Conor was born in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.  He’s second to the oldest in a family of 5 kids (2 girls and 3 boys).  His first introduction into music came at the early age of 5 in his grandfather’s pub, “Jack Conolly’s” in Ennis.  His grandfather used to give him a shot of black currant and Guinness then put him on the counter to sing “Spancil Hill” and “Sullivan John”.  His reward for a great performance was always Tayto’s and chocolate!

Conor began playing the tin whistle at age 7 with the school band.  At age 10, his father taught him how to play guitar and he started playing seisuins and feis’s locally in Clare until he was 16.  He also played in the Gael Teach summer camps for Irish Culture and language.

From the age of 13 to 18, Conor formed and starred in a local band called “The Blessed” with 4 school friends of the same age.  Then he moved on and formed a new band called “The Makings” with 3 of the original school friends.  “The Makings” moved to Dublin and played all over Ireland in pubs, concerts and festivals to include touring in Liverpool, Manchester, London and France for the next 3 years.

Following his successful tour with “The Makings”, Conor met Dave Fanning (independent new music DJ for RTE 2 Ireland, credited for putting U2 on the map) and appeared many times on Irish TV with his band. As luck would have it in 1990, the director Alan Parker saw Conor by chance as asked Conor to make a cameo appearance in the movie “The Commitments”.  Parker even wrote a song for Conor to sing in the movie called “The Protest Song”.   Check out Conor’s performance in the movie!

In 1991 while busking in downtown Ennis, Conor was playing some Neil Young and Bob Dylan songs when a passerby stopped and started singing the songs along with Conor, knowing all of the lyrics.  The bearded middle aged, heavy set man claimed to be personal friends with Young and Dylan and left Conor a $100 tip in his guitar case.  Making an impression on Conor, he thought he would never forget his face and later that year, while looking at an American friend’s album collection, Conor saw this generous tipper’s picture.  It was non other than Jerry Garcia from the “Grateful Dead”!

Conor moved to the United States in 1992 where his son Lua was born and performed in the Washington, DC area for a year.   He then moved back to Ireland and performed with various artists in Ireland and France.

In 1994, Conor moved back to the US again and settled in Washington, DC where he currently plays locally in the Washington metro area and along the east coast in Irish pubs and festivals.  Conor’s son Lua who lives in Maryland, also plays music, following along in his Dad’s footsteps.

Conor also jams with the popular DC classic rock and Irish music band “Smoke and Mirrors” with fellow artists Justin Jordan, Jimmy Carr, and John Thiel.

In late 2006, to his fan’s long awaited requests, Conor recorded his first solo album called “Conor Malone” with artists Justin Jordan, Steve Holley, Jimmy Carr, John Thiel and Steve Morris.  Conor writes alot of his own songs, one of which “Sacred” is recorded on his new album.  He is also working on another album to be released within the next year.

So, if you’re in the Washington DC metro area, check out one of Conor’s performances for an unforgettable evening of great music.  Check back often for new tour dates and some planned tour surprises.