Artyness columnist Liza Mulholland mourns music and arts greats
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I write this – my 100th Artyness folk music column – as we approach the year end, and it naturally feels like a moment to take stock before looking ahead to the coming year.
Sadly, as always seems to happen around Christmas, we’ve recently lost several major figures in music and culture, artistes whose music was part of the soundtrack to my youth and millions of others.
When teenage me walked out of The Other Record Shop on Inverness’s Market Brae Steps, my Rumours vinyl LP safely ensconced in the shop’s distinctive plastic bag, I felt on top of the world.
Buying an LP back then was a big deal for a school kid, and The Other Record Shop was just the coolest place to hang out. It was only my second album purchase but, having heard Fleetwood Mac on the radio, I knew I had to spend my Saturday job cash on that great record.
I played it to death of course and still have it, albeit scratched and battered from decades of use. It was with tremendous sadness then that I learned of the death of Christine McVie, pianist, singer, and composer of many of the band’s greatest hits.
Her songs were so distinctive, melodic, with a lovely acoustic folk sensibility, and from a song-writing point of view, hugely inspirational to me as a young musician. A sad loss indeed but what a legacy she left.
Terry Hall, frontman of the Specials, was another musician of enormous influence. Politically aware songs, delivered with unflinching gaze, reflected tumultuous times, embodying a vision for equality, uniting communities, for a better world. The Specials’ involvement in Rock Against Racism and Anti-Nazi League festivals had a profound impact on a young generation, with Terry Hall at the forefront.
Closer to home, we recently lost a giant of a man, a colossus not of brawn, but of intellect, humanity, and culture. Aonghas MacNeacail, more often known as Aonghas Dubh (Black Angus), was a Gaelic poet, writer, songwriter and dramatist from Skye, whose work found worldwide acclaim and admiration.
An innovative writer of sharp mind, wit, and vision, but also an extremely warm and generous man of ready humour and encouraging word, his ever-youthful outlook belied his 80 years. It’s no exaggeration to say his influence was rich and far-reaching. His loss will be very widely felt.
When communities grieve the loss of cultural figures, the sense of shock is palpable. But perhaps a beneficial way to celebrate their lives and legacies is by teaching the young.
Fèis Rois do this in spades and their annual Cèilidh Trail is now open to applicants. A paid summer job as a touring musician offers a wonderful, fun learning experience for youngsters and who knows…maybe they will be influential artistes of the future.
Wishing readers a happy and healthy 2023!
