- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- The Chieftains is a traditional Irish folk band known and beloved throughout the world whose recordings are mostly instrumental.
The Chieftains – 10 / Cotton-Eyed Joe (1981): The Chieftains is a traditional Irish folk band known and beloved throughout the world whose recordings are mostly instrumental. Like Chicago, their albums are simply numbered, though with Arabic, not Roman numerals. The band had already been around for nearly 20 years at this point. At the end of the album, the Chieftains depart from their usual repertoire to perform a traditional American folk tune often heard at square dances, “Cotton-Eyed Joe”. I am uncertain as to whether the Chieftains get any credit for keeping Irish music in the public eye before the arrival of the worldwide phenomenon of Riverdance in 1995, one of the most successful dance revues in history.
In any case, Irish music is almost certainly the most popular of the “world music” categories, at least in this country, and is featured in such venues as the syndicated NPR radio program, The Thistle & Shamrock.