The
history of Celtus starts with three brothers from Derrylin, near Eniskillen
- their father was a respected fiddle player, teacher and sometime member
of the Starlight showband. Pat McManus played fiddle and guitar, John
played flute, bodhran, Uilleann pipes and bass guitar. The boys played
in public from the age of seven. At eight, John appeared with Matt Molloy
of the Chieftans and won successive All-Ulster Championships on the tin
whistle. Pat appeared on TV for the first time at seven and was All-Ireland
Champion on fiddle by the age of fourteen.
The brothers formed a rock band called
Mama's Boys. Tommy was only thirteen at the time. Pat played guitar, violins
and did backing vocals, John played bass, low whistle and did vocals, Tommy
played drums and sang backing vocals. Tommy was listening to Top Of The
Pops and the like and he encouraged his brothers to do something different
from the traditional music they had always played. They toured pubs and
clubs in Ireland playing practically every kind of music you could think
of.
The band signed a record deal with Jive
Records for whom they recorded two albums which were successful in the
US, one of them making the Billboard Top 100.
1982 - Plug It In - Albion Records
Line-up: John McManus, Pat McManus, Tommy McManus
1983 - Turn It Up - Spartan Records
Line-up: John Baker, John McManus, Pat McManus, Tommy McManus
1984 - Mama's Boys - Jive Records
Line-up:
1987 - Growing Up The Hard Way - Jive Records
Donald Baker, Pete Harris, John McManus, Pat McManus, Tommy McManus, Keith Murrell, Philip Begley, Jonny Fean, Marc Fox
1991 - they played at Derry
19?? - Power And Passion - Arista Records
Line-up: John McManus, Pat McManus, Tommy
McManus
The music was pop-rock, along the lines of Foreigner and Def Leppard, unlike
the traditional Irish music they grew up playing, but they still picked
up traditional instruments in spare moments.
Tommy
McManus had suffered from leukaemia as a child and while the band were
on tour in America he had a relapse. Tommy recovered completely, but the
band lost impetus. Jive tried to change the band by introducing a new lead
vocalist and keyboard man, and making the sound more commercial. Tommy
had further relapses and the band was off the road again. Jive Records
didn't renew their contract and the band carried on gigging. They released
two more albums on their own label but Tommy had a further relapse in 1993
and despite a bone marrow transplant he died in 1994.
Pat and John gave up music. Obviously Tommy expected this to happen and he made clear requests to key people that should anything happen to him they should be encouraged to continue with their music. Ettiene and Caterine were Mama's Boys fans who were close to the brothers and they came to visit Tommy in UCH. Tommy made them promise to tell Pat and John to continue.
John composed 'Brothers Lament'
and Pat heard it. The pair began to play more 'Irish' music. Muff Winwood
liked the music and this lead to a contract with Sony Soho Square. During
their time with Sony they made Moonchild and Portrait. Sadly the second
album didn't sell the regulation 35,000 copies and Sony dropped them.
The single that was due to be released was scrapped even though it had
already been pressed. The band then set out on a self-financed tour and
released a CD on Shamrock Records called Rooted. This was partially music
that was commissioned by EMI and used during the Jimmy Nail tour and brought
so many positive comments that they felt it should be available to fans.
There wasn't a general release and it was sold only at gigs and through
mail order (there may be copies left if you check the new official
site.
