Iain MacKintosh
Encyclopedia
Iain MacKintosh was a Scottish
singer and songwriter
. His father was from the Outer Hebrides, a watchmaker and goldsmith who owned a pawnshop in Glasgow, his mother came from Northern Ireland. At the age of seven he started learning the Highland pipes and played in a pipe band in his youth. His mother died when he was twelve, and he and his three sisters were brought up by his grandmother. After grammar school, he started his working life as an apprentice watchmaker and goldsmith and later took over his father's business. After doing his time in the British Army where he saw service in the Near East he married Sadie; the couple had two daughters, Isla and Fiona.
In the late 1950s MacKintosh went to a Pete Seeger
concert in Glasgow. He was so impressed he bought a banjo
and started to practise. His other instrument of choice was the concertina
. He joined the Scottish folk music revival that was just getting under way. In 1960, at the age of 28, he formed his first band The Islanders, with whom he made one album before leaving. It contained one of the first songs he wrote; the Pawn Song drew on his experiences in the business. For the next ten years he played in two more bands, The Skerries and The Other Half, and was in demand as a session musician for the likes of Hamish Imlach
, Gaberlunzie
or Watt Nicoll.
In 1970 MacKintosh went professional as a solo singer, accompanying himself on the long-necked banjo, and also playing the pipes or the concertina. For thirty years he toured Europe, the United States and Australia. His repertoire, which had never been confined to Scottish traditional material, broadened out, and he was credited with "impressive good taste in song" . He took most of his material from other songwriters, the late Harry Chapin
and Glaswegian Adam McNaughtan being particular favourites. Scottish audiences voted him Scotland's "Folk Musician of the Year" several times. Of his self-penned songs, 'I Wouldn't Change A Thing', an account of his career in five verses, is probably the most popular; he recorded it for Stage By Stage.
MacKintosh became one of the best-loved artists of Tønder Festival
where he used to run the Saturday afternoon concert at the Mill. For years he also did joint tours with other notable folk artists, mainly Hamish Imlach
and Brian McNeill
. He retired at the age of 68, after a final tour of several European countries in 2000.
Iain MacKintosh died on 28 June 2006 of laryngeal cancer, weakened by Parkinson's disease
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. His father was from the Outer Hebrides, a watchmaker and goldsmith who owned a pawnshop in Glasgow, his mother came from Northern Ireland. At the age of seven he started learning the Highland pipes and played in a pipe band in his youth. His mother died when he was twelve, and he and his three sisters were brought up by his grandmother. After grammar school, he started his working life as an apprentice watchmaker and goldsmith and later took over his father's business. After doing his time in the British Army where he saw service in the Near East he married Sadie; the couple had two daughters, Isla and Fiona.
In the late 1950s MacKintosh went to a Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
concert in Glasgow. He was so impressed he bought a banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and started to practise. His other instrument of choice was the concertina
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
. He joined the Scottish folk music revival that was just getting under way. In 1960, at the age of 28, he formed his first band The Islanders, with whom he made one album before leaving. It contained one of the first songs he wrote; the Pawn Song drew on his experiences in the business. For the next ten years he played in two more bands, The Skerries and The Other Half, and was in demand as a session musician for the likes of Hamish Imlach
Hamish Imlach
Hamish Imlach was a folksinger. He was born in Calcutta but claimed to have been conceived in Glasgow, Scotland. Although his commercial success was limited he influenced many other artists, including most notably John Martyn and Billy Connolly. In Central and Northern Europe Imlach enjoyed a...
, Gaberlunzie
Gaberlunzie
Gaberlunzie is a medieval Scots word for a licensed beggar. The name may derive from the wallet that such people carry, but there is no other known derivation. The word appears in several of Sir Walter Scott's books...
or Watt Nicoll.
In 1970 MacKintosh went professional as a solo singer, accompanying himself on the long-necked banjo, and also playing the pipes or the concertina. For thirty years he toured Europe, the United States and Australia. His repertoire, which had never been confined to Scottish traditional material, broadened out, and he was credited with "impressive good taste in song" . He took most of his material from other songwriters, the late Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
and Glaswegian Adam McNaughtan being particular favourites. Scottish audiences voted him Scotland's "Folk Musician of the Year" several times. Of his self-penned songs, 'I Wouldn't Change A Thing', an account of his career in five verses, is probably the most popular; he recorded it for Stage By Stage.
MacKintosh became one of the best-loved artists of Tønder Festival
Tønder Festival
Tønder Festival is a large annual folk music festival in Tønder, Denmark. It is always held at the last weekend of August.It was founded in 1975....
where he used to run the Saturday afternoon concert at the Mill. For years he also did joint tours with other notable folk artists, mainly Hamish Imlach
Hamish Imlach
Hamish Imlach was a folksinger. He was born in Calcutta but claimed to have been conceived in Glasgow, Scotland. Although his commercial success was limited he influenced many other artists, including most notably John Martyn and Billy Connolly. In Central and Northern Europe Imlach enjoyed a...
and Brian McNeill
Brian McNeill
Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material....
. He retired at the age of 68, after a final tour of several European countries in 2000.
Iain MacKintosh died on 28 June 2006 of laryngeal cancer, weakened by Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Discography
| By Request | Encore | A Man's A Man | Straight To The Point | Live In Glasgow | Singing From The Inside | Home For A While | Live In Hamburg | Standing Room Only | Gentle Persuasion | Risks and Roses | Just My Cup of Tea | Stage By Stage | Live and Kicking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 1975 | 1978 | 1979 | 1979 | 1981 | 1984 | 1986 | 1988 | 1991 | 1991 | 1995 | 2000 | |
| feat. Hamish Imlach Hamish Imlach Hamish Imlach was a folksinger. He was born in Calcutta but claimed to have been conceived in Glasgow, Scotland. Although his commercial success was limited he influenced many other artists, including most notably John Martyn and Billy Connolly. In Central and Northern Europe Imlach enjoyed a... |
feat. Hamish Imlach Hamish Imlach Hamish Imlach was a folksinger. He was born in Calcutta but claimed to have been conceived in Glasgow, Scotland. Although his commercial success was limited he influenced many other artists, including most notably John Martyn and Billy Connolly. In Central and Northern Europe Imlach enjoyed a... |
feat. Brian McNeill Brian McNeill Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material.... & Alan Reid |
feat. Brian McNeill Brian McNeill Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material.... |
feat. Brian McNeill Brian McNeill Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material.... |
Sources
- Sing Out!, 1 January 2007
- Kalweit, Susanne: I Wouldn't Change A Thing! 40 years of Iain MacKinosh, from 'The Living Tradition', issue 49 (Sept/Oct 2002), pp 38-39, 60
- McVicar, Ewan: One Singer One Song. Old and new stories and songs of Glasgow folk, Glasgow 1990
- Siniveer, Kaarel: Folk Lexikon, Reinbek b. Hamburg 1981