Dick Gaughan

Peter Richard "Dick" Gaughan ( born May 17, 1948 in Glasgow ) is a Scottish folk singer.

Biography

Gaughans family moved from Rutherglen to Leith, a port town outside of Edinburgh, when he was eighteen years old. He never returned to Rutherglen. Dick's mother came from Lochaber and spoke Gaelic as their first language. The mother tongue of his paternal grandfather was the Irish. He came from Mayo and dominated the play fiddle. Dick was the oldest of three children. At the age of seven he began to play the guitar. Although he later sang songs in Scottish Gaelic, it remained a foreign language, an echo of a distant past for him. He sang in folk clubs in Edinburgh and was a professional musician since 1970.

In 1972 he published a first solo album No More Forever. Then he came to the Boys of the Lough, which he left again after the release of their debut album the same year. 1975 was followed by a guest role in the High Level Ranters on their album The Bonnie Pit Laddie. This was followed by a hectic period in which he had two career strands simultaneously, once as a member of Five Hand Reel ( three albums 1976-1978 ) and as a solo singer, as he has published four albums in the same period. This was a time of heavy alcohol consumption, traveling in trucks and very rare encounters with his wife and daughter. To a life crisis came when his daughter was hit by a car while he was traveling. The daughter survived, but Dick was prompted by this incident, to organize his life anew.

Finally, he taught himself to read music and write. He wrote for the Scottish folk Folk Review magazine and had more contact with his family. He joined an agitprop theater group called " 7:84 " on. He seemed very aware of to follow the example of another socialist theater director and singer Ewan MacColl, to whom he dedicated an album in 1978. Gaughan also participated in a commemorative album of Woody Guthrie. In the early 1980s he ran campaign work for an organization called "Perform " whose aim was, professional folk musicians and amateurs alike to unite fees and transfer rights to negotiate and to retain artistic control. He spent two years as its chairman.

Work

On his solo albums he interpreted both great ballads as well as self-written songs. Before Sting he turned to popular belief contrary, the Russians were belligerent Conqueror ( " Think Again ", from "A different Kind of Love Song"). A Handful of Earth ( 1981) and A Different Kind of Love Song (1983 ) are among his best releases. He has very decided views on many things, including the Internet. While he was recovering from voice problems in 1984, he attended a computer course and he is one of the few singers who could get a job as a Webmaster problem. He designed and managed his site itself He is also a regular participant in the Usenet newsgroup uk.musik.folk.

In 1995 he founded together with Davy Steele the group Clan Alba, brought out only one album. With this group he was also listening to the Folk Festival of the WDR, as he was represented in Rudolstadt already twice at the biggest folk festival in Europe, the Dance and Folk Festival.

Artistic outweighs its performance as a singer and performer on other works, as well as a guitarist. In addition, many of his better known titles Gaughans settings of zumeisten older texts of third parties, such as " Both Sides the Tweed " or "revolution". His own compositions, however, are less successful in what it shows about that they have hardly been nachgesungen and performed by other artists. An exception is " A Different Kind of Love Song", which has been played by Hannes Wader 1986 on his album love songs in German translation. However, has not become too this song from Gaughans spring to a folk classic.

Topics

Gaughan interpreted to traditionielles Scottish and Irish songs new, which he often emphasizes other overlooked political or social aspects of these songs, such as in his recording of Erin -go- Bragh, a song that the traditional discrimination against the Irish in Scotland from the perspective of affected and describes simultaneously with a total rejection of "national identity " ends ( " Come all you young people where ever you're from / and do not give a damn to Which place you belong ").

