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Alex Beaton (July 15, 1944 – May 27, 2022) was a Scottish
folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...
and
guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...
who performed across the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and hosted tours to
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Beaton established folk singers as a regular feature at highland games in the United States, beginning most notably with the
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is a Highland games event that has been held annually since 1956 at Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Celebrating the history and culture of Scots in North Carolina, it is among the first and largest mod ...
in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. Beaton released 21 albums on CD and one DVD musical travelogue of Scotland that combined three titles that were previously released on VHS tape. Artists featured on his recordings included
Alasdair Fraser Alasdair Fraser (born 14 May 1955, Clackmannan, Scotland) is a Scottish fiddler, composer, performer and recording artist. Fraser operates Culburnie Records and is a leading artist on the label. He has founded five summer fiddling programs: ...
and
Eric Rigler Eric Rigler is an American player of the Uilleann pipes, Great Highland Bagpipes, and tin whistle. He performs as a solo artist and with the band Bad Haggis, and has been featured on a number of movie soundtracks. He has been described as "the m ...
.


Origins and early work

Beaton was born in Glasgow, Scotland to an Irish mother and Scottish father. He began his musical career at the age of 17 as a member of ''The Cumberland Three'', a British
folk group Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...
in the early 1960s. ''The Cumberland Three'' consisted of Beaton, Brian Fogarty, and Leonard Sturrock, with Pete Sayers on the banjo. In 1963 they appeared at a large folk music concert with
Robin Hall Robin Hall (27 June 1936 – 18 November 1998) was a Scottish folksinger, best known as half of a singing duo with Jimmie Macgregor. Hall was a direct descendant of the famous Scottish folk hero and outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor as well as of th ...
and
Jimmie Macgregor Jimmie Macgregor (born 10 March 1930) is a Scottish folksinger and broadcaster, best known as half of a singing duo with Robin Hall. Biography Jimmie Macgregor was born in Springburn, Glasgow, Scotland, and grew up in a tenement and then a ...
. The group made appearances on radio and television, including on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
television networks. On December 7, 1963, the group performed on the British TV series Hullabaloo! The group recorded for
Parlophone Records Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 19 ...
. In 1964 they released their one and only album ''Introducing The Cumberland Three''. In 1965 ''The Cumberland Three'' disbanded in connection with the end of the folk music revival. Beaton emigrated to the United States in 1965 where he initially lived in
New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
and worked as a singer on TV and in restaurants. For a time he was the head of the entertainment department at Cunning Hartmann and Associates in
Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...
. Later serving in the
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, he entertained troops in the Third Army Soldiers' Show and the Seventh US Army Chorus in Germany. After serving 4 years in the army he took up the nightclub scene in 1969. During the 1970s, he re-directed his career toward writing and performing American country music, later winning an accolade at the International American Song Festival Awards in 1974 for a country song. Also in 1974, he moved to the
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
area.


