Michael Marra
Encyclopedia
Michael Marra is a Scottish musician from Dundee
.
Jenny Marra
, the Labour MSP, is his niece.
district of Dundee. His first public performance was at an NCR
(formerly a large factory and major employer in Dundee) Christmas party in the 1950s. Although predominantly known as a songwriter, Marra has worked extensively in theatre, radio and television. To most he is a solo performer touring the length and breadth of Britain, performing in arts centres, theatres, folk clubs and village halls. He has opened for such diverse performers as Van Morrison
, The Proclaimers
, Loudon Wainwright III
, Barbara Dickson
and Deacon Blue
.
Michael played in the band Skeets Boliver in the mid '70's alongside his brother Chris, drummer Donny and saxman Pete McGlone. Signed to Warners at just the wrong time when punk was breaking out, they released two singles, "Streethouse Door" and "Moonlight In Jeopardy" to critical success. They also featured on a BBC documentary with a religious slant, entitled "I have seen the light."
Michael also had a guiding hand in the career of St. Andrew and the Woolen Mill.
. Former police officer Ms McKie had been wrongly accused of leaving her thumbprint at a murder scene in 1997. When she denied the print was hers, she was arrested and charged with perjury
but was acquitted in 1999. In February 2006, Ms McKie received an out-of-court settlement of £750,000 from the Scottish Executive
which first minister Jack McConnell
described as a result of an honest mistake. In the song, Marra writes:
In September 2007, he released a CD titled Quintet featuring five songs about five musicians - Peerie Willie Johnson
, Peter McGlone, Thomas Fraser
, Martin Carthy
and Dr. John
.
In November 2007, Marra appeared in a new production of The Demon Barber at Perth Theatre
in Scotland where he performed all his music live on stage. Marra also created the opera Nan Garland, which was performed at Dundee Rep
in 2004.
Marra's children, Alice Marra and Matthew Marra, are also musicians and songwriters. They are members of the Dundee based group, The Hazey Janes
.
Michael Marra has a new CD due for release in August 2010 on Delphian Records. Recorded on Tour In 2010 has Michael Marra backed by Mr McFall's Chamber.
canon that includes Tom Waits
, Randy Newman
and Bob Dylan
, however the subject matter remains eccentrically Scottish with a focus on Dundee.
Marra, a big football fan, wrote a song about his favourite footballer, ex-Dundee United goalkeeper, Hamish McAlpine
called Hamish the Goalie. The song has been covered by Leo Sayer, which makes it quite an unusual Dundee United related musical event. Another song tells the story of an occasion when a fox ran onto the pitch at Parkhead during a Celtic
versus Aberdeen
game.
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
.
Jenny Marra
Jenny Marra
Jenny Marra is a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament, representing the North East Scotland electoral region. She is a member of the Education and Culture Committee and of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee.She is the niece of the musician Michael...
, the Labour MSP, is his niece.
History
Michael Marra was brought up in the LocheeLochee
Lochee is an area in the west of Dundee, Scotland. Until the 19th century, it was a separate town, but was eventually surrounded by the expanding Dundee...
district of Dundee. His first public performance was at an NCR
NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation is an American technology company specializing in kiosk products for the retail, financial, travel, healthcare, food service, entertainment, gaming and public sector industries. Its main products are self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, check...
(formerly a large factory and major employer in Dundee) Christmas party in the 1950s. Although predominantly known as a songwriter, Marra has worked extensively in theatre, radio and television. To most he is a solo performer touring the length and breadth of Britain, performing in arts centres, theatres, folk clubs and village halls. He has opened for such diverse performers as Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers
The Proclaimers are a Scottish band composed of identical twin brothers, Charlie and Craig Reid . They are probably best known for the songs "Letter from America", "I'm On My Way" and "I'm Gonna Be ". The band tours extensively throughout Europe and other continents...
, Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To...
, Barbara Dickson
Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
and Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue
Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop band formed in Glasgow during 1985. Their name was taken from the title of the Steely Dan song "Deacon Blues". The band consists of vocalist Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime and drummer Dougie Vipond....
