Kevin McAlea

{{short description|Irish keyboard player and songwriter}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Kevin McAlea | image = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1949|04|10|df=yes}} | birth_place = Belfast, Northern Ireland | instrument = {{hlist|Piano|keyboards|synthesisers}} | genre = Pop, rock | occupations = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter}} | years_active = 1970–present | label = | past_member_of = {{Plainlist| * Skid Row * Bees Make Honey * Kate Bush band * David Gilmour band }} | associated_acts = {{Plainlist| * Kate Bush * David Gilmour * Barclay James Harvest }} | website =  }}

'''Kevin McAlea''' (born 10 April 1949) is an Irish keyboard player and songwriter, known for his work with Kate Bush, David Gilmour, and Barclay James Harvest and for writing English lyrics for the Nena song "99 Luftballons", as the international hit "99 Red Balloons".<ref name="luftballoons">{{cite web|title= 99 Red Balloons – interview with the writer, Kevin McAlea |publisher= Eighty-eightynine |url= http://www.eightyeightynine.com/music/99luftballoons-english.html |accessdate= 17 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/artists/the-story-behind-99-red-balloons|title=The band didn't like the English lyrics, the record company didn't want to release it as a single, and the song had no chorus: The story of the 'foreign language song' that became an international hit|first=Andy|last=Price|date=18 November 2025|website=MusicRadar}}</ref> He also plays saxophone, guitar and uilleann pipes. He has built several analogue synthesiser systems and had an early interest in electronic music.

McAlea was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.<ref name="BJH">{{cite web|url=http://www.bjharvest.co.uk/mcalea.htm|title=Kevin McAlea biography|accessdate=7 September 2015}}</ref> He attended St. Malachy's College there.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

Early in his career he played in Skid Row,<ref>{{Cite web |title=McAlea, Kevin |url=https://www.katebushencyclopedia.com/mcalea-kevin |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=Kate Bush Encyclopedia |date=14 September 2017 |language=en}}</ref> an Irish band which had included future members of Thin Lizzy.

He performed with Kate Bush, on her only tour, 1979's "The Tour of Life", and again during her 2014 Hammersmith Apollo residency, "Before the Dawn". He played with David Gilmour on parts of his 2015/2016 world tour which included concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden. He has also worked with Bees Make Honey, Clannad, Barbara Dixon, Dr Feelgood, Enya, Roy Harper, Kirsty MacColl, Seal, Poly Styrene, and Kim Wilde.

McAlea has a site with a library of traditional tunes and some recorded works, called Celtic Orbis.<ref name="CO">{{cite web|url=http://www.celticorbis.co.uk|title=Celtic Orbis|accessdate=7 September 2015}}</ref> He also has released music under the same name.<ref name="auto">{{Citation |title=Celtic Orbis - The Dagda's Cauldron |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/11756682-Celtic-Orbis-The-Dagdas-Cauldron |language=en |access-date=2022-07-14}}</ref>

== Discography ==

McAlea's career includes contributions to:

* {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1979}}|event= Barclay James Harvest - ''Eyes of the Universe''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1979}}|event= Kate Bush - ''Live at Hammersmith Odeon''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1981}}|event=Barclay James Harvest - ''Turn Of The Tide''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1987}}|event=Barclay James Harvest - ''Face To Face''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1980}}|event=Poly Styrene - ''Translucence''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1993}}|event=Barclay James Harvest - ''Caught In The Light''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1997}}|event=Barclay James Harvest - ''River Of Dreams''}} * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2004}}|event=Poly Styrene - ''Flower Aeroplane''}} * {{Timeline-event|date=2007|event=Celtic Orbis - The Dagda's Cauldron}}<ref>{{Citation |title=the Dagda's Cauldron |date=2007-01-01 |url=https://open.spotify.com/track/4YvPhXLQhTucTmnYk4NHCS |language=en |access-date=2022-07-14}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> * {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|2014}}|event= Kate Bush - ''Before the Dawn''}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{IMDb name|nm0563916}} * {{Discogs artist|281920-Kevin-McAlea}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McAlea, Kevin}} Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Belfast Category:Kate Bush Category:Keyboardists from Northern Ireland Category:Bees Make Honey (band) members