Danny Kyle (12 December 1939 – 5 July 1998) was a Scottish

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

. He was a passionate supporter of traditional music and a constant campaigner for its revival in Scotland. Kyle was an important figure in the Scottish Folk Revival of the sixties.

Biography

Kyle was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1939 and he was brought up in a two-bed

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

in McKerrell Street with his three sisters. Later on in his childhood the family moved to Renfrew Road, where he lived until his death in the summer of 1998. At 15 years old Kyle left school and went to work at

Babcock International Babcock International Group plc is a British aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering services company based in London, England. It specialises in managing complex assets and infrastructure. Although the company has civil contracts, its main b ...

in Renfrew as an apprentice engineer. In the early 1960s, Kyle started his career as a folk singer and entertainer on the flourishing folk club circuit, during the booming folk revival. Kyle was soon one of the most influential and popular figures on the circuit. Kyle teamed up with Tich Frier, Mike Whelans, Malky McCormick and Bill Nolan to form the Vindscreen Vipers. Popular as he was, Kyle only recorded two albums: ''Ah'll Get Ye'' in 1975 (foreword by

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

) and ''Heroes & Soft Targets'' in 1998. The Danny Kyle Open Stage has become an integral event as part of the annual

Celtic Connections The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of tra ...

festival in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. "Named after the legendary Paisley folk musician, the stage continues to celebrate Danny’s ethos of finding new talent". Danny Kyle first ran a competition at the festival in 1998, the year of his death. Kyle died on 5 July 1998, aged 58.

Discography

*''Ah'll Get Ye'' (Pan Audio, 1975) *''Heroes & Soft Targets'' (1998, Iona Records)

References

External links

Celtic Connections Open Stage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, Danny 1939 births 1998 deaths Musicians from Glasgow Scottish folk musicians 20th-century Scottish musicians