Paul Brock (Brief Biography courtesy of the Brock-Scahill Artist's site, 2006)
and
Musicians of Westmeath: (Courtesy of The Knotted Chord Archive, 2002).


Paul Brock has been at the forefront of button accordion playing for many years. A multiple All-Ireland champion born in Athlone, County Westmeath, and now residing in Ennis, Paul pursued a solo career through the 60�s and 70�s.__His collaborations with fiddle player Frankie Gavin during the 70�s and 80�s culminated in their 1986 Gael-Linn recording �A Tribute to Joe Cooley�, regarded by critics and fellow musicians as one of the outstanding traditional albums of the modern era. Paul�s solo album, �Mo Chairdin� (Gael-Linn, 1992), was described in the Rough Guide to Irish Music as a �modern masterpiece of accordion music�. __In May 1989, Paul co-founded the group Moving Cloud with fiddle player, Manus McGuire. This Clare-based group produced two albums for Green Linnet Record, including their 1994 self-titled release that was selected by well-known U.S. music critic Earle Hitchner as the best Irish traditional album of that year. Paul was recently voted as 'Best Male Musician' of 2004 by the Irish American News. He founded Brock McGuire Band jointly with Manus McGuire and the band continues to tour internationally.

Paul Brock (1944- ) Accordion, Melodeon.

Born in Athlone, County Westmeath, an area with a proud music tradition, to parents who encouraged his interest in music

From an early age Paul was listening to 78" recordings and the radio programmes "Ceolta Tire", "As I roved out" and "A Job of Journeyork".

He started playing on a single row melodeon before working through different row accordions. The major influence in his earlier years was Frank Dolphin, a fiddle player from Ballisadare, Co Sligo, his music teacher and mentor. He had a County Clare influence also with an aunt living on the Loop Head Peninsula whom he used to visit.

Paddy O�Brien, from Tipperary, was the major influence on accordion players >from the 1950s on, as well as Joe Cooley. Other accordion influences included American born German accordion maestro John J. Kimmel, Joe Derrane, William McElligott, and PJ Conlon. Paul also credits Gort tin whistle player Kieran Collins as well as Sligo fiddlers Coleman, Morrisson and Killoran.

Paul won all Ireland titles in the late 1950s and was Hohner National Senior Champion in 1960. By the late 1960s he had mastered single, two-row, three-row and five-row accordions.

In 1986 he recorded a tribute to Joe Cooley "Omos do Joe Cooley" with Frankie Gavin(Green Linnet).

He moved to Ennis and there formed the band Moving Cloud with East Galway and Sligo fiddlers Maeve Donnelly and Manus McGuire, who were later joined by flute player Kevin Crawford and piano player Carl Hession. They made two cds on the Green Linnet label, "Moving Cloud" and "Foxglove".

Moving Cloud were very much influenced by the Irish dance bands from the 1920�s to the 1940s in America.

1992 Paul recorded a solo cd called "Mo Chairdin"(Gael Linn).

As well as traditional music Paul also has a great love of jazz and classical music, the legendary Irish tenor John McCormack is a particular area of expertise.

With Moving Cloud no longer performing Paul has formed a new combination with Manus McGuire and friends called the Brock McGuire Band.