At least as much part of his repertoire make contemporary author songs from current issues ( " topical songs" ), whether on the situation of disabled people ( " What you do with what you've got" ), through the Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch ( " Shipwreck " ) on historical topics such as the life of Thomas Paine ( " Tom Paine's bones" ) or an anti-feudal uprising in England ( "World turned upside down"). Gaughan is a convinced atheist, but without condemning Christians generally. Any kind of fanaticism he refuses. His attitude he shows Man ( Album Sail on ) in Son of. On the same album, he tackles the collapse of real socialism. To those who see the end of socialist utopias, holds the socialist Gaughan contrary: I see no cause for alarm / No reason to get downhearted / you'r trying to say our time is passed / Hell! It Has not even started.

Virtually absent is the genre of love songs, something for which purpose Gaughan expressed in A different kind of love song decidedly.

Repertoire

In addition to self-penned and traditional songs interpreted Gaughan works by other well-known British and American singer-songwriters like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Brian McNeil, Tommy Sands or Si Kahn new.

These new settings and Nachdichtigungen are based on traditional materials.

Man and musician

Gaughan is basically a more restrained, thoughtful, yes sometimes an introvert, what is not expected at his stage presence and the extraordinary voice of angry - committed to softly - caressing everything can image. This does not mean that he especially represents his political beliefs into the discussion not sustainable and full of conviction, or that he would miss a clear language. And diplomacy is not his thing. Rather, it means that he everything he says and does, do quietly and with great tolerance. He is a lovable, friendly, pleasant and patient man who can hardly say no. Totally free of airs and graces or other behavior patterns that we know from other well-known "big " in the scene. What makes him, in this context, at a highly impressive contemporaries, his character is one of the last of the "singing bards ", which pulls through the world and brings stories, the struggle of Canadian Indians to the unemployed mother in Liverpool. He is a great storyteller, if you are lucky enough to be able to listen to him after concerts. Often, however, it disappeared quickly. On the way to the hotel or to the next gig. Most in his little Renault with the ostentatiously attached country code SCO for Scotland. This is due to his absolute aversion to flying. He enters an aircraft only when it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, he takes himself disproportionate travel times into account. Then it looks according to his statement in his car, as in his life: " Unplanned and completely chaotic". An appropriated strong self-discipline ( punctuality, rationality, long sleep ) is its response to stress, which had formerly often ended in alcohol.

Gaughan is a multi-instrumentalist. He has recorded, for example, the last release "Lucky for Some " complete self. However, his original instrument is the acoustic guitar. Here he is today, according to from an authoritative source ( Bert Jansch, Eric Clapton ) at the best folk guitarists in the world. He always plays the well-known model D-28 Martin. His strong missing old D-28 from 1971 was heavily damaged on a transport to and from Australia twice. Since the beginning of 2006 he took a recent D-28 model, which is equipped with two different pickup by Fishman. It consists of a small microphone in the range of the sound hole and a purchaser under the side bridge. He left very early the standard tuning of the guitar ( EADGBE ) and plays at concerts almost exclusively in the DADGAD tuning, whose master he has brought unquestionable. However, he also uses a number of other moods, especially when it comes to the interpretation of instrumental pieces. Gaughan has a very unusual and distinctive style appropriated, which is characterized by a certain hardness as well as the game against the clock and the almost total absence of classical chords. He accompanies his singing with rather imaginative phrasing and barely comprehensible races that make up the unmatched style.

Discography

• No More Forever ( 1972)
• Kist O'Gold (1976 )
• Coppers and Brass (1977 )
• Gaughan ( Ewan MacColl Songs of ) ( 1978)
• A Handful of Earth ( 1981)
• A Different Kind Of Love Song ( 1983)
• Fanfare For Tomorrow (1985 )
• Live In Edinburgh ( 1985)
• True and Bold (1986 )
• Call It Freedom ( 1988)
• Sail On (1996 )
• Redwood Cathedral ( 1999)
• Outlaws And Dreamers (2001)
• Prentice Piece (2002)
• Lucky for Some (2006)

Folk Friends

• Folk Friends (1978 )
• Folk Friends 2 (1981 )

Dick Gaughan and Andy Irvine

• Parallel Lines (1982 )

Clan Alba

• Clan Alba ( 1995)