The Irish Rovers

Emerging from Ireland in the mid-1960s, the Irish Rovers counted among the more successful folk-rooted vocal ensembles, even if their route ran through Canada. While still in their teens and living in Toronto after leaving Northern Ireland, founders George Millar on guitar, vocals, and banjo and Jimmy Ferguson on vocals began performing together in 1963 to earn spare cash for cigarettes and beer. Millar's mother, after catching one of their rehearsals, recommended taking the name the Irish Rovers from the song "The Irish Rover." The Millar-Ferguson duo grew into a trio in 1964 with the arrival of new immigrant Joe Millar on vocals and accordion, George's cousin, then became a quartet when the three traveled to Calgary, Alberta, to enlist Will Millar on guitar, banjo, and vocals—George's older brother, who was then hosting a children's television show. Tommy Makem & the Clancy Brothers supplied their earliest model, combining shared lead vocals with somewhat stronger instrumental command.

Following an extended run at a Calgary coffeehouse where they refined their material over several weeks, the ensemble moved into the United States and secured bookings at the Purple Onion in San Francisco, long a regular stop for the Kingston Trio and other established acts, followed by appearances at the Ice House in Pasadena. At that stage they presented themselves as a conventional folk unit heavy on upbeat numbers and laced with onstage banter about drinking and other physical indulgences. Strong enough reception at both clubs allowed them to tour the still-active folk-club circuit throughout the United States, return to Canada, and revisit the Ice House in 1966. There they were heard by Decca Records executive Charles "Bud" Dant, who was sufficiently impressed by their performance and stage manner that he signed them to the label and chose to preserve their sound intact by releasing their first album as a live recording captured at the Ice House.

The First of the Irish Rovers sold well enough to warrant a second release, at which point the group found itself short of strong new material. Will Millar, drawing on his experience hosting the Calgary children's program, offered a children's song that had proved popular on the show. Shel Silverstein, the noted humorist, author, and singer, had written "The Unicorn," which the Rovers recorded both as an album track and a single; the single climbed to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968, a notable feat given that folk music's broad commercial peak had already begun to fade after 1965 as younger performers largely shifted to electric instruments and the folk-rock and psychedelic waves had done little to widen opportunities. Nevertheless the Irish Rovers placed a Top Ten single on the national chart, and the accompanying album of the same title also moved briskly.

The success prompted several adjustments. Accordionist Wilcil McDowell, an Emerald Isle native and friend of the members, joined around this time to expand the Rovers' instrumental range. Although "The Unicorn" was not strictly a children's song, much of its appeal centered on younger listeners and parents, so the growing presence of children at their concerts led the group to reduce the number of drinking songs and other ribald numbers that had previously formed part of their sets. This audience expansion, together with the removal of some earlier repertory and humor, obliged them to undertake more systematic research into Irish folk sources for fresh material. They were further constrained by their decision to avoid topical commentary; they aimed to entertain rather than convey messages, even amid the Vietnam War and the escalating conflict in Northern Ireland, the members' original home. Their nearest approach to a message song remained the humorous "The Orange and the Green," adapted from the traditional air "The Rising of the Moon."

The Rovers maintained an unusually steady roster through the 1970s and afterward as they capitalized on the momentum of "The Unicorn." By then more scholarly Irish folk ensembles such as the Chieftains had gained international attention and claimed part of the spotlight, yet the Irish Rovers retained a devoted following. In 1980 they signed with Columbia Records' Epic & Affiliated Labels division and issued recordings on the Cleveland International imprint, initially under the shortened name the Rovers; under that billing they scored a minor country hit with "Wasn't That a Party," which reached number 45. Objections from longtime fans of Gaelic heritage prompted restoration of the original name. Will Millar retired in 1995 and cousin Joe departed a decade later; Jimmy Ferguson died suddenly in 1997. The group, still including George Millar and Wilcil McDowell, has continued and in later years has released material on its own Rover Records imprint.