Tannahill Weavers
The Tannahill Weavers are a folk group from Scotland . The name comes from the Scottish poet Robert Tannahill , by whom several songs also belong to her repertoire. The band was founded in 1968 in Paisley and had their first appearance there at St. Peter's Folk Club, which belonged to the father of founding member Neil Doherty.
Their first album was released in 1976, with their second album they were one of the first folk groups to introduce the bagpipes (see also Highland bagpipes ), which is originally a solo instrument, and thus contributed significantly to expanding the sound of traditional Scottish folk music.
In the course of their worldwide tours since 1975 they have often performed in German-speaking countries. In 2018 they celebrated their 50th anniversary on stage and released a new CD called "Òrach".
The musical repertoire of the Tannahill Weavers, which is usually played on acoustic instruments (mainly guitar , mandolin , violin , flutes , bagpipes, bodhrán ) is characterized by modern music from the Celtic tradition of the British Isles . It stretches from romantic melancholy mostly in Scottish English recited ballads about polyphonic a cappella -pieces to rapid played dance music in the form of jigs and reels . The Tannahill Weavers stand out in the relevant folk music scene because they combine these very different style elements in many of their individual tracks, which enables them to develop a specific musical dynamic in their genre .
The current members
- Roy Gullane ( guitar , vocals)
- Phil Smillie ( flute , tin whistle , bodhrán , vocals)
- John Martin ( violin , cello , viola , vocals)
- Lorne MacDougall ( bagpipes , whistle)
Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie have been part of the group since its inception.
former members
- Alan MacLeod ( bagpipes , tinwhistle , mandola , organ , vocals)
- Bill Bourne (vocals, bouzouki , guitar , electric guitar , violin , keyboard , bass pedal )
- Colin Melville ( bagpipes , tinwhistle )
- Dougie MacLean ( violin , mandolin , vocals, guitar , tenor banjo )
- Duncan J. Nicholson ( bagpipes , tinwhistle )
- Gordon Duncan ( bagpipes , tinwhistle )
- Hudson Swan ( bouzouki , vocals, violin , glockenspiel , mandolin )
- Iain MacInnes ( bagpipes , tinwhistle , vocals)
- Kenny Forsyth ( bagpipes , tinwhistle )
- Leslie Wilson ( bouzouki , keyboard , bass pedal , guitar , vocals)
- Mike Ward ( violin , guitar , vocals)
- Ross Kennedy ( bouzouki , violin , bass pedal , vocals)
- Stuart Morison ( violin , percussion , guitar )
- John Cassidy ( flute , vocals) - founding member
- Stuart McKay (vocals, guitar , tinwhistle ) - founding member
- Neil Doherty (vocals, guitar , mandolin , tinwhistle ) - founding member
- Jim McGowan (vocals) - founding member
Discography
- Are Ye Sleeping Maggie (1976)
- The Old Woman's Dance (1978)
- The Tannahill Weavers (1979)
- Tannahill Weavers IV (1981)
- Passage (1984)
- Land of Light (1986)
- Dancing Feet (1987)
- Best of the Tannahill Weavers 1979–1989 (1989)
- Cullen Bay (1990)
- The Mermaid's Song (1992)
- Capernaum (1994)
- Leaving St. Kilda (1996)
- The Tannahill Weavers Collection: Choice Cuts 1987–1996 (1997)
- Epona (1998)
- Alchemy (2000)
- Arnish Light (2003)
- Live and In Session (2006)
- Òrach - The Golden Anniversary Album (2018)
Web links
- Homepage of the Tannahill Weavers
- The Tannahill Weavers on MySpace
- The Tannahill Weavers with the title Johnnie Cope - video recording from the Nubilaria Celtic Festival 2008 (Flash video, approx. Four minutes on youtube.com); Example of a live performance