“Chad’s got everything a folksinger needs to ply his trade: a thumb like a jackhammer, a voice like a hobo’s prayer and an encyclopedic knowledge of American music.”

- Steve Earle

“Catch this guy now – he’s going places.”
- John Prine

Honolulu-born guitarist, harmonica player, singer and songwriter Chad Dughi has been immersed in archive recordings of American folk music, blues and jazz, since his youth. His repertoire encompasses a diverse range of styles that were popular in the United States, during the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. Songs from Woody Guthrie, Memphis Minnie, the Carter Family, Sleepy John Estes, Billie Holiday, Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Alfred Reed feature in his performances, and it is from this well of tradition that Dughi’s own writing draws its flavor.

A fascination with the origins of American folk song drew Dughi to Ireland in the late ’90s. In 1998, he appeared in Galway and Dublin, with Mick Hanley, Andy Irvine and John Faulkner, in a series of sold-out concerts organized as a tribute to the legacy of Woody Guthrie. Over the next years, he met and performed with many of Ireland’s most respected folk musicians, among them, Arty McGlynn, Brendan O’ Regan, Johnny Moynihan, Poor Bill Whelan and Peadar Browne.

In July 2003, Chad was invited to play at the “Arty McGlynn: A Celebration” concert at the Galway Arts Festival, appearing on the same bill as Matt Molloy, Frankie Gavin, Paul Brady, Martin O’ Connor, John Prine and many others. He performed on BBC Northern Ireland with Arty McGlynn and took part in the Project ’06 in Galway, reciting his songs alongside the award-winning Galway poet, Rita Ann Higgins.

Dughi’s three albums, Down Home Blues, Freedom Fries, and Phoenix Song Dogs, have received favorable attention from radio presenters, music journalists, and respected songwriters such as John Prine and Steve Earle. He performed at the Woody Guthrie 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert in Belfast, with Arty McGlynn and Johnny Moynihan, and has sung and played at pubs, folk and blues clubs and festivals, in Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United States and Canada.

Listen to Chad Dughi on Myspace

Chad Dughi in concert – Barry’s Public House Fri 20th Aug 9.30pm