You might consider yourself a music buff with a well-rounded knowledge of all genres – but when it comes down to it, how much do you really know about Lionel Richie? What about '70s disco icons Sister Sledge? And how about Sligo's pop prince, Shane Filan?

What the above-mentioned artists all have in common is that they are sharing a bill at the first-ever Punchestown Music Festival this coming Saturday, alongside Corinne Bailey Rae, James Morrison and Albert Hammond.

With that in mind, we've put together a list of facts relating to the line-up that may just surprise you.

 

As a youngster, LIONEL RICHIE was a talented tennis player and even won a scholarship to Tuskegee Institute, a university in his hometown of Tuskegee, Alabama. He dropped out after his second year and then thought about becoming a priest before his love of music took hold.

The three members of SISTER SLEDGE – Debbie, Joni and Kim – were daughters of a famous Broadway tap-dancer, Edwin Sledge. They were taught to sing by their grandmother Viola Williams, a former opera singer.
 

ALBERT HAMMOND was a big name in 1960s and 1970s music, but these days his fame (and name) are often overlooked by his son Albert Hammond Jr., who is guitarist with New York rock band The Strokes.


JAMES MORRISON's real surname is James Catchpole. He takes his stage name from his middle name, Morrison, as 'a surname like Catchpole isn't easy.'
 

LIONEL RICHIE's work has been covered extensively, but he has also written many songs for other artists – including 'Lady' by Kenny Rogers, 'I Like It' by Enrique Iglesias, and 'Happy People' by The Temptations.

'We Are Family' – one of SISTER SLEDGE's most famous and iconic songs – was the first song that Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards ever wrote for a band other than their own.

SHANE FILAN's first job was in the Carlton Cafe, the cafe that his parents Peter and Mai used to own and run in Sligo town. His family lived above the cafe.
 

CORINNE BAILEY RAE isn't the only showbiz-oriented member of her family; her sister Rhea Bailey is an actress who currently plays Caz Hammond in Coronation Street and has had roles in The Bill, Torchwood, Waterloo Road and more.