Away from the Pits was written by Chris Algar and first recorded by Vin Garbutt. When the song was written (c.1990) coal mines were still operating in Stoke. A new seam had been built under the road where Chris lived, and he noticed houses on the street starting to deteriorate following this. The stimulus for […]
Farewell by Skipinnish
Released on the bands popular Western Ocean CD in June 2014. Angus MacPhail and Andrew Stevenson met while studying at what is now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and originally formed the band with a mission to champion classic Scottish Highland West Coast music. They built a solid reputation as a musical powerhouse over several […]
Cha d’fhuair mi’n Cadal by Mischa MacPherson
A track from Misha’s debut EP. “Her voice is soft as rain, swooping as a seabird, rooted in the traditions of the Hebrides. When she stops, the audience rise to their feet in a breaking wave of fierce applause.” (The Independent) BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winner, Mischa Macpherson is a new Folk artist […]
Soraidh Leis An Ait by Ishbel MacAskill
Songs by female vocalists from the Greentrax back catalogue. Each song has the theme of love and reflection, resulting in an album of very powerful songs, old and new, superbly interpreted by some of Scotland’s finest Gaelic and Scots women singers. Ishbel MacAskill was sometimes referred to as “the Gaelic diva”, but while her status […]
Eilean Mocaridh by Archie Grant
A beautiful Gaelic song Archie Grant was a 1931 Mod Gold medallist and one of the best-known Gaelic singers during the pre- and post-war periods. While known through his recordings on Beltona and, latterly, Parlophone, and for his platform appearances and radio broadcasts, Grant was in his own way an example of the oral tradition, […]
Hi Horo’s Na Horo Eile by Margaret Bennett
A song from Margaret’s album. ONE of Scotland’s most distinguished folklorists, as well as an internationally recognised singer, teacher, author and broadcaster, Dr Margaret Bennett’s work has brought her numerous honours from both sides of the Atlantic – appropriately enough, as much of her life has been spent between Scotland and Canada. The late Hamish […]
A ghaoil, leig dhachaigh gum mhàthair mi (O love, let me home to my mother) by Julie Fowlis
Taken from Julie’s fourth studio album, this hypnotic and mysterious song tells the tale of a young girls’ encounter with the ‘each-uisge’ or water-horse. Featuring award winning Scottish ensemble RANT, with strings arranged by flautist and composer Tom Doorley. Brought up on North Uist in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, Fowlis has been a proud standard bearer […]
Mo bhò dhubh mhòr/Puirt by James Graham
This is the winning set of tunes that James Graham won the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award with. James Graham is a young man taking the Scottish music scene by storm. His beautiful voice enchanted the judges to such an extent that he carried off the title BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician […]
