Singing ‘Danny Boy’ stirs memories of brother, dad

“Dad used to sing solo hymns at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, so we kids grew up singing. Sometimes when he would sing in the shower, neighbors would pull out their lawn chairs for the concert. ‘Danny Boy’ was a favorite of his to sing, and we would sing along.

“My brother, Robert, loved to sing. He would go to piano bars to sing. There was one in Kemah called Webb’s Cove, and he would sing there on weekend nights. Usually on a Sunday night, a certain guy named Red Adair would stop in to listen. Red really liked Robert’s voice, and he would always request that he sing either ‘How Great Thou Art’ of ‘Danny Boy.’ Red would insist on giving Robert a $100 tip, which he’d split with the piano player.

“‘Danny Boy’ was a favorite of Robert’s. When he sang it, it was really powerful, and it would bring listeners to tears. It was also a favorite of mine to perform. But it’s a difficult song because of its vocal range.

“In 2019, I was in Dublin, Ireland, with my daughter and her husband. We toured the Irish Whiskey Museum that was near Trinity College on land that was once owned by my ancestors around the year 1100. After the tour, there was karaoke in the bar. So we stopped for a moment and sang a few songs.

“Then I asked the karaoke host if he thought I could sing ‘Danny Boy’ as an American, and if it would be OK with the locals. I didn’t want to show any disrespect. He said to go ahead, so I dedicated it to my brother, who passed away in 2000. I knew that Robert would have loved to have been there. The wind was blowing something awful outside, and I just thought it was now or never to honor him since I was in the land of our ancestors with his favorite niece. So I mustered up my courage, and just lived in the moment to remember him and my dad.

“It was such a fun time. By the end of the song, we were all in tears and the whole room was singing along. I swear that I could feel Robert there in spirit as I sang this incredible Irish tune.”

— Lou Ann Stanley