Career as a Scottish folk singer

By 1981 Beaton was a resident singer at the Bob Burns Restaurant in
Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...
, performing a variety of music including country, folk, pop, rock, and standards. In 1983 he was "getting burned out" and, at the suggestion of a friend, started focusing more on traditional Scottish music. While at Bob Burns, wealthy real estate broker James Gary, who was of Scottish descent, became a fan of Beaton's and invested in an album of Scottish music; this resulted in the two becoming business partners to form Glenfinnan Records (
Glenfinnan Glenfinnan ( gd, Gleann Fhionnain ) is a hamlet in Lochaber area of the Highlands of Scotland. In 1745 the Jacobite rising began here when Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") raised his standard on the shores of Loch Shiel. S ...
is the place name of where the
Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...
began). In 1986 Beaton fully transitioned to performing folk music that was primarily Scottish in origin or subject, although his repertoire included songs in the folk music genre that were not purely Scottish (such as by
Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960 ...
and
Stan Rogers Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter. Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and th ...
). Beaton "tried for three years in the early '80s to perform at the prestigious Grandfather Mountain Games in North Carolina, with no success." Determined to make a breakthrough, he traveled to Linville, North Carolina and busked on a street corner on the route to the games. By the next year, Beaton was singing at the games and emceed the Tartan Ball. Following that success, he promoted and advertised himself and pushed his way into other games. "Now, every Highland Games has folk music," Beaton told the Albuquerque Journal in 2000, whereas previously they "never included singers, only bagpipe bands." By 1990, Beaton had "won acclaim as the featured performer at numerous Highland Games and Scottish cultural events throughout the U.S. and Canada". In 1993 it was reported that Beaton was appearing at several dozen festivals that year. In 1994 it was said that he gave about 75 performances a year, mostly at Scottish festivals. In 1996 he started hosting guided tours to Scotland. In 1999, he was described as "among the best-known Scottish entertainers" in the United States. ''The Times Scotland'' noted Beaton's performance style, stating "mixed in with the tender ballads from his homeland were bawdy family favorites such as "You Cannae Shove yer Granny aff a Bus" and a healthy dose of Glaswegian banter." ''The Herald Scotland'' described him as "a tall, distinctive figure with . . . (an) easy-on-the-ear singing style." He had a
baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...
vocal range. The Virginia Gazette said "Beaton's voice and guitar are clear, thoughtful and sensitive. Singing sentimental ballads, his rich (singing voice) evokes a tear; his sly Scot's humor provokes laughter; rousing interpretations of patriotic songs invite enthusiastic cheers." He interspersed narratives of Scottish history and wit amongst songs in his musical sets. Beaton gave what would become his last public performance on the
Isle of Harris Harris ( gd, Na Hearadh, ) is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to in opposition to the ''Isle of Lewis'' as t ...
on June 11, 2011.> He performed Piper to the End by
Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...
, which he was planning to include on his next album.


Guitars

Beaton's stage guitar was a
Tony Rice David Anthony Rice (June 8, 1951 – December 25, 2020), known professionally as Tony Rice, was an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and a ...
model made by the
Santa Cruz Guitar Company The Santa Cruz Guitar Company is an American manufacturer of acoustic guitars, located in Santa Cruz, California. The company was started in 1976 by luthier Richard B. Hoover, who is reputed to have "trained some of the most accomplished contempora ...
, located in Santa Cruz, California. The model is based on Tony Rice's 1935 Martin D-28, formerly owned by
Clarence White Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrds, ...
. Beaton's guitar was fashioned of
Brazilian rosewood ''Dalbergia nigra'', commonly known as the Bahia rosewood, jacarandá-da-Bahia, Brazilian rosewood, Rio rosewood, jacarandá-do-brasil, pianowood, caviúna, graúna, jacarandá-una or obuina is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. Descri ...
(back, sides, and neck), old growth German spruce (top), and
ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...
wood (fret board).He used a Sunrise sound hole pickup. The guitar was completed in June of 1988 and was purchased by Beaton in August of 1988 from a music store in Carmel, California. Beaton also used two
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...
guitars.


Honors

In 2012, the "Alex Beaton stage" was dedicated at the Scottish Fest at the OC Fair & Event Center (Costa Mesa, California). There is also a stage named for Beaton at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. In July 2012, Beaton received the Agnes McCrae Morton Award from the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. In 2022 it was reported that Mark Knopfler (of
Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...
fame) was a fan of Beaton's. The Virginia Scottish Games features the "Beaton Entertainment Tent" as of 2022.


Illness and death

In 2011 Beaton was paralyzed from the neck down due to an accident at home. Two years after his accident, he and his wife, Linda, moved to St. Peters, Missouri, to be nearer to family. Beaton died at his home on May 27, 2022, with his wife, Linda, by his side. He was also survived by two daughters, Alessandra (Ali) and Catriona (Catie); a brother, Neil; a stepson, John; a granddaughter, Maggie; three nieces; one nephew; two grandnieces; and three grandnephews.


