Tom Lenahan is a Celtic Rock pioneer. When he started his first band, THE CLAN, in 1985, there were perhaps two or three bands in America playing this style of music. (The term “Celtic Rock” didn’t exist yet- Lenahan in the beginning called it “Irish folk-rock”.) He was one of the first ones anywhere to use the bagpipes in a rock setting and featured them on his first recordings in 1987 and ’88. He got special notice from audiences and critics alike for blending traditional Celtic sounds with the Blues styles of his native Chicago.

Later, in 1994, he stripped down what had grown into a seven-piece outfit to a quartet, coming out from behind the drums and becoming the bagpiper, guitarist, and hyperactive singer/ songwriter of the band now called, modestly enough, LENAHAN.
The band went on to release four albums. They toured extensively in the US and Europe, playing at scores of major festivals and venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and were a major influence on the early Celtic Rock scene in America.

Tom is currently planning some surprises for 2024. In the meantime, he hopes you’ll take some time to browse through the site and read and hear about the beginnings of Celtic Rock in America as seen through the eyes of one of the guys who was there!