Music
30 Jan 24

Jerry Fish announces new album of Daniel Johnston songs with May Kay

Jerry Fish at Judge Roy Beans for Summer of Music. Copyright Ray Keogh.

He has hinted that further details on the album are "coming soon..."

Taking to social media today, Jerry Fish has announced that he and May Kay have "just finished an album" made up of 13 songs by the late Daniel Johnston.

The album is entitled Dreaming of Daniel, and features "amazing arrangements" by Cian Boylan.

Jerry Fish has also stated that he hopes to now get the album mixed, mastered and manufactured on vinyl – noting that the last album he released on vinyl was 1990's An Emotional Fish.

✨❤️✨ I have just finished an album of 13 Daniel Johnston songs with @MayKay316
The album is called "Dreaming of Daniel" ✨❤️✨ I will need your help to mix, master and manufacture this album on vinyl... The last vinyl record I made was my debut "An Emotional Fish" in 1990 pic.twitter.com/e4DgBVuDxg

— Jerry Fish (@VivaJerryFish) January 30, 2024

Known for his showmanship in his performances, Jerry Fish is an indie legend who is known for captivating his audience with his live shows which create a theatrical experience.

He's known for being the frontman of the Jerry Fish & The Mugbug Club and for the indie rock anthem ‘Celebrate’ that they released in 1990, on the An Emotional Fish album.

Fish has gained a serious reputation within the Irish music scene, with two Platinum selling solo albums, Be Yourself and The Beautiful Untrue, as well as an MTV award and a IRMA Music Award.

Fish will be back in Dublin on June 2 for the REW!ND Festival at St. Anne’s Park this summer. Tickets are now available on ticketmaster.ie.

Fish’s new album is being created to honour Daniel Johnston, an American singer and musician who was known for his lo-fi and alternative music. Johnston was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and spent extended periods of his life in and out of psychiatric institutions.

Before his music career took off he gained popularity when he worked at McDonald’s and became known for passing out tapes of his music at the store. This eventually led to signing a record deal with Elektra Records and continuing to make music.

Johnston passed away in September of 2019 and it was suspected the cause of death was a heart attack. Since his death there have been many events to honour his life – one of them being “Hi, How Are You Day!”, a celebration of the life, music and legacy of Daniel Johnston that Jerry Fish and May Kay hosted at The Sugar Club in Dublin on January 22.

Jerry Fish has not yet released information about when the album will be released.