Don Mescall

With his career still climbing rapidly, Don is already recognised as one of the leading lights in songwriting in the UK, Ireland and US. His songs have shone as international hits for a wide range of Folk, Pop and Country stars such as Ronan Keating & Kate Rusby , Lulu , the legendary Richie Havens , Frances Black and the multi-platinum American artist Neal McCoy . His most recent projects are soon due to flourish for Grammy Award winner LeAnn Rimes , best-selling Canadian artist Garou , and the band currently taking the world of Country music by storm, Rascal Flatts .
But it is as a live performer that Don Mescall truly shines. His delivery is highly charged with emotion, rooted in his Irish charm, humour and sensitivity. He is an individual who absorbs the complexities of life, feels its effects deeply and reflects that back with grace to touch an audience often in ways that they can’t readily comprehend.
By reaching back with honesty into such harsh personal tragedies as the loss of his father as a young boy and a broken marriage in recent years, Don's songs range from story-telling vehicles of humanity at its most fragile to uplifting anthems of hope and spirituality.

"Daily doses of Don Mescall as artist, as writer, or both will lead to good musical health" - Paul Gambaccini, BBC Radio 2
"His music may be influenced by Tom Waits, Stephen Stills and Joni Mitchell but ultimately it reflects the poetic side of his soul"
- Time Out
"Mescall captures his audience like a young Paul Simon"
- Austin Chronicle
"Don Mescall writes bittersweet love songs and memorable ballads of youth with a sensitivity that cannot be synthesised" - Irish Post
"There is something unavoidably poetic and beautiful about Mescall's lyricism" * * * * * - Irish World News

This poignant meeting not only resulted in Richie recording the track and performing it at major gigs worldwide but it moulded a great friendship and Don is often invited as Richie's special guest. Paradise can be found on Richie's 2002 album "Wishing Well".
Performing is a major part of Don's career, touring regularly in Ireland and the UK including the UK's major festivals such as Glastonbury and Main Stage appearance at GuilFest 2006.

“There's a certain effortless poignancy to Don’s material that suggests Glastonbury could be just the first of many famous stop-offs" – Hotpress

Moving right up to date, Don has recently co-written the first single, "All Over Again", from the new Ronan Keating album, performed in duet with leading English folk star Kate Rusby . Ronan & Kate's great performance took the single to an impressive No.6 in the UK singles chart and has gone on to be released around the world with other international female artists.
Despite his ongoing growth as an artist, all the historical references remain strong in Don’s sound and soul – his undeniably Irish narrative, the influence of the classic song-writers of his youth, and echoes of his long-standing bond with the guru that is Richie Havens.
You may have seen Don on the road with:
Shawn Colvin
John Martyn
Brian Kennedy
Joe Cocker
Richie Havens
Gretchen Peters
Mary Coughlan
Frances Black
Hal Ketchum

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