Calum Kennedy (born as Malcolm Martin Kennedy; 2 June 1928 – 15 April 2006) was a Scottish singer who performed in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

Biography

Kennedy was born in

Orinsay Orinsay ( gd, Orasaigh) is a crofting village on the Isle of Lewis in the district of Pairc, in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The settlement is within the parish of Lochs. Orinsay is from Stornoway, the major town of the Isle of Lewis, by Ro ...

, a small crofting village on the

Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis ( gd, Eilean Leòdhais) or simply Lewis ( gd, Leòdhas, ) is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as ...

. In 1955, he won a gold medal at the

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Mòd A mòd is an Eisteddfod-inspired festival of Scottish Gaelic song, arts and culture. Historically, the Gaelic word ''mòd'' (), which came from Old Norse ''mót'', refers to a Viking Age ''Thing'' or a similar kind of assembly. There are both lo ...

, singing in

. His first major success outside Scotland was his winning of the World Ballad Championship in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 1957. He had his own television program, and was voted "Grampian TV Personality of the Year". He was married to another

gold medalist, Anne Gillies, who died in 1974. He wore

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

on his LP covers. One of his highest performing recordings is titled ''Islands of Scotland and was'' recorded for the Decca Ace of Clubs label in the early 1960s. This contains a version of "Land o' Heart's Desire" among other fine songs in English. He is particularly well known for his version of the Gaelic song 'Mo Mhathair'. The

BBC #REDIRECT 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 ex ...

produced a program in the early 1980s called ''Calum Kennedy's Commando Course'', which documented a disastrous tour around the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

in an old bus. As more and more of his cast left the tour, a red marker pen was shown erasing them from a promotional poster. Kennedy was not happy about this program being shown, as he felt it ridiculed him, but it has since gone down as a piece of classic television. He died at age 77, in

Scotland on the 15th of April 2006.

Personal life

Kennedy's daughter

Fiona Fiona is a feminine given name. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of James Macpherson), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinisation of names, Lati ...

is also a singer and was for a time co-host with

Roy Castle Roy Castle (31 August 1932 – 2 September 1994) was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. In addition to being an accomplished jazz trumpet player, he could play many other instruments. Following a vers ...

of the long-running BBC children's series ''

Record Breakers ''Record Breakers'' was a British children's TV show, themed around world records and produced by the BBC. It was broadcast on BBC1 from 15 December 1972 to 21 December 2001. It was originally presented by Roy Castle with Guinness World Record ...

''. His granddaughter is model and actress

Sophie Kennedy Clark Sophie Kennedy Clark (born 1990) is a Scottish actress. She is the daughter of actress and singer Fiona Kennedy and the granddaughter of singer Calum Kennedy. Career Her first big break came when she starred as David Tennant's eldest daughte ...

. Kennedy owned Leethland House, Glenpatrick Road, and Elderslie which, since a fire, has been left in ruins. Calum had five other daughters besides Fiona: Kirsteen, Morag, Morven, and Deirdre from his first marriage (to Ann Gilles), and Eilidh from his second marriage with Christine Kennedy.

External links

obituary
by

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

Beltona Record Company
(A Scottish website featuring Calum's recordings)
Biography, Photos and Obituary at About Aberdeen
1928 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Scottish male singers People from the Isle of Lewis Scottish Gaelic singers {{Scotland-musician-stub