There really was no show quite like a Joe show

JOE DOLAN will always be remembered as a phenomenal entertainer who managed to preserve his decree “There’s no show like a Joe show” throughout the decades.

The son of a bicycle shop owner, he was the only Irish singer to reach the top 10 in the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

He was a constant musical force on the Irish hit parade with well- known numbers like I Love You More And More Everyday, My Own Peculiar Way, Aching Breaking Heart, Pretty Brown Eyes, Tar and Cement, The House With the Whitewashed Gable, Love of the Common People and The Westmeath Bachelor.

With Make Me an Island, he scored an international hit and topped the music charts of 14 countries.

In 1969, he went on to reach the European top 10 with such tunes as Teresa, You’re Such a Good Looking Woman, It Makes No Difference, and Falling in Love.

With Italian songwriter and producer, Robert Danova, and songwriter Peter Yellowstone, Dolan had his greatest success when he wrote and recorded the million-selling hit, Lady in Blue, in 1975.

Working with the same team he scored further hits with Crazy Woman, I Need You, Sister Mary, Sixteen Brothers, My Love, You Belong To Me, Most Wanted Man In The USA and Hush Hush Maria.

During the ’70s, Joe Dolan continued to have hits in Ireland, Europe, South Africa and Australia. There was a world tour in which he played, among others, Las Vegas, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Spain, France, Germany and more.

Joe also made history by becoming the first western artist to perform in the former Soviet Union in 1978.

He made his North American debut two years later, when he spent two months performing at the Silverbird Hotel in Las Vegas. He returned there for a six-week engagement in 1981.

He launched his own label, Gable Records, in the early-1990s. He recorded a top 20 hit single, Ciara, in 1993, and an album, Endless Magic, that reached the ninth chart position, in 1997. He also recorded a chart-topping hit, Good Looking Woman, with Dustin the Turkey.

His 1998 album, Joe’s 90s, included interpretations of songs by Blur, Oasis and Pulp, while 21st Century Joe, released the following year, featured versions of David Bowie, U2, REM and Bruce Springsteen tunes.

The youngest of eight children, Dolan was born into a musical family and served an apprenticeship as a newspaper compositor for the Westmeath Examiner.

After performing with his brother, Ben, a sax player on the dancehall circuit, he joined the Drifters Showband when he completed his apprenticeship in 1964. His first single, a cover of Del Shannon’s Answer To Everything, reached number four on the Irish charts.

In 2005, he had a hip replacement and soon after, continued to tour to full houses, most notably at the Red Cow Inn, where he was a regular performer.

His spare time was spent playing golf and he played off a handicap of 14.