Sheena Wellington wis boarn in Dundee on 29th August 1944 an brocht up in working class Dundee wi the Dundee tak on Scots as her mither tongue. She grew up in a family that wis aye singin — her faither wis a well-kent Burns aficionado aroond Dundee, an Sheena inherited his enthusiasm, gaun on tae win the coveted Leng Medal wi her singin o The Winter it is Past an becomin chief soloist in the Harris Academy choir.
Her involvement wi the Scots leid, she says, gaed richt back tae bein telt bi a teacher tae gae tae the tap insteid o the well — a fehv-year-auld kent fine whaur the tap wis, an wisnae up fir a thae stairs.
In the early 1960s, motivated bi hearin Robin Hall & Jimmie MacGregor on BBC TV’s Tonight programme, Sheena began attendin the local folk club, whaur she wis encouraged tae sing bi Christine Stewart, wha later appeared wi Jim Reid in the Foundry Bar Band. She also joined fellow club members protestin against Polaris missiles, an efter bein arrested an spendin a nicht in jail on ane sic campaign, had her five shillins fine paid bi the MP an folk music activist Norman Buchan.
Efter leavin the schuil, Sheena joined the WRNS tae see the warld — an ended up in Lossiemouth. She an her husband Malcolm enjoyed various ither postins, particularly Southampton an Somerset, whaur Sheena heard Cyril Tawney an Shirley Collins an joined the Friday nicht pub singin sessions. Leavin the service, the couple set up a bed an breakfast in St Andrews, an it wis here that Sheena’s career really blossomed. As resident singer at the nearby folk club she wis invitit tae appear at festivals includin Auchtermuchty an Kirriemuir, an during ane post-folk-club session in St Andrews she wis invitit tae record her first album, Kerelaw. She wis also gien a trial programme bi Radio Tay, which led tae a six-week run an eventually turned intae an eicht-year stey.
Kerelaw wis followed bi Sheena’s second album, Clearsong, an twa coast-tae-coast tours o America wi Dougie Maclean in Fiona Ritchie’s Heather & Shamrock presentation. She has subsequently taken her repertoire o Burns, traditional ballads an her ain pithy sangs across Canada, tae China an Spain, an has appeared at Burns suppers as far afield as London, Cairo an Singapore. She is internationally recognised as a champion o Robert Burns, an in her proodest achievement, will forever be remembered for her stirrin singin o A Man’s a Man for a’ That at the Scottish Parliament’s openin in 1999.
A tireless campaigner for traditional music frae schuilroom tae concert hall, she has served as convenor an national organiser for the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland, wis traditional music’s first representative on the Scottish Arts Council’s music committee, an became Scotland’s first traditional arts development officer, spendin five years in her adoptit hame o Fife encouragin artists in aw disciplines tae feel valued an tae pass on their skills.
Noo back livin in Dundee, Sheena has warked in education wi the Youth Music Initiative an as a guest lecturer at the RSAMD in Glasgow. An maistly nooadays Sheena organehzes events for the Friends o Wighton, an she’s Patron and a Director o the TMSA. Her mony honours include the Heritage of Scotland Award an honorary doctorates frae the universities o St Andrews an Dundee an the RSAMD.
Gin wi dinna yaise Scots, she says, it’ll dee, an aw the lore an the sangs an the stories will dee wi it. She has a guid few favourite phrases — “It’s nae loss thit a freen gits” an “Wi’re aw Jock Tamson’s Bairns” amang thim — but her best ane is “Abodie kens this ain ken best!” A man cahed David Phillips, wha wrote fir DC Thomson’s papers an penned books like The Lichty Nichts, The Adventures o Wiselike Ned an My an Meh Dundee!, wis the ane that showed her that oor ain words werena slang but strong livin history, fu o smeddum, an he inspires her still, alang wi awbody, leevin an deid, wha speaks Scots.
She disnae hear Scots as much noo as when she wis wee an it wis aw aboot her — but if ye speak Scots tae fowk, they ken fine whit ye mean, even the anes wha’d like ye tae think they dinna. An it’s still alive, wi new wirds like “teckle” comin alang. Speirt aboot her plans for the days aheid, Sheena says simply: trehin tae retehr!