Tara O’Grady
Tara O’Grady is a singer, songwriter and band leader from New York City who dazzles fans with her witty lyrics and vintage fashion. She’s also a rare storyteller and published author with fascinating tales of her encounters across the globe. Her memoir Migrating toward Happiness: The Soundtrack to My Spiritual Awakening was published by Balboa Press in 2019. Imagine Eat, Pray, Love, meets Thelma & Louise on the Yellow Brick Road, soundtrack included.
With looks reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood and a voice to match, she transports audiences to another era singing the songs of Nina Simone, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and Billie Holiday. She brings her breathless charm to festivals and music venues across New York, New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, Budapest, Seville, Copenhagen, Dublin and beyond.
Her band, Tara O'Grady & The Black Velvet Band, performed weekly in Manhattan at jazz clubs. They combine celtic, folk, funk, blues, rockabilly, gospel, swamp pop and especially jazz in their unique lickety-split swing sound that has been described as eclectic, authentic, timeless and nostalgic. This Irish-American jazz powerhouse writes original music that sounds like it was composed for Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong, but also performs traditional songs with fresh arrangements meant more for a prohibition swing dance hall than an Irish pub. Her stellar musicians have shared the stage with legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and even Lady Gaga. Together, they are a musical force of nature that inspire audiences to imagine the magic of days gone by with Tara's timeless voice at the helm.
O'Grady’s soulful voice has been compared to legends such as Billie Holiday, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Lee and Patsy Cline. But she has her own distinct sound. Awarded Irish Voice’s Most Influential Woman 2010 by Ireland’s Prime Minister, the singer-songwriter has five cd releases, Black Irish (2010), Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (2011), A Celt in the Cotton Club (2013), Irish Bayou (2015) and Folk Songs: Songs About Real Folks (2017). Her recording of the famous song Danny Boy was ranked #6 in Best Selling Blues MP3s and #10 in Best Selling Jazz MP3s on the UK’s Amazon.com. Her recording of that song was also featured in an award winning BBC documentary film celebrating the song's 100th anniversary. Danny Boy: The Ballad that Bewitched the World was nominated for best documentary at Ireland's Film & Television Awards in 2014, and starred O’Grady, Judy Collins, Joe Jackson, Gabriel Bryne, Rosanne Cash, and Paddy Maloney of The Chieftains.
Her original songs and unique renditions of Irish standards can be heard on radio stations across America and Europe. French jazz band The Sassy Swingers recorded one of Tara’s original songs, Heaping Helping of My Love, on their new album because they “fell in love with Tara’s sound and lyrics.” Her rendition of the Irish classic song 'Nora' appeared on Ireland's RTE television show 'Dancing with the Stars.'