Hillsborough singer performs in nenagh

Lee Roy James, the man best known for singing an anniversary song for the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster, will perform at Nenagh Arts Centre this Saturday night.

Bray man James is a singer, a songwriter and a comedian. He started out playing with 'céilí' bands and was deeply involved in the show band scene back in the day.
But James always wanted to be a solo cabaret performer, and he took off to the UK with the quest of making a stage name for himself. He made a career out of it, and also landed a gig performing on luxury cruise ships touring the Carribean.
He lived in Spain for a time too – and was there when Hillsborough happened. When a group of English-speaking business people decided to raise money for the victim's families, James was asked to get involved.
He returned to England and recorded a song that stoked the interest of the BBC and the committee representing the families of the Hillsborough dead. Since then, he has performed 'Tragedy' to crowds of up to 40,000 people at each annual memorial service at Anfield. Widely watched videos of James' performances, accompanied by choir and band, are available on You Tube.
The Hillsborough song has obviously made James a big hit with Liverpool supporters. Ironically however, he confesses to being an “Evertonian first”, harking back to when he first lived on Merseyside.
“If I am a bit of a fence-sitter, then I make no apology for it,” James said of his somewhat unique love for both Liverpool and Everton. “But if it came down to the crunch, Everton is the first team I look for in the results!”
Also known for having hits on independent country music stations in the US (including a No 3 in Nashville), Australia, Holland and Germany, James' shows are often peppered with comedy, the self-styled “raconteur of wit” occasionally reaching back to his days of standup. He will be joined in Nenagh by rapidly rising star of the Irish country music scene Áine Crehan, along with Tony O'Leary and MD Stewart Gillespie.
A great night's entertainment then at Nenagh Arts Centre this Saturday, May 2nd. Tickets cost €15 and are available from the centre. 8pm is showtime.