtic Man in Celtic Thunder, which features five male vocalists, collectively called Celtic Man, to U.S. audiences with a public television special to be broadcast nationally in March 2008.
The special will be distributed by WLIW New York.
For Celtic Thunder, Browne has teamed up with Grammy-nominated Irish songwriting and composing veteran Phil Coulter to produce a show that includes an eclectic mix of songs ranging from the traditional "Mountains of Mourne" and "Come By the Hills" to international hits such as "Brothers in Arms" and "Desperado," as well as original compositions by Coulter, who has written hits for
Elvis Presley ("
My Boy") and the Bay City Rollers, and performed with Van Morrison, Tom Jones, and the Rolling Stones. The ensemble numbers in
Celtic Thunder reflect the power of the soloists, who range in age from 14 to 40, and feature songs that celebrate a common Celtic heritage.
"My concept for Celtic Man was to feature real men of different ages from Ireland and Scotland," says Browne. "The guys - Damien McGinty, Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, Paul Byrom, and George Donaldson - are a real range of Celts. These men are good-looking in a not-too-pretty way, strong, silent, quietly powerful, and just a little threatening. There are enough boy bands out there - it's time for some real men!"
Browne is a 20-year music business veteran who, prior to Celtic Thunder, launched Ireland's premier music label Celtic Collections in 1996, and developed and produced the phenomenally successful Celtic Woman show, which featured five stunning female soloists.
Celtic Man in Celtic Thunder was filmed in the Helix in Dublin in August 2007. A CD/DVD of the show will be distributed in the U.S. by Universal's Decca label beginning February 26th, 2008. In addition, a 50-city tour is scheduled for Fall 2008. Celtic Man in Celtic Thunder, will air on local public television stations beginning March 2008, and viewers who support the stations during their fundraising campaign will have the first opportunity to get tickets for the Fall tour, as well as a special edition of the CD and DVD with bonus material.
