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b. 1949, London, England. From the mid-50s Friel was raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, often enduring hardship caused by sectarian issues rife there at the time. As a child, he heard music on radio and saw films, citing High Society (1956) as being particularly memorable, largely because of Louis Armstrong's presence. He was also a fan of the Beatles and of Irish folk music. He acquired a guitar in the late 60s, learned basic chords, and developed a new musical hero, Bob Dylan. Friel then advanced his musical knowledge, as have so many singer-songwriters, by working backwards to artists such as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Hank Williams, Memphis Minnie and Blind Willie McTell.
After studying history, Friel became a teacher in London and wrote music for a Christmas show. This changed the direction of his life and he returned to Derry where he wrote topical and comic songs for BBC Radio. On radio, Friel presented his own show, which won the 1993 Sony Award for Best Music Programme. Among artists with whom he has worked is singer Mary Dillon. Friel?s singing voice is ideally suited to the lyricism of the songs he writes.
