L.E. McCullough

L.E. McCullough, Ph.D., has been performing and teaching traditional Irish music on tinwhistle and flute since 1972. In 1978 he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh for what was then the first dissertation on Irish traditional music ever published. From 1983-90 he performed with the French traditional group Bourrée Texane in Austin, TX and currently performs in Pittsburgh, PA with the eclectic Irish-Appalachian ensemble Devilish Merry.

Author of over 150 books and articles on Irish music including the popular instructional volumes Favorite Irish Session Tunes, The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor and St. Patrick Was a Cajun, Dr. McCullough has recorded on 52 albums for Angel/EMI, Sony Classical, RCA, Warner Brothers, Log Cabin, Kicking Mule, Rounder, Bluezette and other independent labels. His “What Whistle Would You Play at Your Mother’s Funeral? — L.E. McCullough’s Writings on Irish Traditional Music, 1974-2016” published in 2017 by Silver Spear Publications, gathers in two volumes the more than 300,000 words on Irish music and culture the prolific musician/scholar has published in 43 years of teaching and research.

Formerly the Assistant Director of the Indiana University School of Music at Indianapolis and the Administrative Director of the Humanities Theatre Group at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, Dr. McCullough has composed film scores for three PBS specials produced by WQED-TV (Alone Together, A Place Just Right, John Kane) and three Celtic Ballets for Dance Kaleidoscope co-composed with T.H. Gillespie (Connlaoi’s Tale: The Woman Who Danced On Waves, The Healing Cup: Guinevere Seeks the Grail, Skin Walkers: The Incredible Voyage of Mal the Lotus Eater). He has performed on the music tracks of the Ken Burns PBS television series The West, Lewis and Clark, Not for Ourselves Alone:  The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, The Dust Bowl and The Roosevelts and the Warner Brothers film Michael Collins starring Julia Roberts and Liam Neeson.

For more information, visit www.lemccullough.com