Bap Kennedy Of Energy Orchard Dead At 54

Stereo Embers is sad to report the death of singer/songwriter Bap Kennedy.

The Belfast-born musician was 54.

On his official Facebook page the following note was written:

We are devastated to announce that Bap passed away this evening. Bap was extremely brave until the end. We would like to thank everybody for their kind messages of support over the past few months, these meant a lot to Bap and Brenda and helped Bap stay positive throughout his illness. We are also extremely grateful to all the staff at the Marie Curie hospice for their kindness and warmheartedness during his stay.

A musician with soul, nerve and poetic precision, Kennedy fronted the beloved late ’80s outfit Energy Orchard, whose anthemic and sweeping numbers prompted some to refer to them as the Irish version of The Waterboys. The band lasted nearly ten years and yielded four studio albums and one live record called Orchardville, which was recorded on St. Patrick’s day in London at their final show.

Boasting the kind of CV that musicians would sell their souls to have a mere percentage of, as a solo artist, Kennedy not only collaborated with the likes of Van Morrison, Steve Earle and Shane MacGowan, he also toured the world with Mark Knopfler, who produced Kennedy’s 2012 effort The Sailor’s Revenge.

Steve Earle, who had personally phoned Kennedy to offer to produce his first solo album Domestic Blues, once declared Kennedy was, “the best songwriter I ever saw.”

Although he got his start as a punk, Kennedy was a devoted follower of the music of Hank Williams and Elvis Presley. In fact, his Lonely Street record is a concept album that spins a narrative about the lives of both men. Kennedy wasn’t shy about honoring his interests–his 2009 album Howl On was another concept effort that was a fond and probing look at the late ’60s Space Race.

Kennedy’s last record was the Mudd Wallace-produced Let’s Start Again, which featured Kennedy’s wife Brenda on bass and backing vocals.

Kennedy was a man of many interests–he managed an Elvis impersonator, was a certified gemmologist, and was a patron of the charity Autism NI.

Kennedy, who was battling a rather sudden cancer diagnosis, chronicled his health struggles on a blog he kept (http://www.bapkennedy.com/health-blog).

Knowing that his time was short, a few months ago he wrote:

The operation has left a pretty big scar. Once they opened me up the surgeons found that they could do nothing to remove the cancer, and they discovered some more. Very bad news for me, and really the worst case scenario.

So what now? ….

I want to use my time to fix the things I can and put as much love as I can into the world before the boatman rows me across the big river. I’m not afraid. We all have to face this one day. I want to continue my cosmic adventures. I want to see my beloved grandmother Brigid again.
(Elvis will just have to wait)

There’s so much trouble in the world, yet all I’ve had directed at me lately has been love and kindness. I’ve never felt so loved and appreciated. I think my heart is going to burst. Old friends have come to see me in hospital and we all want to make music together again.

People from everywhere have been telling me how much my music means to them. I didn’t know. I didn’t know how many people have been touched by my songs.

It’s breaking my heart to find out now when I have so little time to do anything about it – but I am also very happy to feel the achievement. It’s what I always wanted. Not money. Not fame. I always wanted people to feel what I feel. The magic of music.