Fergie MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Fergie MacDonald is a Scottish
accordion
ist who specializes in ceilidh
music and plays the button key accordion. A trained physiotherapist and an international clay pigeon shooter, MacDonald is considered to be the man who popularised the West Highland style of traditional Scottish dance music. He was brought up in Moidart
.
MacDonald topped the Scottish pop charts in 1966 with his tune "Loch Maree
Islands". He was initially banned from appearing on the BBC
due to the traditional audition process but is now regularly featured on BBC Radio Scotland
and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal
.
He still tours today throughout the world and has released 23 albums to date. He is well known through the tales told by fellow Scottish accordionist Phil Cunningham
as part of his stage act.
He released his autobiography in 2003, Fergie: Memories of a Musical Legend.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist who specializes in ceilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
music and plays the button key accordion. A trained physiotherapist and an international clay pigeon shooter, MacDonald is considered to be the man who popularised the West Highland style of traditional Scottish dance music. He was brought up in Moidart
Moidart
Moidart is a district in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland.Moidart lies to the west of Fort William and is very remote. Loch Shiel cuts off the south-east boundary of the district. Moidart includes the townships of Dorlin, Mingarry, Kinlochmoidart and Glenuig. At Dorlin is located the ancient fortress...
.
MacDonald topped the Scottish pop charts in 1966 with his tune "Loch Maree
Loch Maree
Loch Maree is a loch in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. At long and with a maximum width of , it is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland; it is the largest north of Loch Ness. Its surface area is ....
Islands". He was initially banned from appearing on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
due to the traditional audition process but is now regularly featured on BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal
BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is a British radio station, broadcasting in Scottish Gaelic. It is operated by the BBC as part of its portfolio of television and radio services broadcasting to Scotland....
.
He still tours today throughout the world and has released 23 albums to date. He is well known through the tales told by fellow Scottish accordionist Phil Cunningham
Phil Cunningham (folk musician)
Phil Cunningham, MBE, born 1960 in Edinburgh, Scotland is a Scottish folk musician and composer.-Biography:Phil played accordion and violin from a very young age. He attended school in Portobello, and was raised Mormon, attending church regularly and playing organ...
as part of his stage act.
He released his autobiography in 2003, Fergie: Memories of a Musical Legend.