43
Family act blends Irish music with other styles The Willis Clan
By John Benson
County fairs are all about bringing together different folks to show off their various talents and having some fun. That’s why the appearance of 12-member family act the Willis Clan tonight at the Canfield Fair makes so much sense.
“There is really something for everybody in the show,” said matriarch Brenda Willis.
The Willis Clan boasts musicians and dancers merging their Irish roots with other music and dance genres to create a unique blend of the old and new.
In talking to Willis, it seems as though the family was destined for something great.
“My husband and I met in high school, got married and we knew we wanted to have 12 kids,” she said. “We ended up seeing ‘Riverdance’ about 18 years ago and we were just blown away. The music was great, the dancing was great and we thought that would be a great sport for our girls. We fell in love with the whole culture — the music and the dancing.
“So we started buying instruments when my kids were very little, but we saw something really cool about that culture. Then we found out my great-grandparents were both from Ireland, so there’s a very strong family connection there, too. It’s kind of reconnecting with our roots.”
Today those roots have expanded into country, bluegrass and pop music. In addition, some of the 12 kids, all of whom have names beginning with the letter J, are involved with Irish dancing competitions.
However, music is their true love with the Willis Clan releasing its debut album, the aptly titled “Roots,” in 2012. That project explored Irish music, while the follow-up effort a year later called “Boots” was bluegrass focused. Up next for the outfit is a pop album due out later this year.
“We have a uniqueness because of the Irish instrumentation,” Willis said. “We’re influenced by The Corrs. They’re not together anymore, so we’re kind of stepping into that role. It’s the Irish instrumentation yet with a pop feel and beat. Already we’re performing a number of those songs in our live shows and people are loving them.”
What’s unique is that an Irish-music based band is getting stage time on country music bills. Willis said that began a few years ago when they were discovered at their annual St. Patrick’s Day gig in Nashville. Next thing the group knew, they were opening for Brad Paisley and The Band Perry in the U.K.
Since then, the act has been touring the states incessantly and in the process gaining a mainstream following. Those fans may have seen the Willis Clan earlier this summer when it appeared on “America’s Got Talent.” The band was eliminated in the first round.
Still, there’s something about the band’s bluegrass and Irish music roots that makes sense opening up for, say, Reba McEntire at the Canfield Fair.
“At the core, Irish music, bluegrass music, country music and pop music are all tied together a lot more than people realize,” Willis said. “And so if folks think they’re not interested in that, they really should come out and give it a try because it’s a variety show that includes that music and dancing of all different genres. And then there’s the family. Everyone can relate to family.”