Speaking with John McDermott over the phone is a bit of a surprise. The renowned Celtic tenor has no Scottish accent, but don’t let that get you down. McDermott’s albums, as Celtic as a Scotsman draped in the St. Andrew’s cross riding atop a Highland cow, have reached triple platinum status worldwide. He’s as well known for his rendition of ‘Danny Boy’ as he is for charitable work in veterans’ causes.
The Eagle caught up with McDermott before his show this Sunday at the Bragg Creek Community Centre and spoke about his upcoming book, the ‘strange’ moments and his continuing appeal.
Eagle: Without giving too much away from your upcoming book, what’s something people might be surprised to discover about you?
McDermott: I think it’s when they hear how it all unfolded. It’s crazy. It started with doing karaoke on a ship with (famed film critic) Roger Ebert. I’d never performed on a stage in my life and the first time I get it, I’m opening for the Chieftains. How do you go from the Toronto Sun delivering newspapers to walking out on the stage at every major hall across the country? The way it unfolded is wild. And I think it’s also a series of collusions, which is leading towards the title.
Eagle: If your career hadn’t worked out, what would John McDermott be doing?
McDermott: Probably something to do with water treatment chemistry. For the first nine years of my working world, I was in industrial and commercial water treatment. If I hadn’t gone on that cruise, I’d probably still be there.
It’s insane; my managers are Michael Cohl and Bill Ballard. (They’re) two of the largest promoters in the world. It really is strange.
Eagle: What was the strangest moment, when you realized you made it?
McDermott: I get a call from the promoter of the Irish Tenors, and he says, ‘Can you go out on tour?’ He says, ‘Can you go out on tour with Nana Mouskouri?’ I said ‘come again?’ He told me he was in Victoria, two days away from starting our next Canada tour and Harry Belafonte has bailed on her and she asked me if I knew anybody who can replace him. I said let me talk with my musicians, see if they’re willing to go out. I flew the next day to Victoria and we did the tour. By the time we got to Montreal, I was doing a 25-minute set with her band and my guys. Then (Nana) said why don’t you just do the world tour with me?
The final show is at a place called the Herodes Atticus theatre in Athens, just a crazy beautiful place. And she told the crew to keep me away from the building for the day. So when she introduced me and I walked out on stage, I literally couldn’t speak. I looked at the audience, over 7,000 people, and I look up to my right and I see the Acropolis lit up. That was one of those moments where you say, ‘This is really odd.’
Eagle: With the sheer amount of different genres and the greater diversification of music in this era (just look at electronic music), what is it about your music that appeals to people?
McDermott: A lot of people can relate to the songs because many of them talk about a time in their life, when they were kids and they remember a family member or somebody else was singing it. It’s a bit of an easy emotional rollercoaster for people. People can get a different impressions or understanding of it that might make it that much more meaningful.
For more information on John McDermott, his work and charitable causes, visit johnmcdermott.com. Get your tickets at ticketfly.com/event/940575-john-mcdermott-bragg-creek.
