Artist profiles: Silly Wizard

Silly Wizard in 1983

Silly Wizard was one of the most phenomenal Scottish bands. It played the essence of Scottish music throughout Europe and North America for over two decades.

Silly Wizard was formed by some of the best musicians/composers in modern Scottish music: the Cunningham brothers Phil Cunningham and Johnny Cunningham, singer-songwriter Andy Stewart and one the best rhythm sections in the British folk world, Gordon Jones and Martin Hadden.

Scottish musician Dougie MacClean joined the band from 1979 to 1980 after Johnny Cunningham left.

The band split in 1988 after recording a farewell album Glint of Silver and an extensive final tour.

Most of the musicians moved on to pursue solo careers. Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas run Harbourtown Records.

Discography:

Silly Wizard (Transatlantic/Xtra, 1976)
Caledonia’s Hardy Sons (1978)
So Many Partings (Highway, 1979)
Wild & Beautiful (Highway, 1981)
Kiss the Tears Away (Highway, 1983)
Live in America (1985)
The Best of Silly Wizard (1985)
Glint of Silver (Green Linnet Records, 1986)
Live Wizardry (Green Linnet Records, 1988)
Live Again (2012), recorded in 1983

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.

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