Discography

Beaton co-founded his own record label, Glenfinnan Music Ltd., with a business partner. He released 21 albums under this label: # ''Alex Beaton Sings of Scotland Forever'' (1984) # ''Los Angeles Police Pipe Band, Featuring Vocals, Alex Beaton'' (1984) # ''Daft Ditties, A Collection of Humorous and Tastefully Offensive Songs'' (1987) # ''On the Beaton Path'' (1987) # ''The Road to the Isles'' (1990) # ''Halfway Home'' (1992) # ''Alex Beaton's Christmas Classics'' (1994) # ''Beaton's Best'' (1994) # ''In The Scottish Tradition'' (1994) # ''Songs of Praise, Pipes of Peace'' (1994) # ''The Water is Wide'' (1995), featuring a version of
Dougie MacLean Dougie MacLean, OBE (born 27 September 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Described by AllMusic as "one of Scotland's premier singer-songwriters", MacLean has performed both under his ow ...
's "
Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...
" # ''The Scotsman'' (1996), featuring "Pipes in the Glen," a song written by Beaton and Ron Eisenberg # ''A Dream of Arran'' (1998) # ''Kidding Around'' (1999) # ''I Have Seen the Highlands'' (2000) # ''Over the Border'' (2001), featuring "
Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the Arct ...
" written by Stan Rogers # ''Lover's Heart'' (2004) # ''Beaton's Personal Favorites'' (2005), featuring a version of
Dougie MacLean Dougie MacLean, OBE (born 27 September 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Described by AllMusic as "one of Scotland's premier singer-songwriters", MacLean has performed both under his ow ...
's "
Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...
" and "Pipes in the Glen," a song written by Beaton and Ron Eisenberg # ''The Songs of Robert Burns'' (2007) # ''From the Sea to the Shore'' (2010), featuring "Sailing to Philadelphia" written by Mark Knopfler and "Christian Island" written by Gordon Lightfoot # ''Live in Concert, Alex Beaton, Alasdair Fraser, & Eric Rigler'' (2012), featuring "
The Mary Ellen Carter "The Mary Ellen Carter" is a song written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It tells the story of a heroic effort to salvage a sunken ship, the eponymous ''Mary Ellen Carter'', by members of her crew. Original version The song chronicl ...
" written by Stan Rogers, and "Pipes in the Glen," a song written by Beaton and Ron Eisenberg

In March 2023, two of Beaton's early albums (that were previously released on vinyl) were re-released posthumously on CD and for download: # ''Live at the Sawmill'' (1975), featuring folk and Scottish songs # ''Seasons'' (early 1980s), featuring country and Scottish folk songs and including two songs that Beaton co-wrote, "Seasons Come, Seasons Go" and "I'd Rather Live Alone with Me"


Filmography

''Alex Beaton's Scotland, A Musical Travelogue of Scotland in Three Films'' (2005), is a DVD containing three films previously released on VHS tape: * ''Going Home'' (1989) - Beaton visits
Bannockburn Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing int ...
, Culloden,
Glen Coe Glen Coe ( gd, Gleann Comhann ) is a glen of volcanic origins, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the north of the county of Argyll, close to the border with the historic province of Lochaber, within the modern council area of Highland ...
,
Glenfinnan Glenfinnan ( gd, Gleann Fhionnain ) is a hamlet in Lochaber area of the Highlands of Scotland. In 1745 the Jacobite rising began here when Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") raised his standard on the shores of Loch Shiel. S ...
,
Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Ce ...
, the
Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...
, and
Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...
* ''I Belong to Glasgow'' (1990) - Beaton visits Glasgow and the
River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
* ''On The Castle Trail'' (1994) - Beaton visits castles such as
Caerlaverock Caerlaverock (; gd, Cille Bhlàthain) is a civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. The parish was historically in Dumfriesshire. The area includes: * Caerlaverock Castle, a 13th-century castle, located south of Dumfries, Scotland * Ca ...
, Dunnottar, Dunstaffnage,
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Eilean Donan Eilean Donan ( gd, Eilean Donnain) is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs (Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh) in the western Highlands of Scotland, about from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainl ...
, and
Glamis Glamis is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located south of Kirriemuir and southwest of Forfar. It is the location of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. History The vicinity of Glamis has prehistoric tr ...


References


External links


Alex Beaton's official site


{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaton, Alex 1944 births 2022 deaths Scottish country musicians People from Glasgow Scottish folk musicians Scottish folk singers Scottish male singer-songwriters Scottish singer-songwriters Scottish male songwriters