KAYE TWINS RETIRE
The Kaye Twins (Gerry and Paul Kaye), having savoured the experience of the showband scene in the 1970s and subsequently, as a very successful wedding band, announced their retirement from show business earlier this month as they plan to spend more time with their expanding families while they are young enough to enjoy it.
The brothers - Gerry, who played sax and clarinet and Paul (trumpet), came to music as part of The Artane Boys Band and played with a. number of showbands including the locally-based Maurice Mulcahy Band, The Miami, Tommy Drennan and the Farmers Sons. They went on to launch ther own band in May 1982 in the Glen Eagle Hotel, Killarney and forty years later, played their final gig on New Year’s Eve at the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim, Co Meath.
“We are very grateful and delighted to have had a successful 40-year career with our band. So many other bands have come and gone in that time, we feel really fortunate to have had this journey,” the lads said and went on to thank the many musicians who worked with them.w
“Without them, we could not have reached so many hights in our careers. Also, we would like to thank all the wedding couples that booked us and hoteliers, publicans, agents and promoters. We have had the privilege of performing in all the top hotels and venues, not only in Ireland, but in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
“We were lucky to play to two thousand five hundred people on any given Saturday in The National Club Kilburn and the Galtymore in Cricklewood in London in the ‘80s and ‘90s. In 2014 we played to eight hundred Irish at The St. Patrick’s Day Ball in the Middle East (Doha capital of Qatar). We performed at many high-profile functions in Ireland (The Rose of Tralee Ball, The Galway Races Ball, and many more).
“Also, we must mention all the cruise ship gigs over the years for Irish Ferries on the Rosslare to Cherbourg crossing. We would also like to thank our national broadcaster for our TV appearances and radio play for our recordings also local radio.”
The lads said the highlight of their career was most certainly their appearance on The Late Late Show with Gay Byrne. On the night, they performed a song specially written for them by the late Shay Healy entitled ‘Stereo Stereo’.
The lads say they will continue performing together but only for their own satisfaction with family and friends’.
The twins concluded the announcement by wishing all the young musicians and singers out there the very best and and said they hope they will get the longevity that they themselves got from the industry.
They signed off by saying: “We are grateful to have made a comfortable living from something we have loved doing for many years. Once again, we thank all of those who supported us. Not the end of the road, but the start of a new journey!”
We wish them well in their retirement.