Artist Profiles: Tannahill Weavers

The Tannahill Weavers are one of Scotland’s leading traditional bands. Their diverse repertoire spans the centuries with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, and original ballads and lullabies. Their music demonstrates to old and young alike the rich and varied musical heritage of the Celtic people. These versatile musicians have received worldwide accolades consistently over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recording efforts.

Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The Tannahill Weavers began to attract attention when founding members Roy Gullane and Phil Smillie added the full-sized highland bagpipes to the on-stage presentations, the first professional Scottish folk group to successfully do so. The combination of the powerful pipe solos, Roy’s driving guitar backing and lead vocals, and Phil’s ethereal flute playing breathed new life into Scotland’s vast repertoire of traditional melodies and songs.

Three years and a dozen countries later, the Tannahills were a Celtic music sensation in Europe, having won the Scotstar Award for Folk Record of the Year with their third album, The Tannahill Weavers.

Since their first visit to the United States in 1981, the Tannahills’ unique combination of traditional melodies on pipes, flute and fiddle, driving rhythms on guitar and bouzouki, and powerful three and four part vocal harmonies have taken the musical community by storm.

Over the years the Tannies have been trailblazers for Scottish music, and their tight harmonies and powerful, inventive arrangements have won them fans from beyond the folk and Celtic music scenes.

1994 saw the release to critical acclaim of Capernaum, which won the Indie Award in the USA for Celtic Album of the Year from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD, now AFIM).

Tannies veterans Phil Smillie, Roy Gullane, John Martin and Les Wilson are versatile musicians who have received worldwide accolades over the years for their exuberant performances and outstanding recordings. From reflective ballads to foot stomping reels and jigs, the variety and range of the material they perform is matched only by their enthusiasm and lively Scottish spirit.

The lineup that appeared on 2006’s Live and In Session featured Roy Gullane on guitar, vocals; John Martin on fiddle, viola, mandola, mandolin, cello; Colin Melville on Highland bagpipes, Scottish small pipes, whistles, guitar; Phil Smillie on flute, whistles, bodhran, vocals; Les Wilson on bouzouki, keyboards, vocals. Guests included Douglas Millar on keyboards and Hugh (Shuggie) MacCallum on assorted percussion.

In 2011, Tannahill Weavers was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, and in 2014 they were joined by innovative piper Lorne MacDougall.

Discography:

Are Ye Sleeping Maggie (Hedera Records HRCD11, 1976)

The Old Woman’s Dance (Hedera Records HRCD12, 1978)

The Tannahill Weavers (Hedera Records HRCD13, 1979)

Tannahill Weavers IV (Hedera Records HRCD14, 1981)

Passage (Green Linnet Records GLCD331, 1984)

Land of Light (Green Linnet GLCD167, 1985)

Dancing Feet (Green Linnet GLCD181, 1987)

The Best of the Tannahill Weavers (Green Linnet GLCD11, 1989)

Cullen Bay (Green Linnet GLCD118, 1990)

The Mermaid’s Song (Green Linnet GLCD1121, 1992)

Capernaum (Green Linnet GLCD1146, 1994)

Leaving St Kilda (Green Linnet, 1996)

The Tannahill Weavers Collection (Green Linnet GLCD1182, 1997)

Epona (Green Linnet GLCD1193, 1998)

Alchemy (Green Linnet GLCD121, 2000)

Arnish Light (Green Linnet GLCD 1226, 2003)

Live and In Session (Compass Records 445426, 2006)