The O'Kanes Biography
Jamie O'Hara (8 August 1950, Toledo, Ohio, USA) planned to be a professional American footballer until knee injuries forced him to change his mind. He says, "My father gave me a guitar as a gift. Two years later, I was in Nashville. That either shows a lot of confidence, a lot of arrogance or a lot of stupidity." He wrote "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days)" for the Judds and befriended another songwriter, Kieran Kane. Kane (b. 7 October 1949, Queens, New York, USA) had worked with rock acts in Los Angeles in the early 70s and then moved to Nashville. He wrote "Gonna Have A Party" for Alabama. O'Hara and Kane became friends, sharing their frustration at not having songs recorded, and they began collaborating on material. They recorded demos in Kane's attic studio, which Columbia Records considered good enough to release on their own account. The acoustic recordings (two guitars, bass, fiddle, mandolin, accordion, drums) made a stunning album debut in 1987. Their harmonies were reminiscent of a mellow version of the Louvin Brothers. They made the US country Top 10 with their first single, "Oh Darlin' (Why Don't You Care For Me No More)", and then topped the chart with "Can't Stop My Heart From Loving You". Although their album was quiet and low-key, their rousing shows won them further acclaim. They were among the "new traditionalists" in country music, but they stopped performing when Columbia failed to renew their recording contract. Their final chart entry was "Rocky Road' from Tired Of The Runnin". Following the recording of a third album, Kane and O'Hara split up and concentrated on solo careers.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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