Musician Nancy always tried to do good for others
THERE was sadness across north Wicklow as news spread of the death of Nancy McBride (née Falkow), following a twoyear battle with ovarian cancer.
Nancy (49) passed away on Monday, January 6, and a cremation service took place on Friday, January 10, in McCrea’s Cremation Chapel in Wicklow town.
Nancy was an American singer-songwriter, a mother, a wife, daughter and friend, and a beloved member of the community who always strove to do good for others. She and her family lived in Holywell Way in Kilcoole.
She is survived by her husband Frankie, daughter Hannah, parents Marilyn and Bernie, brother Howard, sister Ellen and their spouses, her nephews and nieces and many relatives and friends, as well as her special pets Sanjay, Lucy and Sadie.
Her family asked mourners to make donations to Ash Animal Rescue, or any charity, in lieu of flowers.
Nancy, who moved to Ireland in 2004 to be with her husband and start a family, was a large part of a thriving Philadelphia music scene throughout the ’90s and early 2000s.
Nancy grew up in Margate City, New Jersey as part of a Jewish family and at 16 took first prize for writing in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
After finishing high school in 1988, she graduated from Temple University with a BA, and from Beaver College with an MA. At Temple, she met Mark Getten who later introduced her to Scot Sax, (who both went on to be involved in a number of bands. They encouraged her musical and song-writing efforts and spurred her into pursuing Philly area gigs which culminated in recording a five-song EP in 1997 which gained many favourable reviews.
On the strength of this, Nancy won a local talent search for Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair festival, winning one of 14 slots on the tour. The prize saw her sharing the stage with Sarah McLachlan and the Indigo Girls.
From this, many opportunities followed, including doing background vocals for artists such as Astrud Gilberto and G. Love & Special Sauce. Nancy combined her day job at Indre Recording Studios with time to record her first full-length album ‘Smitten’
The song ‘It Could’ve Been Anyone’ from Smitten made it to the soundtrack of the movie Emmett’s Mark, starring Tim Roth and Gabriel Byrne.
After a string of nominations in previous years from the Philadelphia City Paper Music Awards, Nancy won the award for Best Singer-Songwriter/Folk Performer 2002.
A number of notable gigs confirmed Nancy as a fixture on the Philadelphia music scene. The highlight of her career occurred when she toured with Daniel Lanois as a background vocalist on his ‘Shine’ tour of the east coast in 2003. Nancy was also the main female vocalist with Mike Brenner’s slide guitar hip-hop hybrid ‘Slo-Mo’ and appeared extensively on their second album ‘My Buzz Comes Back’. By 2003, Nancy was busy recording and co-producing her second album ‘Clear View’ which she released in 2004.
This brought a close to the Philadelphia chapter of her career as Nancy relocated to Ireland that year.
With marriage, a baby daughter and a chance meeting on a train, Nancy started a new project called ‘Sunflow’ in 2006 with Dublin singer/songwriter Fran King. An album of lullabies followed called ‘Under The Stars’ (2008) which was produced by Duncan Maitland.
In December 2012, Nancy reunited with producer Duncan Maitland and recorded the single ‘What I’m Doing Right’, with initial proceeds to benefit the Irish charity The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
She continued recording and performing after moving to Ireland, with appearances including a tribute to David Bowie at Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, sharing a stage with Mary Coughlan.
Her last song, ‘Accommodation Road’, recorded with a group of Irish musicians, came out in December 2018. Contributors on the track include Terry Meakin and Michael Meakin, as well as Oisín Murray, Líosa McNamara and Scott Maher.
Nancy had a philanthropic soul and she founded the charity collective ‘100 Women North Wicklow/South Dublin’. The women joined together three times a year to pool donations and choose an Irish charity or non-profit in their local community to benefit. Recipients included WH Five Loaves, Open Door, the Lucena Clinic and Team 21 Tots (Down Syndrome Centre).
She was also instrumental in securing the patronage of North Wicklow Educate Together Secondary School, and raising funds and supporting Greystones Educate Together National School. Nancy was thoroughly involved in her local community and supported causes, events, education and the arts with an indefatigable enthusiasm. Her bright smile and sunny personality are simply unforgettable. A memorial will be held at Fergie’s pub in Philadelphia this Sunday afternoon.
A GALA concert will take place on Saturday, January 18, at St Patrick’s Church in Greystones.
Temple Carrig transition year student Kate Fennell has arranged the concert to raise funds for her school charity trip to Jamaica in April. The students will take part in the Mustard Seed charity ‘Children for Children’ prograamme.
The evening will include opera, musical theatre, pop and jazz, featuring classical singers Dara MacMahon, Tony Norton, Kay Lynch and Dearbhla Walsh,
Bray-based musician Justin McCann will perform, plus a host of local youth performers, including St Patricks NS choir, Kate and James Fennell, Liam Andrews, Tim Hayden, Grainne Shortt, Tom DePaor, Sophie Clarke, Charlotte Fortune, Tara Dempsey, Adam Leddy, Ava McKechnie, Cassie Edge, Nadine Magee, Isabelle O’Donovan, Rhya and Beth Hamilton-Felton, Christian Langton, Emily Gaines, Cathal Shortt, David Prendergast, Joe Barford, plus other special guests.
Mustard Seed is an international non-profit organisation that cares for children with mental and physical disabilities, teenagers with HIV/Aids and teenage mothers in crisis.
Tickets are €10 or €5 for students and available at the door or from eventbrite.ie.