Voicing Scotland
Folk, Culture, Nation
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Won the Ratcliff Prize for the study of folklore or folk life in Great Britain and Ireland. It was also shortlisted for the 2012 Trad Music in the Media (sponsored by The Saltire Society) Award at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.
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About the Book:
What do today’s traditional singers and musicians have to contribute to 21st century Scotland? How are they engaging with the big themes of our contemporary world? In what ways are they Voicing Scotland?
Musician, lecturer and broadcaster Gary West takes us on a personal journey in celebration of the riches of the traditional arts in Scotland. From Robert Burns to Dick Gaughan, Grassic Gibbon to Davy Steele, West unravels the threads which bind the creative voices of the nation through the centuries, exploring the relationships between contemporary folk singers and the makers, bards and writers of centuries gone. Drawing on song, instrumental music and literature, and his own experiences as a musician and teacher, he argues that tradition is an essential element in the forging of a positive form of globalisation in the modern world.
He presents a perceptive and engaging exploration of the people, places and processes which make up Scotland’s folk culture, past and present.
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About the Author:
GARY WEST is a senior lecturer in Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. He is also an active traditional musician and teacher, and presents a weekly programme, Pipeline, on BBC Radio Scotland. Originally from Pitlochry in Perthshire, he played for many years with the innovative Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, winning the Scottish and European Championships. In his late teens, he moved sideways into the folk scene, playing, recording and touring with the bands Ceolbeg and Clan Alba, and becoming a founder member of the ceilidh band, Hugh MacDiarmid’s Haircut. He has performed on around 20 albums, including his debut solo release, The Islay Ball, and his most recent collaboration, Hinterlands, with harpist Wendy Stewart.