Scotland: A Little Nation That Rocked the USA
Scotland sits on England’s northern border
It is a small nation in the eastern hemisphere, best known for golf, kilts, sheep and the Loch Ness Monster.
With a population of a paltry five million, it is overshadowed by its southern neighbor, England, which has produced a multitude of rock and roll legends.
Yet, tiny Scotland has made musical contributions that have left large footprints on the United States and other nations. Over the past 55 years, rock music has rivaled scotch whiskey as its most notable export.
What has made Scotland such a fertile breeding ground for so many successful rockers? Perhaps it’s the clean air that wafts out of the peaceful highlands. Or the pure water that runs through its pristine rivers. Maybe it’s the fact that the Scots welcome anything that can drown out the sounds of their bagpipes.
Following is a summary of some of Scotland’s finest rockers:
Donovan – Born Donovan Phillip Leitch, May 10, 1946, in Glasgow. He began writing poetry at age 9 and eventually was drawn to folk music by the songs of Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez. “Catch The Wind” was his first single and, as his career took off, he meditated in India with the Beatles and other musicians.
His “Sunshine Superman” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in Sept. 1966. Donovan recorded several other songs with quirky titles, such as “Mellow Yellow,” Epistle To Dippy,” “Jennifer Juniper” and “Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot).”
After his success on the singles charts waned, Donovan recorded nine albums in the 1970s and worked on movie soundtracks. He lived in the southern California desert for a time and then moved to Ireland. Today he is still writing poetry.
Al Stewart – Born Sept. 5, 1945, in Greenock. He relocated to London to launch his musical career. He emerged from the 1960s folk music scene as an acoustic rocker.
He became adept at weaving historical events and figures into his lyrics. “Year Of The Cat” (No. 8 in 1977) and “Time Passages” (No. 7 in 1978) are his best-known hits. It took him seven albums to land a hit song in America, but he emerged from the status of cult hero in a big way.
As of 2004, Stewart was living in Marin County, Calif., with his wife and two young daughters.
Gerry Rafferty – Born April 16, 1947, in Paisley. Along with Joe Egan, he was a member of Stealers Wheel. The duo recorded three albums and had a No. 6 hit with “Stuck In The Middle With You” in 1973.
Then he went solo and had his biggest success in 1978 when he released the album “City To City.” Its first single, “Baker Street,” spent an amazing six weeks at No. 2 in June and July. “Right Down The Line” peaked at No. 12.
Rafferty recorded eight albums as a solo act.
Mark Knopfler – Born Aug. 12, 1949, in Glasgow. His family moved to Newcastle, England, when he was 7. He took an interest in the guitar and wound up in a band called the Café Racers, for which his brother David also played guitar. The brothers helped form Dire Straits in 1977. A friend of the drummer, noting their woeful financial status, recommended the name.
With Mark on lead guitar and lead vocals, the group’s 1978 self-titled first album was well received and produced a No. 4 hit, “Sultans Of Swing.” They continued to record about one album a year for four years, and Mark did session work for Steely Dan’s “Gaucho” album in 1979. David left the band for a solo career the same year.
In 1982 Mark wrote “Private Dancer,” which would surface two years later as the title track on Tina Turner’s blockbuster comeback album. Also that year he did session work for Van Morrison, and in 1983 he co-produced and played on Bob Dylan’s “Infidels” album.
Dire Straits released its biggest album, “Brothers In Arms,” in 1985. The first single, “Money For Nothing,” topped the Hot 100 for three weeks in September and hit No. 1 in 23 other countries. A follow-up, “Walk Of Life,” reached No. 7. A mammoth concert tour visited 117 countries, played 248 shows and sold three million tickets.
Life after Dire Straits has seen Knopfler working on movie soundtracks as well as studio recording and touring with other artists.
Marmalade – Formed in Glasgow in the late 1960s as a quintet led by Dean Ford (real name Thomas McAleese). They originally were known as the Gaylords.
Their first hit was a cover of the Beatles’ “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” and was a No. 1 smash in the United Kingdom. However, the band wasn’t introduced to America until 1970, when they hit No. 10 with “Reflections Of My Life.”
Ensuing lineup changes cost Marmalade its momentum in the early ‘70s. It still is touring today as a four-man band.
