About

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!

The album celebrates years of collaboration, drawing deeply from the Ulster tradition whilst embracing key influences from across Ireland. Recorded in Gary's home studio, the album features a vibrant mix of reels, jigs and hornpipes, combining traditional repertoire with compositions by many notable musicians including Vincent Broderick, Liz Carroll, Paddy O'Brien and Máirtín O'Connor. Each set draws upon the duo's deep well of tunes, passed down through family members, tutors, friends, and countless music seisiúns.

A native of Boho, Co. Fermanagh, Gary is an accomplished button accordionist and dedicated music teacher, and a graduate of Ulster University with a First-Class Honours degree in Music. Stephen, from Draperstown, Co. Derry, grew up in a musical family and is a multi-instrumentalist best known for his tenor banjo playing, with a strong sense of drive and rhythm. The duo are joined by guest musicians — Eoin McKee (bodhrán), Ryan O'Donnell (bouzouki/tenor guitar), John McCartin and Gerry McMahon (guitars), Rachael Masterson (keyboard), and Murdoch McKibbin (fiddle). Collectively, they bring drive, detail, and depth to the recording, enriching the duo's core sound whilst effortlessly blending in with their distinctive playing style.

CHUNKY BUSINESS is, at its heart, a celebration of friendship, the richness of tradition, and the intuitive musical understanding shared between this longstanding duo.

https://garycurleystephenmckee.bandcamp.com/album/chunky-business