Matt McGinn (1928-1977)

Matt McGinn one of the most important singer songwriters of the folk revival in Scotland, was born on January 17th 1928. The McGinns lived in the Calton area of Glasgow. Matt’s formal education ended when, at the age of 12 he was sent to an Approved school where he was to spend the next two years. This was an experience Matt never forgot and in 1974 he penned “Fry the Little Fishes” a novel based on his time there. Despite this lack of education, Matt never ceased to increase his knowledge. He was ever a writer and rhymer and later, while working in a series of unfulfilling dead-end jobs, he was a frequent visitor to Glasgow’s Stirling and Bridgeton Libraries.

While in his teens, his first interest in politics was much influenced by the wisdom of another Calton lad and Anarchist, Robert Lynn. At the age of 21 Matt joined the Communist Party where he remained for some four years. He never ceased to be known as “left-wing” and from a young age was a knowledgeable, well versed, articulate person who could successfully debate in public with people much older and more experienced than himself. His charisma, oratory and humour did much to endear him to ordinary folks and by the time he began working in the shipyards he was well qualified to be considered a leader and able to state the case on behalf of his fellow workers.

Employed for four years as a machine operator in what was claimed to be the noisiest factory in Europe, working 3 different shifts which changed on a weekly basis and suffering from stomach ulcers, Matt was overjoyed when he won a two year Trade Union scholarship to Ruskin College in Oxford. He enjoyed every minute at Ruskin and while there his writing and political activities continued. He finished the course minus ulcers but with a Diploma in Economics and Political Science.

By comparison, Huddersfield Teachers Training College which he attended the following year was dull. But it was while there the situation arose which was to take in into the folk music field.
At this time, the national newspaper “Reynolds News” was inviting entrants to what was to be their first annual competition for a song in the folk tradition. The line-up of judges was impressive. Peggy Seeger American folk singer; A.L. Lloyd, English collector of folk music, who it is claimed, “also helped establish the folk music subgenre of industrial folk music”, and making up the trio, Charles Parker of the BBC who “believed passionately in the value of the testimony of working people and the creative importance of the oral tradition and its relationship to folk music”.

Matt’s submission, “The Forman O’Rourke”, the outrageous tale of a shipyard worker, about to be hanged for the murder of his gaffer because he pulled the plug while the poor man’s head was in the toilet, was the outright winner. Despite desperate protests of the editor, the distinguished judges were unshakeable in their decision.

The “Foreman O’Rourke” and Matt singing eleven of his songs, make up one side of 1962 Album “Revival in Britain”. “Revival in Britain”, sub-titled “A Panorama of Industrial Folk” now forms part of the Appleseed collection held by the Smithsonian Institute in Washington in their Centre for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

Back in Glasgow, Matt was to embrace the folk song revival taking place. Particularly active were “The Glasgow Eskimos”, a loose grouping of singers and writers whose aim was to get the American nuclear submarine base out of the Clyde. As Matt writes, “The Eskimos had given and were giving stimulus to the creation of hundreds of songs.”

While becoming increasingly popular as a folk singer and performer in pubs, clubs and concerts he commenced work as a teacher in various schools in Glasgow and Lanarkshire and was later employed at the Gorbals Adventure Playground which he left in 1965 after accepting the part of the Porter in “Hamlet” at the Edinburgh Festival.

In 1961 Matt met Pete Seeger. Then touring Britain, Pete invited Matt to sing in the States, beginning with a concert in Carnegie Hall. As Matt writes “I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t play an instrument and my voice has been described as a mixture of lumpy porridge and broken glass and here I was being booked for the world’s most celebrated concert hall”. At The Carnegie Hall Matt shared a platform with Pete and others, including the young Bob Dylan.

Some months after his American visit, Matt received a letter from the then unknown Tom Paxton, an American singer songwriter. Matt arranged for Tom to sing in Scotland to what was probably his smallest audience ever. Tom still regularly visits Scotland. Now his audiences are massive.
Matt’s life, work and humour as a singer/songwriter have been well documented. Following his inclusion in “The Revival in Britain” album, he went on to record a further seven long Playing Albums of his songs. He himself recorded on various other compilations and throughout the years his songs have been recorded by many artists. Most of Matt’s albums are now contained in three Compact Discs released in recent years.

In 1987, ten years after his death, the book “McGinn of the Calton” was published by Glasgow City Council, Libraries. Half of this is auto-biographical and benefits greatly from Matt’s words and humour. The other half contains the words and music of many songs. When issued ”McGinn of the Calton” achieved number one, on the Scottish Book Marketing Group’s best sellers list and remained there for 12 weeks.

Matt McGinn concerts, performed by many groups and individuals, have been a regular feature over the years. Presently The Cameron Band is now some 3 years into their successful tour of “McGinn meets Seeger and McColl”. In March of this year, for the 14th successive year, Linlithgow Folk Club has delighted an overflow audience with the Matt McGinn show. As in past years, all proceeds go to finance the Linlithgow Folk Festival in September.

Matt’s induction into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame would seem an appropriate time to quote the words of a long-time family friend, who, on attending a Scottish Youth Theatre event which formed part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games celebrations then taking place in Glasgow wrote: “There was also an International Youth Theatre affair going on and there were young people from all over the world! The audience loved the band and all the different Scottish songs – but when they were asked to pick an encore from their repertoire to bring the evening to a close – the unanimous choice was “I’m Looking For a Job with a sky high pay”. The place was jumping. I wasn’t dreaming! I was there! They sang along and the night came to a close with the past smiling warmly at the future”