He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing Irish traditional music in a duo with Andy Irvine and later with Tommy Peoples and Matt Molloy , he later turned to a more rock -inspired electric style with poignant political lyrics.
He began learning piano around age six and by the age of eleven he had begun to play guitar, spending hours of his school holidays learning every song that the Shadows had recorded. He was also influenced by Chuck Berry. In , Brady began performing as a piano player in a hotel in Bundoran , Donegal.
During his time at college in Dublin , the country saw a huge rise in interest in traditional Irish music. However, it would prove to be Brady's last album covering traditional material. He decided to delve into pop and rock music, and released his first album of this genre in , Hard Station.
Brady released a number of successful solo albums throughout the s: True for You , Back to the Centre , and Primitive Dance By the end of the decade, Brady was recognised and accepted as a respected performer and songwriter. Dylan was sufficiently impressed by Brady's work to name-check him in the booklet of his box set, Biograph.
The actual quote was " I listen more to that kind of stuff than whatever is popular at the moment. They're not just witchdoctoring up the planet, they don't set up barriers Since his Hard Station album , Brady was on various major labels until he created his own label, PeeBee Music, in the late s.
