County: Antrim

Decades Active: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s

About Bap Kennedy

Martin Christopher Kennedy, known as Bap Kennedy, was a singer-songwriter from Belfast. He was noted for his collaborations with Steve Earle, Van Morrison, Shane MacGowan and Mark Knopfler, as well as for writing the song "Moonlight Kiss" which was on the soundtrack for the film Serendipity.

Kennedy got his start in music when he was 16, playing in a short-lived punk rock band called Sellout. Several years later, Kennedy joined a band called the Bankrobbers, and when he and a few of his bandmates teamed up with members of another Belfast outfit, Ten Past Seven, the group evolved into Energy Orchard, whose blend of lyrical folk and hard-driving rock earned them frequent comparisons to Van Morrison.

Kennedy was in Energy Orchard for many years and also recorded a number of well-received solo albums including Domestic Blues, The Big Picture, The Sailor's Revenge, Let's Start Again and Reckless Heart. During his solo career, Kennedy performed, wrote and recorded songs with artists such as Steve Earle (on Domestic Blues), Van Morrison (on The Big Picture) and Mark Knopfler (on The Sailor's Revenge). Following the releases of The Big Picture and The Sailor's Revenge, he toured the US and Europe with Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, who also produced Kennedy's 2012 album The Sailor's Revenge.

His ninth full-length studio album, Reckless Heart, was recorded during his battle with cancer, and was released just three weeks after his passing on 1 November 2016.

Video

Bap Kennedy - Moonlight Kiss, live 2012