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Bio:
Orphanage was formed in late 1969 by Phil Lynott (ex Black Eagles,
Kama Sutra, Skid Row) and Brian Downey (ex Black Eagles,
Sugar Shack).
Downey's band Sugar Shack had split up due to
the pressures of commercial success following their 1968 hit single.
Lynott had been let go by Skid Row when Brush Shiels decided they sounded better without
him during his temporary absence to have his tonsils removed. Lynott had acquired a bass
guitar from Robert Ballagh (ex Chessmen) and Shiels gave him some
lessons to help him on his way.
They were joined by Pat Quigley (ex Movement,
Macbeth) and Joe Staunton
(ex Macbeth).
Pat Quigley was equally important in Lynott's development as a bass player.
Pat's brother Fran Quigley was the band's roadie (another brother Gerry Quigley played
in Raw Deal).
The name Orphanage had several meanings but the most obvious reference
was to the house in Sandymount occupied by Dr.Strangely Strange which
was nicknamed The Orphanage, where beat and folk musicians would come and go. Lynott's
vision for Orphanage was a loose lineup with floating members coming
and going. One such floating member was Terry Woods of Sweeney's Men,
who played regularly with the band.
Joe Alexander also played with the band on occasion.
In their brief lifetime Orphanage made some recordings which were presumed lost
until a tape was found in 2006. The songs on the tape included "Step Into Your
Shoes", "You Fool, You", "St Stephens Green" and "The Friendly Ranger".
According to Staunton, "You Fool, You Fool" is a blues track recorded on 4-track
at a studio in Dominic Street. The lyrics of "Step Into Your Shoes" are by Brush
Shiels. They were published in a book of poetry (by Mick Flanagan?) in the late
60's. A couple of Skid Row recordings (incl "Notion In Motion") with Phil Lynott were
found in the same cache, all recorded at Avondale Studios . There may also
a demo of a track called "Donnybrook Fair" which Lynott co-wrote with some
of the guys from Dr.Strangely Strange. It was demoed but the tapes were assumed
lost. Apart from a radio broadcast in 2007, there has been no sign of these
tapes since news of the find first emerged.
Orphanage were seen one night in 1969 by Eric Bell (ex Them, Dreams)
and Eric Wrixon (ex Them, People, Wheels,
Trixons), two
escapees from the showband circuit looking to start a band in the Dublin
group scene. They approached Orphanage after the gig which eventually
led to Phil and Brian leaving. Thus the original Orphanage split after about 8-10 months
together in 1970 with Lynott
and Downey forming Thin Lizzy with Eric Bell
and Eric Wrixon. Staunton & Quigley may have revived the Macbeth
name at this point.
Joe Staunton revived Orphanage in 1973 forming an entirely new band with
Robbie Walsh (vocals, ex Adolf J.Rag)
Jimmy Lambert (bass, ex Moby Dick),
Scott Mulvey (piano, ex Gentry),
Carl Geraghty sax (ex Victors, The Urge &
Bananas) and
Tim Creedan (drums) who'd played with the Ranchers showband among others.
Help!: We need your help to complete this entry. If you can tell us more about this band then please do! We welcome any corrections, missing details, connections to other bands, where are they now, etc. We also need photos, scans, copies of releases or live or demo recordings, and any other memorabilia gathering dust in the attic. If you can help, then please get in touch.