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Irish blend
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
Irish eyes will probably be smiling, as the song suggests, when Noel Kingston sings the great melodies of the Emerald Isles in concert tonight. Kingston, who has been performing Irish music in the United States since 1964, uses a smooth tenor voice to deliver the classics such as Danny Boy. After a career in radio, television and concerts in New York, Kingston "semiretired" to Florida in 1994. But he still keeps an active performance schedule, recently taking his musical show aboard a cruise ship and completing a concert tour of Ireland, dubbed the "Ireland for a Song Tour." Kingston's wide-ranging tenor voice is well-trained for singing the old Irish ballads and the more up-tempo fiddle tunes as well. Kingston has recorded more that 20 albums and CDs, according to his Web site, and his band had the distinction of being the second orchestra to play the United Nations Dining Room. (The Count Basie Band was the first.) He also joins his daughter, Mary Kingston, on several duets during the performance. Among the selections will be Irish Eyes, which is the title of Noel Kingston's latest CD. Rounding out tonight's concert is comedian Eamon O'Connor whose talents include stand-up comedy and portraying zany characters. His best-known comedy characters are Father Ned, an irascible priest, and Agnes' O'Malley. O'Connor said his forte is ad-libbing with audiences to establish a folksy and intimate atmosphere. Tonight's concert is a fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus, Abbot Francis Sadlier Council 6168, with proceeds benefitting Pope John Paul II Catholic School in Lecanto. -- Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or sanchez@sptimes.com . At a glance: A Little Bit of Irish in Lecanto, starring Noel Kingston and special guests Eamon O'Connor and Mary Kingston, 5 p.m. today, at Curtis Peterson Auditorium, Lecanto High. Tickets are $10 in advance at any Regions bank in Citrus or Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 6 Roosevelt Blvd., Beverly Hill or by calling Larry Nestor at 746-7019, or Don Irwin at 527-8450. Tickets are $12 at the door.
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