Annie Lennox – Born Dec. 25, 1954, in Aberdeen. As one half of the duo Eurythmics (with Englishman Dave Stewart), she provided lead vocals and played keyboards and flute. Both had been members of the Tourists from 1977 to 1980.
Eurythmics hit No. 1 with their debut single, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” in Sept. 1983. Among their nine top 40 hits were “Here Comes The Rain Again” (No. 4) and “Would I Lie To You?” (No. 5).
Lennox went solo in the 1990s and found only moderate success.
Average White Band – Formed in Glasgow in 1972. The six-man band scored a surprising No. 1 hit with the instrumental “Pick Up The Pieces” in Feb. 1975.
Later in the same year their “Cut The Cake” reached No. 10.
The band has gone through several lineup changes, due in part to members’ deaths. AWB still tours extensively throughout America.
Bay City Rollers – Formed in Edinburgh in the 1960s. They originally performed as the Saxons, but they got a name change by sticking a pin into a map – it landed on Bay City, Mich.
They gained fame by recording a string of cover hits, and the teen hysteria “Rollermania” was born. At least one of the members remarked that they would be bigger than the Beatles. They ended up being not even as big as Herman’s Hermits, let alone the Beatles.
“Saturday Night” put the Rollers on top of the Hot 100 in Jan. 1976. But subsequent efforts to rule the music world fell short. “Money Honey” and “You Made Me Believe In Magic” were the band’s only other top 10 records.
Nazareth – Formed in Dunfermline in the 1960s. The members started out as the Shadettes in 1961.
The band had a five-man lineup in 1975 when it recorded a cover version of Roy Orbison’s “Love Hurts.” The song peaked at No. 8 in Feb. 1976.
With 22 albums to their credit, Nazareth currently is touring as a four-man band.
Pilot – Formed in Edinburgh in 1973. The trio consisted of David Paton, Bill Lyall and Stuart Tosh.
The band had a fairly undistinguished career except for one hit, “Magic,” which cruised to No. 5 in June 1975. That catchy song, which was produced by famed Abbey Road Studios producer Alan Parsons, found its way onto TV commercials.
Pilot disbanded in 1977. Lyall, the keyboard player, became one of rock’s first AIDS casualties in 1989 at age 36.
Lulu – Born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, Nov. 3, 1948, in Glasgow. She was 14 and singing with the Gleneagles in a small Glasgow nightclub when she was discovered. She got her moniker after her agent remarked, “I’ll tell you one thing, she’s a real lulu of a kid.”
She landed a part in the film “To Sir With Love” and recorded the title song. It spent five weeks at No. 1, yet never charted in Britain. Within a year she had her own TV show in the U.K.
Lulu’s other claim to fame was being married to Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees from 1969 to 1973.
Sheena Easton – Born Sheena Orr, April 27, 1959, in Belshill. She turned a modest career into a big one when her recording of “Morning Train (Nine To Five)” was released in the U.S. and spent two weeks at No. 1 in May 1981.
When she wasn’t watching her records soar up the charts, she was making guest appearances on the Miami Vice Television show in the mid-1980s. Her top-40 career spanned 11 years. Easton became a U.S. citizen in 1992.
Simple Minds – Formed in Glasgow. The five-man band featured vocalist Jim Kerr, who was married to American Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders from 1984 to 1990.
The group is best known for its hit “Don’t You Forget About Me,” which reached No. 1 in May 1985. The song was featured in the film The Breakfast Club.
Lonnie Donegan – Born Anthony Donegan, April 29, 1931, in Glasgow. He might be considered the grandfather of Scottish rock and roll.
He also was known as Britain’s “King of Skiffle.” He had a No. 8 hit with “Rock Island Line” in 1956 and a No. 5 hit with the humorous “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor (On The Bedpost Over Night)” in 1961.
Honourable Mention – Rod Stewart, born Roderick David Stewart, Jan. 10, 1945, in London. He narrowly missed being a Scot, as he was the only one of five children who was born in England to a Scottish father and English mother. His birthright included a passion for many things Scottish in nature.
Stewart’s 34 top-40 hits, including three No. 1 songs, would have made him the undisputed king of Scottish rock, had his parents not moved from Scotland before his birth.
