On Thursday, Oct. 24, Brady comes to the historic Opera House. Born and raised in Strabane, Northern Ireland, on the border with the Irish Republic, he was into a variety of music from an early age. A 1950s child, his first sounds came from the swing, jazz, and show tunes of his parents’ generation, followed by ’50s rock and roll, ’60s pop and Motown, blues, rhythm and blues, and country and western.

Through all this ran the potent flavor of Irish traditional music and song. Learning to play the piano pretty much by ear, his early heroes were Jerry Lee Lewis, Winifred Atwell and Fats Domino. By the age of 11 he had begun to play guitar, spending hours of his school holidays learning every tune the Shadows and The Ventures recorded, every lick Chuck Berry played.

In 1965 in Dublin at college he began to develop as a singer and performer joining a succession of rhythm-and-blues bands, covering the songs of Ray Charles, James Brown, Junior Walker and blues legends like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Chuck Berry.

The ’60s in Dublin saw the renewal of interest in Irish traditional music and gave birth to the first wave of Irish ballad groups like The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, Sweeney’s Men and The Johnstons. Soon Brady became swept up in this current and joined the latter band with whom he recorded seven albums.

In 1974 he joined Planxty the premier Irish folk band of the early ’70s. This was the band that was to launch the solo careers of Andy Irvine, Liam O‘ Flynn, Donal Lunny and Christy Moore The next few years saw him establish his popularity and reputation as one of Ireland’s best interpreters of traditional songs. His versions of great ballads like Arthur McBride and The Lakes Of Pontchartrain were definitive and are still being asked for by audiences today.

He has continued to perform in Ireland, with periodic tours to the U.S. and recording sessions in Nashville. Brady continues to push out the boundaries not only of his own talent, but of Irish contemporary music in the new millennium.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office at 86 Townsend Avenue from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, or by calling 207-633-5159. Tickets are also available at boothbayoperahouse.com. Advance purchase tickets are $20. Tickets purchased on the day of the concert are $25, if available. The concert is at 7:30 p.m., doors for seating open at 7 p.m. All seats general admission.