Lee Lynch

Born in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, Ireland, Liam Lynch came to London in May 1956 and has lived in England ever since. In 1960 he was discovered performing in Chiswick by Vince Hill, who introduced him to The James Tate Agency. Having signed up for James Tate, he was soon performing under his new stage name 'Lee Lynch', at The Winter Gardens, Morecambe, as the support act for Emile Ford & The Checkmates. In 1961 Lee landed a two year contract to appear at The Nuffield Centre, Trafalgar Square and in 1963 he joined The Tropical Showband, who were resident at The 32 Club in Harlesden, appearing with, amoungst others, Tom Jones, Van Morrison and Jim Reeves. In 1965 Lee formed his own band 'The Blue Angels' and their debut single was released in 1966 on the Decca label, the Lennon & McCartney song 'You Won't See Me'. In 1969, Lee represented Great Britain in an international song contest in Belgium with a song called 'Stay Awhile', which soon went to the top of the Belgian charts and was a huge success in various countries. There were several hit singles from the subsequent LP 'Stay Awhile With Lee Lynch'. In 1971, Lee replaced Brendan Bowyer as lead singer in The Royal Showband, returning to London after an eight month stint. In 1973, he represented Ireland in a song contest in Bulgaria with his own composition, 'The Love In My Woman's Eyes'. In September 1974, Lee made his first of two appearances at The Royal Albert Hall on a bill packed with Irish talent. 1976 was a bad year for Lee as he collapsed with meningitis and nearly died and it was a full year before he recovered. In 1980 he was voted London's favourite Irish vocalist, appeared on another star studded bill at The Royal Albert Hall and released one of his best known singles 'Paddy's On The Move Again', followed up in 1982 by 'Famous Shamus'. Lee Lynch continued to write, record and perform throughout the eighties and early nineties and in all, recorded over 100 songs throughout a career spanning 35 years. Open heart surgery brought an end to his career in 1994 and he now lives a peaceful retirement in the English countryside.