Biography
Before issuing his debut album in 1999, the Irish singer/songwriter Gavin Coyle captured several major vocal titles inside his homeland, including the All-Ireland Singing Championship at age fourteen and the Derry Feisanna, one of the nation’s largest festivals of its type. Those victories led him into paid performances, among them appearances in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem and The Siege Pageant, as well as BBC broadcasts in both England and Ireland. After relocating to Chicago, he performed “the National Anthem” for Chicago Cubs home games at Wrigley Field. His first studio record, Whisper of the Waves, was followed in 2000 by a live holiday collection; the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Jerry Yester then produced his third album, Half a Chance.
Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Coyle grew up as the sole boy among five siblings while bombings and street violence repeatedly signaled the region’s political unrest. His parents steered their children toward music as a safer pursuit, and at fourteen they arranged his participation in an American program fostering cross-cultural peace and friendship. That early experience prompted deeper commitment to reconciliation work, especially the Ulster Project, which he joined in 1992 and served as a youth chaperone during subsequent trips to the United States. After returning home he completed a degree in art and education at St. Mary’s College in Belfast, graduating in 1994. The next year he moved permanently to America, where his Ulster Project benefit concerts continue to sell out regularly.
Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, Coyle grew up as the sole boy among five siblings while bombings and street violence repeatedly signaled the region’s political unrest. His parents steered their children toward music as a safer pursuit, and at fourteen they arranged his participation in an American program fostering cross-cultural peace and friendship. That early experience prompted deeper commitment to reconciliation work, especially the Ulster Project, which he joined in 1992 and served as a youth chaperone during subsequent trips to the United States. After returning home he completed a degree in art and education at St. Mary’s College in Belfast, graduating in 1994. The next year he moved permanently to America, where his Ulster Project benefit concerts continue to sell out regularly.
Albums
