The story of Irish-American brothers who became Rochester music legends

By Evan Dawson,

Megan Mack, Julie Williams

Published February 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM EST

A black and white photo of two smiling men. The man at left has short dark hair, is wearing a stiped button-down shirt over a dark vest, and is holding a guitar. The man at right has a short mustache and beard and is wearing glasses, a cap, a striped button-down shirt and suspenders. He is holding a banjo. They are sitting in front of a curtain and behind a microphone.

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John and Joe Dady

Steve Piper

A man with short dark hair is wearing glasses, a button-down shirt, and a tie.

2 of 2 — Christopher Shannon.png

Christopher Shannon

Provided

A smiling man with short dark hair wearing a blue button-down shirt and a grey blazer. He is holding a pair of eyeglasses. The word "Connections" appears on the left side of the photo in vertical letters.

The Dady brothers came of age in Rochester's old Tenth Ward, blending their Irish roots with a love for their city and neighborhood.

Their music was always distinctively and obviously Irish to its core, but their story is about what it means to hold on to that identity while building a new American story. "Ethnic endurance" is the phrase used by author Christopher Shannon, who brings the Dady brothers to the page in "Singing from the Heart."

We discuss it all with Shannon and with John Dady.

Our guests:

John Dady, singer, instrumentalist, and musician with the Dady Brothers
Christopher Shannon, author of "Singing from the Heart: The Dady Brothers, Irish Music, and Ethnic Endurance in an American City"

*Note: For more information about the book signing event and performance on February 23, 2025, click here.