CCÉ Northeast Regional Hall of Fame Inductee Billy Caples
Billy Caples, a founding member of the Reynolds-Hanafin-Cooley branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, (button accordion) was inducted to The Hall of Fame by The Northeast Region of the North American Province posthumously on February 21, 1998.
Billy Caples was a graduate of the Berklee College of music. He was a great teacher and a performer for many years in the dance halls of Boston.
One of the Founders of Our Boston Branch
“In 1975 (Larry) Reynolds, along with Pat and Mary Barry, Billy Caples and John Curran, formed the Boston branch, starting at the VFW Hall in Allston, then moving to the Canadian American Club in Watertown, where it meets today. The group’s weekly sessions and set dancing classes quickly attracted Irish and Americans, college students, and Cape Breton and American folk musicians. Today the Boston branch has 500 members, making it one of the largest chapters in the world.”
Source: http://irishamerica.com/2011/10/comhaltas-making-music-for-sixty-years/
See You at the Hall “The Kings of Dudley Street” Book Excerpt
Read an excerpt from “See You at the Hall” about Billy Caples on Google Books. Billy was an Irish-American “all star” accordion player from Somerville, Massachusetts.
Billy Caples’ Reel tune was provided by Mike Reynolds and transcribed by Bill Black and written out and saved on the “Traditional Tune Archive” in standard tuning for the fiddle. The tune is named after Boston accordion player Billy Caples, thought to be the source for the tune.
Joe Derrane, also a member of Boston’s then Hanafin-Cooley Branch, was inducted in 1998 as well, the first year the Northeast Region bestowed such honors. You can find a list of the inductees on the CCE Northeast Region website who were honored along with Billy Caples.
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