Chunky Business

Bringing their trademark “chunky” style to the fore, Gary Curley and Stephen McKee have combined accordion and banjo in a sound that is rhythmically strong, grounded, and distinctively their own. In 2025, the duo released their debut album, ‘CHUNKY BUSINESS’. The album is a playful nod to the duo’s signature style, introducing their first recording that has been originally arranged, confidently presented and establishes that the duo are very much open for CHUNKY BUSINESS!

A native of Boho, Co. Fermanagh, Gary is an accomplished button accordionist and dedicated music tutor. A graduate of Ulster University with a First-Class Honours Degree in Music, his musical foundations were laid at home, where weekly sessions hosted by his parents brought together many local musicians, exchanging tunes, stories and experiences. Alongside this environment, his grandmother Kathleen Quinn played a strong role in his early musical development, before his playing was further shaped by tutor Dinnie Leonard and leading button accordionists such as Finbarr Dwyer, Darren Breslin, and Oliver Deveney. Building on these early foundations, Gary then obtained a PGCE in Music Education, equipping him with a scholarly approach that now informs his teaching at all levels. Gary subsequently followed a career in secondary education, however, over the years he has continued to work as a music tutor for organisations such as Music Generation and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Hailing from Draperstown, Co. Derry, Stephen McKee was raised in a musical family and developed his musicianship on the tenor banjo by playing music alongside his siblings. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Stephen brings a strong sense of drive and rhythm that shapes his distinctive playing style. Stephen began learning music at a young age with Aoibheann Devlin, and later attended Armagh Pipers Club. Most of his early guidance was shaped by his sister Lisa, alongside his tutor Mark Mohan with key influences from Adrian McAuliffe and Brian McGrath.

Both musicians have expanded their musical scope beyond their primary instruments, with Gary also proficient on concertina and melodeon, and Stephen broadening his musical expertise to encompass instruments including fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. As performers, they are increasingly in demand, appearing at festivals throughout Ireland and internationally, where they perform regularly and share their expertise as guest tutors. Their musicianship has been highly recognised through success in Fleadh Cheoil competitions at provincial and national level, from junior through to senior categories. Gary and Stephen have both appeared across a wide range of Irish and international television and radio programmes, including TG4’s ‘Fleadh TV’ & ‘Sruth’, RTE’s ‘Fleadh Cheoil’, ‘Céilí House’ & ‘Ceol Binn ó na Beanna’, and BBC’s ‘The Repair Shop’ & ‘Folk Club’, reaching audiences worldwide.

Together, Gary and Stephen perform as a duo rooted in the traditional music of Ulster, drawing on deep family, community, and regional influences. Their music is defined by its strong rhythm and lift, anchored by the driving power of the button accordion and banjo. CHUNKY BUSINESS is, at its heart, a celebration of friendship, the richness of tradition, and the intuitive musical understanding shared between this longstanding duo.

John McCartin, originally from County Leitrim, began as a fiddle player before his growing interest in accompaniment led him naturally to the guitar. He is a core member of the band Garadice and the trio Carlos Sweeney McCartin. Over the years John has performed with leading artists such as Frankie Gavin, Dermot Byrne, and Sharon Shannon, as well as iconic bands including Dervish, Lúnasa, and De Dannan. On CHUNKY BUSINESS, John delivers the chunky goods once more, bringing that same drive and energy to the duo on stage.