Irish diva Mary Duff visits Liverpool to promote new album

Apr 22 2008 by Philip Key, Liverpool Daily Post

Mary Duff, Irish singing diva _320

IRISH singer Mary Duff was in Liverpool in a slight change of pace for her. She was not with her regular on- stage partner Daniel O’Donnell – and she wasn’t singing.

Mary has for a time been carving out a solo career and she was in the city to promote her latest album Love Songs, a mixture of old tracks and new.

"It’s a collection of songs I knew from way back," she explains. It includes show songs like Hopelessly Devoted to You, pop songs like Buddy Holly’s True Love Ways and country songs like Crazy.

Although sometimes billed as a country singer, Mary likes to ring the changes and cover all musical genres. "I also get to please more people".

The singer who began her career as a teenager, singing with her father’s band, has in her time covered all types of music.

She even did rock and roll. "That was when I joined a band, Jukebox, in Ireland which covered songs from the rock and roll era."

She was with them for three years before the band broke up, then won a talent contest and was introduced to Sean Riley, manager for Daniel O’Donnell.

Housewives’ favourite O’Donnell was looking for an official singing partner and Mary got the job.

She has now been touring with him on and off for the last 21 years. "A very easy man to work with," she says.

There have been a number of Merseyside dates for the duo, a city she has taken to. "I like the market," she says. But ask what Merseyside means to her and she mentions one name, local country singer Charlie Landsborough. "He’s one of my favourite people and we have done some great gigs together. He’s such a lovely man and one of the great story-tellers."

Mary does a lot of travelling, both solo and with O’Donnell. She does not mind it, but regrets that she never has time to see the places where she sings. "All hotels can look the same, particularly if they are part of a chain."

It can also play havoc with the voice, "particularly in the USA where everywhere is air- conditioned – it can dry the voice. I get round that by drinking lots of hot water, nothing added, just hot water."

* LOVE Songs was released on Rosette Records on April 14. is released on April 14

philkey@dailypost.co.uk