James Graham

about

James Graham is a young man on a mission. The parish of Assynt in the far north west of Sutherland, where James's home town of Lochinver is situated, was once rich in Gaelic song, and gathering as many of these songs and sharing them with audiences around the world has become James's goal. Winning the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2004 award - not only was James the first Gaelic singer he is also the first male winner. James, who also plays the pipes, grew up in a household where music was an essential part of family life. Although his mother, an accordionist, is the only other family member who plays an instrument, James's father and sister are good singers and were always singing around the house, and at weekends, friends and family members regularly gathered for ceilidhs. James began singing Gaelic at competition level at the age of ten. His school, Lochinver Primary, has a long history of producing strong Gaelic singers and as the only boy at the school who was singing Gaelic songs at the time, it was left to James to maintain this tradition while his friends played football. Encouraged by his great aunt Seordag Murray and his head teacher, Kenny MacKenzie, three of whose nieces comprise the well-known MacKenzie singing group from Lewis, James quickly became a prize-winner at both local and national Mods, the Gaelic music and poetry festivals. Great aunt Seordag was a massive influence on James. His parents' generation had largely shunned

top songs

albums

VIRAL

A Song For You (The Four Performance)

▥

Fix You (The Four Performance)

▥

Writing's On The Wall (The Four Performance)

On Bended Knee (The Four Performance)

Human Nature (The Four Performance)

Lately (The Four Performance)

Siubhal

▥

First Edition

▥

Greisean Greine

▥

Loose

▥

No. 1 Scottish Traditional Music from the RSAMD

similar artists