Lalla Rookh

This Fort Collins, Colorado group began in the late eighties after Charley Gannon and Mary Whalen met. Performing as a duo when not operating Osprey Guitars music shop by day, Gannon and Whalen had a deep affinity for Celtic music. After performing throughout Colorado, Lalla Rookh added Kay Williams on fiddle and Jim Abraham on bass. Williams had performed with the Colorado State University Orchestra while Abraham performed previously with the West Virginia Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble. The band also added mandolin player Paul Honeycutt. In 1998, Lalla Rookh released its debut album, Book One - Tales and Tradition. With a name which is also the title of a book of poetry by Sir Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh released its second album in 2002, Do You Want Kilts. The band has performed at the Colorado Irish Festival and the Wyoming Celtic Festival.