Grainne Duffy

About

Singer/Songwriter and Recording Artist Gráinne Loucia Duffy was born 1983, in Castleblayney, County Monaghan, Ireland. The youngest of seven children, friends and family recall Gráinne having initially "found her voice" at the age of nine, when the school's headmaster, who was also the choir director, brought her into the school and church choirs in an effort "to channel some of Gráinne's excess energy". At fifteen, having taken an interest in learning to play music, she was denied entry to the music program at her school for not having started three years prior and not being from a "musical family". Undeterred and with her mother's active encouragement, Gráinne began attending the "self-taught school of guitar", inspired by her sisters' record collections, weekly copies of Creem magazine and a new found love for the guitar playing of Peter Green (early Fleetwood Mac).

Following high school, Gráinne was accepted at the Irish Conservatory of Music in Dublin for studies in classical music and classical voice training and went on to complete her tertiary musical education at Maynooth University in Kildare, studying both classical and jazz and later completing her PhD in Blues from Dublin City University.

During this period Gráinne began to play and sing in various local bands with family and friends, including a local guitarist by the name of Paul Sherry, whom she was also dating at the time. Gráinne's career as a songwriter, recording artist and touring musician began almost accidentally. The catalyst was Paul Sherry (then boyfriend - now husband and bandmate), who for her 23rd birthday gifted her studio time, for which Gráinne penned seven original songs which would become most her debut album, "Out of the Dark", which was independently released in 2007 to critical acclaim in both Ireland and the UK.

Since the release of her debut album, Gráinne has released four more studio albums - "Test of Time" in 2011, "Where I Belong" in 2017, "Voodoo Blues" in 2020 and "Dirt Woman Blues" in 2023. Considered by many to be a contemporary blues artist, Gráinne's body of work reflects a wide diversity of influences and styles. Her new album, "What Am I Supposed to Do?", recorded in L.A and which features Marc Ford on guitar and production, Paul Sherry on guitar, Peter Levin on keyboard and the rhythm section of Kenny Aronoff and Jorgen Carlsson, is slated for release in the fall of 2025. As touring musicians, she and Paul have played extensively in Ireland and the UK, throughout Europe, as well as having played major international festivals including Glastonbury, Mahindra Blues Fest (India), Woodford Fest (Australia), Phuket International Blues Fest (Thailand), Tremblandt Fest (Canada), Telluride Blues Fest (USA) and Bluesapalooza (USA)