Lucky man
Hello
I am an Aberdeen based writer/musician currently in thrall to the joy and challenge of songwriting. To give some background, I was lucky to grow up in a house in the 1960’s with a radio, record player, TV and music loving family. This exposed me to pop, jazz, classical, folk, rock music and many other styles. Paul Robeson and Frederik Chopin took to the turntable in between The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. I was also lucky to be brought up to love and play with words.
I continued to dabble in music and poetry when time allowed during family life and a career in nursing practice, education and research. After retiral in 2020, I got lucky again when I discovered Boo Hewerdine and Findlay Napier’s Bird on a Wire mentorship scheme for aspiring songwriters. Through their encouragement and the support of the others on the course, I soon found that I had more than a dozen original songs.
These became the basis of my 2022 debut album, The Past and the Sky. The recording process benefitted greatly from the guidance and production skills of Blazing Fiddle's maestro Angus Lyon and the mastering skills of colleague Chris Waite at Gran's House Studio in Biggar. The songs are, broadly, in the folk genre and have drawn comparison with the work of Archie Fisher and Ralph McTell. Both of these great singer songwriters have been big influences alongside a host of others such as Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Dick Gaughan, Randy Newman and Nick Lowe. The album has been well received with very positive reviews, and a range of tracks played on Radio Scotland and UK local radio stations.
The journey continues with the release of Separations a year later. Through all this I am ever more fascinated by the process of writing songs: the frustrations of nothing much happening; the magic when sparks fly; and the mystery of where the words and music will go next. I am learning more about this through current collaborations with other songwriters in our Drunks in a Midnight Choir group – a source of much fun too!
I am not a gigging musician so do get in touch if you find my music of interest. One of my main goals is for others to sing and record my songs. If any of the songs are meaningful and/or move you then I am a happy songwriter!
Colin
Hello
I am an Aberdeen based writer/musician currently in thrall to the joy and challenge of songwriting. To give some background, I was lucky to grow up in a house in the 1960’s with a radio, record player, TV and music loving family. This exposed me to pop, jazz, classical, folk, rock music and many other styles. Paul Robeson and Frederik Chopin took to the turntable in between The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. I was also lucky to be brought up to love and play with words.
I continued to dabble in music and poetry when time allowed during family life and a career in nursing practice, education and research. After retiral in 2020, I got lucky again when I discovered Boo Hewerdine and Findlay Napier’s Bird on a Wire mentorship scheme for aspiring songwriters. Through their encouragement and the support of the others on the course, I soon found that I had more than a dozen original songs.
These became the basis of my 2022 debut album, The Past and the Sky. The recording process benefitted greatly from the guidance and production skills of Blazing Fiddle's maestro Angus Lyon and the mastering skills of colleague Chris Waite at Gran's House Studio in Biggar. The songs are, broadly, in the folk genre and have drawn comparison with the work of Archie Fisher and Ralph McTell. Both of these great singer songwriters have been big influences alongside a host of others such as Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, Dick Gaughan, Randy Newman and Nick Lowe. The album has been well received with very positive reviews, and a range of tracks played on Radio Scotland and UK local radio stations.
The journey continues with the release of Separations a year later. Through all this I am ever more fascinated by the process of writing songs: the frustrations of nothing much happening; the magic when sparks fly; and the mystery of where the words and music will go next. I am learning more about this through current collaborations with other songwriters in our Drunks in a Midnight Choir group – a source of much fun too!
I am not a gigging musician so do get in touch if you find my music of interest. One of my main goals is for others to sing and record my songs. If any of the songs are meaningful and/or move you then I am a happy songwriter!
Colin