The Johnstons rose to prominence in Dublin in the late '60s. Formed by
Luci,
Adrienne, and
Michael Johnston, the group featured harmony singing with guitar accompaniment. Eventually, Michael left the group and was replaced by
Mick Moloney (vocals, mandolin, banjo) and
Paul Brady (vocals, guitar). This four-piece band became extremely popular in Ireland and toured the world, starting off the careers of both
Moloney and
Brady. Their albums are equally split between innovative treatments of traditional material and fairly derivative covers of American folk-pop. ~ Steve Winick