BY CONOR SHARKEY

WHATEVER you think of Daniel O'Donnell, there is no denying he is one of the most successful acts this country has ever produced. With over 30 albums to his credit, the man from Kincasslagh has amassed almost as many fans as he has Euros in his two decade-spanning career. And whilst personally, I might believe that one Daniel is more than enough, there is obviously a market for another. And the living testament to that fact is Strabane's very own Gary Gamble.

Just six years ago, Gary was doing the local karaoke circuit with his brother. Today he is one of Ireland's brightest country music stars, regularly playing to audiences of thousands in Ireland, the UK and beyond. And that whirlwind success is due largely to the self-acclaimed Donegal mammy's boy Daniel O'Donnell. Gary's uncanny physical and vocal likeness to Daniel has catapaulted him into the upper echelons of the Irish country music scene and earned him a legion of fans of his very own.

Speaking to the Strabane Chronicle earlier this week, 25 year old Gary gave the low-down on his career to date and what the future holds for him and his band.

"I started out on the karaoke with my brother a few years back and people started saying how much like Daniel I sounded. Before I knew it I was being booked for weddings and getting called up by other live bands to do a turn as Daniel O'Donnell. It has all happened very quickly but here I am six years on playing with some of the biggest names in the business, including Daniel himself," he said.

Explaining what it was like to meet his alter-ego in person, Gary explained, "I first met him at his Donegal Shore Festival in Kincasslagh. He knew who I was because his own fans had been telling him that I was a great tribute act. He said it was a real compliment and asked me to on stage with him the next night. There was about 2,000 people there and I went on stage first and they all thought it was Daniel himself. He came on stage shortly after laughing and we did a few songs together. I scored a lot of work from that," he said.

Gary's 2005 debut album 'Perfect Man' was well received by Irish country music audiences and promotion by the Irish Country Music Charts did the young man's port folio no harm whatsoever.

PODGE AND RODGE

In recent times he has appeared on the Podge and Rodge show and with his five piece band on the TG4 show Glor Tire. Meanwhile another television appearance by the Gary Gamble Band has been scheduled for December, although details have yet to be released.

"Researchers were looking for new bands for the Glor Tire programme and they approached us. The Podge and Rodge thing was the same. One of the programme researchers happened to see our show one night and she rang us the next day and asked us on to the New Year's Eve special. It was brilliant and something I never thought I would get the chance to do," he admitted.

Commenting on who he ideally like to take to the stage with, Gary pointed to one of the biggest country stars on the planet.

"It would have to be someone like Shania Twain. That would be a dream come true. To date I've played with some of the biggest names in Ireland, the most well known probably being You're a Star runner-up Simon Casey. Simon and I do a show in Harvey's Point every week and it's a real laugh."

So, with a full diary for the next year, more television coverage in the pipeline and a recently released tribute to one of Ireland's greatest showbands, all appears well in the Gary Gamble Band camp. Looking to the future, he added, "I suppose we will just have to concentrate on keeping the band going and keeping the bookings coming in.

"I've just released a tribute song to the Melody Aces which has been doing very well. It came about when I got a call from a guy who said he had a song I might be interested in because the Melody Aces were originally from this area. We got into the recording studio and decided that we would try and recreate the showband sound as best we could, so all the music had to be live. That came across quite well on the recording. I was playing in the Mellon Country Inn a while back and the only one of the Aces still alive, Omagh man Gene Turbett came on stage and said he was delighted with what we had done. It was a great compliment," he said.

For more information, Gary Gamble merchandise or tour dates, log on to www.garygamble.ie.