Nick Keir
Nick Keir (14 March 1953 – 2 June 2013)[1] was a musician from Edinburgh, Scotland, who is best known for his work with The McCalmans.[2] More recently Keir emerged as a singer-songwriter, producing three solo albums and performing as a soloist with The Tolkien Ensemble. Keir regularly played in both Scotland and Denmark at folk festivals and on tours, both with The McCalmans and also at solo gigs.
Nick Keir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 March 1953 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 2 June 2013 (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Associated acts | The McCalmans |
Keir studied at Stirling University, where he founded Finn MacCuill, a folk-rock band, which for a while expanded into The Finn MacCuill Folkshow, a small touring theatre group, for which he wrote the scripts. In the late 1970s, Keir joined 7:84 Theatre Company Scotland as a writer and musician, and soon after joined The McCalmans Folk Group.
Keir later played with Stephen Quigg (a former member of The McCalmans) in a duo as well as being a soloist. Other collaborations included work on The Complete Works of Robert Tannahill and appearing regularly with the Holbaek Ensemble in Denmark in a programme of Scots and Baroque Music. Keir mostly played the acoustic guitar and the penny whistle, although he was proficient in many other instruments.
Keir died of cancer on 2 June 2013, after being diagnosed the year previously.
Discography
- Finn mac Cuill (1975) Finn mac Cuill. REL Records
- Sink Ye Swim Ye (1977)Finn mac Cuill. REL Records
- Rumours of Snow (2000) Laverock Records LRK1
- All Over This Town (2004) Laverock Records LRK2
- Fishing Up the Moon (2008) Laverock Records LRK3
- The Edge of Night (2012) Laverock Records LRK4
- Nick Keir 1953-2013 (2017) Greentrax CDTRAX397
References
- Strong, Martin Charles (2002). The great Scots musicography: the complete guide to Scotland's music makers. Mercat. p. 49. ISBN 9781841830414.