.
Michael played in the band Skeets Boliver in the mid '70's alongside his brother Chris, drummer Donny and saxman Pete McGlone. Signed to Warners at just the wrong time when punk was breaking out, they released two singles, "Streethouse Door" and "Moonlight In Jeopardy" to critical success. They also featured on a BBC documentary with a religious slant, entitled "I have seen the light."
Michael also had a guiding hand in the career of St. Andrew and the Woolen Mill.
Recent years
In April 2006, having his fingerprints routinely taken by Customs in Washington D.C. – where he was performing as part of the Tartan Week – Marra was inspired to write a protest song about Shirley McKieShirley McKie
Shirley McKie is a former Scottish police detective who was accused by fingerprint analysis staff of the Scottish Criminal Record Office of leaving her thumb print on the bathroom door frame of a murder crime-scene in Kilmarnock on 14 January 1997....
. Former police officer Ms McKie had been wrongly accused of leaving her thumbprint at a murder scene in 1997. When she denied the print was hers, she was arrested and charged with perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
but was acquitted in 1999. In February 2006, Ms McKie received an out-of-court settlement of £750,000 from the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
which first minister Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
described as a result of an honest mistake. In the song, Marra writes:
- "We lecture children if they're telling lies/They will not prosper and they will not thrive.../And even the First Minister must sometimes stand naked."
In September 2007, he released a CD titled Quintet featuring five songs about five musicians - Peerie Willie Johnson
Peerie Willie Johnson
"Peerie" Willie Johnson was a Scottish folk guitarist and bassist...
, Peter McGlone, Thomas Fraser
Thomas Fraser (singer)
Thomas Fraser was a fisherman and Country and Western and Rhythm and Blues musician from the Shetland Isles.Fraser was born in on the isle of Burra. He never released any recordings while he was alive, choosing to play his cover versions of American folk, country and western and rhythm and blues...
, Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
and Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
.
In November 2007, Marra appeared in a new production of The Demon Barber at Perth Theatre
Perth Theatre
Perth Theatre is a Victorian playhouse situated at 185 High Street, Perth, Scotland. It was opened in 1901 and extended in 1991.A memorial foundation stone was laid on 6 October 1889 by George Alexander, actor and manager of the St James's Theatre, London. The building is category B listed by...
in Scotland where he performed all his music live on stage. Marra also created the opera Nan Garland, which was performed at Dundee Rep
Dundee Repertory Theatre
Dundee Repertory Theatre or Dundee Rep is a theatre and arts company in the city of Dundee, Scotland. It operates as both a producing house - staging at least six of its own productions each year, and a receiving house - hosting work from visiting companies throughout Scotland and the United...
in 2004.
Marra's children, Alice Marra and Matthew Marra, are also musicians and songwriters. They are members of the Dundee based group, The Hazey Janes
The Hazey Janes
The Hazey Janes are an indie pop band from Dundee, Scotland.The band consists of Andrew Mitchell , Liam Brennan and siblings Alice Marra and Matthew Marra .Formed around 2000 by guitarist Andrew Mitchell and bass player Matthew Marra, the band's music has...
.
Michael Marra has a new CD due for release in August 2010 on Delphian Records. Recorded on Tour In 2010 has Michael Marra backed by Mr McFall's Chamber.
Influences
Marra derives his musical influences from the rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
canon that includes Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, however the subject matter remains eccentrically Scottish with a focus on Dundee.
Marra, a big football fan, wrote a song about his favourite footballer, ex-Dundee United goalkeeper, Hamish McAlpine
Hamish McAlpine
Hamish Robert McAlpine is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent the majority of his career playing for Dundee United, who he served for twenty years...
called Hamish the Goalie. The song has been covered by Leo Sayer, which makes it quite an unusual Dundee United related musical event. Another song tells the story of an occasion when a fox ran onto the pitch at Parkhead during a Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
versus Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
game.