Nick Keir - 1953 - 2013

DOUBLE CD

(April 2017)

CD1 - 19 Tracks: Festival Lights * Portnahaven * All Over This Town * Fires of Edinburgh * Applecross Bay * Slow French Waltz * American Accent * The Bonny Maid of Fife * Middle-Aged Men * Envy The Wind * It’s a Lie * The Seige * On This Island * Mephistopheles on Minto Street * Cold Night in This Old Town * Borderland * Sorrowlessfield * Running Home * Here’s To You.

CD2 - 18 tracks: Corryvreckan Calling * East Lothian Sky * Far Down The Line * Nowhere Else To Go * The Beatles Played Kirkcaldy / Happy To Dance With You * Crooked Smile * Song of The Plough * The Heron * Ainster Harbour * Everybody Lies * The Heart * Loves The Rising Sun * The Field Behind Our House * White Horses * Norman’s Dram * The Daybreak Carol * Long Road * Take My Time.

A truly remarkable double album reflecting the superb talents of Nick Keir.

After a time with the group Finn McCuill, a tour with poet Norman McCaig and his work with the 7:84 Theatre Company, the late Nick Keir joined The McCalmans in 1982.

He remained with the group for the next 30 years and toured all over the world as one of the best known and most successful Scottish Traditional acts.

Many of Nick's own songs entered the repertoire of The McCalmans but at the same time Nick made many solo appearances, including his sell-out Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows, and still found time to record four solo albums.

In 2004 The McCalmans were inducted into the Scottish Traditional Hall of Fame and were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

When The McCalmans retired in 2010, Nick pursued many prestigious projects but died of a serious illness in 2013 at far too young an age. Nick has been described as a modest and infinitely courteous man, a true poet and a remarkably talented singer/songwriter.

The thirty-seven tracks on this double CD are mainly selected from his four solo albums: ‘Rumours of Snow’, ‘All Over This Town’, ‘Fishing Up The Moon’ and ‘The Edge of Night’, plus tracks from most of The McCalmans’ albums he featured on.

All songs were written by Nick Keir apart from 'Envy The Night', by Lucinda Williams, which Nick always included in his solo gigs. A truly remarkable collection.