"A Celt in the Cotton Club"
Reviews
Bio
"Imposing." - Wall Street Journal
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"Trailblazing." - Irish Times
"The cream of the crop. Irish-American Jazz Powerhouse!"
- IrishCentral
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"Resplendent, fun and a force of nature." - Donald Helme, Jazz Ireland
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"Powerful American Female. Imagine Billie Holiday reincarnated as the Rose of Tralee and you have Tara O`Grady!"
- JJ O'Shea, RTE & Radio Kerry
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"This torchy chanteuse leads one of the most badass old-time swing bands you'll ever hear. One thing that distinguishes her from the legions of come-hither, moldy fig front women is that O'Grady writes her own songs - when she's at the top of her game, which she generally seems to be, they sound like classics from the 1930s. She brings Bessie Smith into this century with lickety-split swing."
- New York Music Daily
"Combining Billie Holiday's gift for meticulous but effortlessly poetic phrasing with Anita O'Day's swingin' sassiness, June Christy's cocktail coolness, Patsy Cline's rural romanticism, and Sarah Vaughn's sophisticated sultriness, she is indeed a musical force of nature to reckon with. Tara's music is as eclectic, authentic, timeless and nostalgic as the American landscape itself." - Will "the Thrill" Viharo, Author, Los Angeles.
Tara O'Grady is a singer-songwriter, recording artist, intuitive educator and author. In addition to her five albums of jazz, blues and folk music, she published her first memoir, Migrating Toward Happiness: The Soundtrack to My Spiritual Awakening, in 2019. Her second memoir, The Gods of Clown Alley (2023), focuses on mental health awareness. Both stories reveal journeys of her soul and her Irish immigrant family. Her CD releases include: Black Irish (2010), Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (2011), A Celt in the Cotton Club (2013), Irish Bayou (2015), and Folk Songs: Songs About Real Folks (2017).
Tara was featured in the award winning BBC documentary film Danny Boy: The Ballad that Bewitched the World which was nominated for best documentary at Ireland's Film & Television Awards in 2014. Her collaboration with choreographer Darrah Carr in the music/dance show Celtic Jazz Tryst was nominated by Irish Central and TG4 television for best stage performance at the 2018 Creativity & Arts Awards in Manhattan. Awarded Irish Voice’s Most Influential Woman, presented by Ireland's Prime Minister in 2010, the multi-talented band leader has performed at the Cork Jazz Festival in Ireland, the St Brigid's Day Festival in London, the An Ri Ra Montana Irish Festival in Butte, and Texas' famous South By Southwest Festival in Austin.
Tara is the daughter of Irish immigrants and was raised in New York City. She now resides in the Hudson Valley.
Celtic Jazz Tryst premiered at the Irish Arts Center and later at Symphony Space in Manhattan. The show was nominated by Irish Central and TG4 television for best stage performance at the 2018 Creativity & Arts Awards.
New York's Tara O'Grady and Belfast's Brian Kennedy (singer/songwriter/novelist/tv presenter and judge of Ireland's 'The Voice') discuss how they sing Danny Boy in the documentary about the 100 year old classic song.
