R.I.P. Gerry O’Kane

If you were a local in Kingston, Ontario, Canada in the ’80s and ’90s and enjoyed a pint (or more) of Guinness, chances are you saw Gerry O’Kane play a couple of sets of traditional Irish tunes, along with some of his originals.

I love live music as well as dark and rich beers served in cosy pubs, so I managed to catch Gerry during my first year at Crazy Go Nuts University, at a then-new pub called The Toucan. A couple of years later, I’d live in an apartment above that very same pub, which was near another pub called The Wellington, and Gerry played both places often.

Sooner or later, if you were a student at Crazy Go Nuts University and had any semblance of a life, you’d end up at a Gerry O’Kane show, where you’d learn to shout “Macintyre!” at the appropriate moments of The Old Dun Cow…

Later on, when I graduated and moved back to Toronto, I was still able to catch him when he came to town and played at places like The Monarch:

I learned a lot watching Gerry: how to read and banter with the audience, handle the usual cock-ups that will happen during a live musical performance, and of course, I also got a feel for what made traditional Irish music distinct.

It’s largely because of Gerry that I’m familiar enough with the Irish folk repertoire that I can passably back up Irish trad bands when called upon to do, as I’ve done a handful of times, including a couple of numbers with The Jackdaws:

Gerry suffered a stroke in late January, and he passed away earlier this week. Requiescat in pace, Gerry, and thank you for all the music.

More about Gerry O’Kane

• Here’s a playlist of live recordings of a performance at The Wellington.
• You’re not really Canadian until you’ve joined in on the chorus of Barrett’s Privateers:

• Gerry’s site, which includes the merch page, where they’re promising to release the “Sex and Drugs and Traditional Folk Music T-shirt”. I’m writing them about buying one.
• Hear more Gerry on Bandcamp (and buy his album!)
• The Irish Rover, from his album, The Nostalgia tapes: