The name of American Jim Rooney might not be instantly familiar to most Irish people, but his work certainly is. As one of Nashville's leading music figures, he has been responsible for producing best-selling albums for singers such as Nanci Griffith, Hal Ketchum, Iris Dement and John Prine. Jim Rooney has shaped the careers of many performers and the most recent of these is Galway singer Sean Keane.
Last year, Jim and his wife, Carol, decided to take a break from America and spend six months in Galway, the county where Jim's paternal grandfather was born. The Rooneys went to the house in the village of Balindereen, in the south west of the county. Just about a week after they moved there, they got a phone call of welcome from Sean Keane, who lived a few miles away. That call led to a working relationship between the two men and to Jim Rooney producing Sean's new album, which was released last week in Galway. "I had just heard that Jim was in the area and contacted him to say hello and see if he was interested in doing any work because I was a big fan of his," Sean explained.
What he didn't know was that Jim was also a fan of his since hearing his last album, Turn A Phrase, two years ago when on honeymoon in Ireland.
"Carol and I were in a pub in Baltimore and heard this beautiful singing on CD," says Jim. "I asked the barman who it was and it was Sean. At that stage I didn't know much about his work and would have been more aware of his sister, Dolores. However, we bought the CD and eventually played it out. When Sean rang after we moved to Galway and we learned he lived just two miles away, I couldn't believe it." So Jim definitely was interested in working with Sean, a member of Galway's leading musical families. "I was also really impressed by the musicians which he had lined up for his album," says Jim. "They included people I'd always wanted to work with, such as Arty McGlynn and Nollaig Casey."
Most of No Stranger was recorded in Galway's Temptation Studios during the six months Jim spent in Ireland last year. However, additional material was recorded in Nashville at Garth Brooks's recording studio. The completed album contains traditional material as well as contemporary songs from writers such as Sting, Bob Dylan and Mick Hanley, who also helped out on backing vocals. Mick and Jim Rooney were old friends, as it was Jim who originally introduced Hal Kepchum to Mick Hanley's song, Past the Point of Rescue, which became a major hit in America. For Sean Keane, Jim Rooney's dedication and support while making this album were invaluable. Last week the producer interrupted work on his current project to fly back to Ireland last week for the launch of No Stranger. And he also brought some Nashville friends along, including John Prine, who was on holidays in the West.