Canadian Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame
Mike O`Reilly
Inducted: 2024
Michael O’Reilly (1944-2021)- Ontario
Mike discovered bluegrass, learned to play banjo and began entertaining while in high school. He earned a B.Ed. at the University of Ottawa, but his forte was always music and humour. In 1969, Mike formed the first strictly bluegrass band in Ottawa, bought his first mandolin and guitar and soon mastered both. In 1970 he headed for the U.S. to hone his skills with a young Del McCoury and others.
Upon returning to Canada, many bands followed, beginning with ‘Cody’ which recorded its acclaimed album in 1978. He ventured into other genres with the ‘Radio Kings’, and as ‘Bolt Upright,’ but stayed connected to bluegrass as both a performer and a promoter. Mike and others brought many top bluegrass acts to Ottawa in the 80’s and 90’s. He helped launch ‘The Valley Bluegrass Festival’ (Renfrew), which ran for 23 years with ‘The Dick Smith-Mike O’Reilly Band,’ as host band and Mike as the main emcee.
Mike performed throughout Ontario, the rest of Canada, the US, Europe and Australia. He emceed many other events, and hosted roots music shows called ‘Café Hibou’ on CBC Ottawa TV for 3 years and ‘Rural Roots’ on local radio. Beyond music, Mike led comedy duo ‘Delmer and Cecil’ ‘on Ottawa radio, and performed as a voice actor or in person in numerous TV movies, shows and commercials.
He recorded many of the 300 hundred songs he wrote on at least 6 albums and saw his songs recorded by other great bluegrass performers including Del and Ronnie McCoury, Danny Paisley, The Country Gentlemen, Junior Sisk and Rhonda Vincent.
At the ”Central Canada Bluegrass Awards” he won ‘Composer of the Year’ 4 times, ‘Entertainer of the Year’ 8 times, ‘DJ of the Year 5 times’, and was inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame 1996.
