McCullough Was Here

It's part of your musical education to spend a Sunday night in the basement of The Empire in Belfast. Ken Haddock is the prized resident with one of the most expressive voices in town. I believe we've paid tribute to his awesome style in the past.

But there's also plenty to be said about his pals on the stage. This becomes apparent during a rendition of 'I Shot The Sheriff', when each of the musicians gets to stretch out a little. Make sure you catch this moment and in particular watch the guy on keyboards. The name is John McCullough. He looks like Jamie Cullum if you squint just a little. And on cue, he hauls free from the band, grooving and expressing, a deal of pure adventure. The regulars are smiling. A few jaws drop. And when his allotted bars are completed, John sits back and lets other players take the glory. Next week, he'll do it all entirely differently.

My radio show routinely plays records with the McCullough signature. He's on the new Gareth Dunlop EP and he's a delight on Anthony Toner's current album 'Light Below the Door'. He's been a regular with Ben Glover, a sometime Waterboy, a mate of Grainne Duffy and he brings value to Ronnie Greer, Bap Kennedy and Eilidh Patterson.

John can do winsome like Bruce Hornsby, or work up a concise funk. He's cool with the Rhodes, the Hammond and the Wurlitzer. And when Gerry Anderson comments that the Anthony Toner record has the verve of prime Steely Dan, he really means that John McCullough has the chops to do an effortless Donald Fagen. Outstanding.