Visual News - Issue 5, Winter 2010 - Southern Health and Social ...

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depressed and the depression was something that was to followme throughout my life.In February 1972 I went to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfastand I was diagnosed with Leber‟s Optic Atrophy, a congenitaldisease which is incurable and was also a hereditary disease.When I found out I was going to lose my eyesight I wanted to giveup my singing career because when you have your sight you caninteract with your audience, but I was left singing in the dark. Istarted wearing dark glasses on stage and people used to heckleand ask me why I was wearing them, but at that time I was justgetting used to living with sightlessness. I‟m not totally blind, I cansee dark foggy shapes, but I‟m registered blind.My GP encouraged me to keep singing and in June 1973 the bandreleased their first single, “It was Merle Hagardd‟s „Irma Jackson‟.The Huskies then broke up in 1974, mainly due to my depression.After a break I then joined up with another band Cades Countywhich I stayed with for 8 months until I married my wife Teresa in1976.When I came back from my honeymoon we got together andstarted up The Huskies band again, „Everything is Nothing withoutyou‟ single was then re-released in 1976 and we got air time on thenewly started radio station; Downtown Radio.In 1978 the Huskies became a cabaret band, we had now sixmembers so the name was changed to „Six Pack‟, we got thechance to appear on Good Evening Ulster with Gloria Hunnifordand I sat through an interview with her. I sang one of the tracksfrom the single, which helped the band‟s exposure. In 1986 webrought out a cassette tape called „The Huskies Collection‟.”On the 28th of December 1996 the Huskies played their last gig, atQuinn‟s Corner, “Throughout 1997 I didn‟t perform as I was stillbattling with depression but I kept myself busy.In March 2002 Brendan and Teresa‟s lost their eldest son tocancer aged 24. He was a great lad, an excellent guitar player;singer, poet and song writer and we will never get over the loss.Page 34 of 38
In 2004 Brendan‟s good friend Jim Foy with the aid of backingtracks resurrected the Huskies once more, “We were back again,with the band that has had more lives than a cat and this time westuck at it until 2009 and we still get together on the lastWednesday of the month. I really look forward to our monthly gigs,the performers who come along are the best bunch of friends Icould wish for and our gigs at Quinn‟s Corner are also the bestkept secret in Ireland.”I asked Brendan what he likes to do in his spare time. I am keptbusy with family and grandchildren which is great. I like poetry andI love listening to music. I listen to all types of music and I enjoygoing to concerts and most of all I have greatly enjoyed all theyears I have performed.”Page 35 of 38
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