Jean Redpath

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language of t ...

(28 April 1937 – 21 August 2014) 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 be ...

, educator and

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

Career

Jean Redpath was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Scotland, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots songs and passed them on to Jean and her brother, and her father played the

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...

. She was raised in

Leven, Fife Leven ( gd, Inbhir Lìobhann) is a seaside town in Fife, set in the east Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the coast of the Firth of Forth at the mouth of the River Leven, north-east of the town of Kirkcaldy and east of Glenrothes. ...

, Scotland, and later returned to Edinburgh, taking

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

studies at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 158 ...

. To help pay her way through her studies, she sang for beer money and undertook part-time work as a driving instructor and undertaker's assistant. The Scottish poet and folk-song collector

Hamish Henderson Hamish Scott Henderson (11 November 1919 – 9 March 2002) was a Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. He was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk song collector and di ...

was working in the

School of Scottish Studies The School of Scottish Studies ( gd, Sgoil Eòlais na h-Alba, sco, Scuil o Scots Studies) was founded in 1951 at the University of Edinburgh. It holds an archive of approximately 33,000 field recordings of traditional music, song and other lo ...

at the university and Redpath took a keen interest in the archive of tapes and discs of music and songs. She learned about 400 songs, together with the oral folklore that went with them. In March 1961, at the age of 24, she arrived in the United States with just eleven dollars in her pocket. Her first performance was in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Later she met up with

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. The natural warmth and power of her voice brought her to perform at

Gerde's Folk City Gerdes Folk City, sometimes spelled Gerde's Folk City, was a music venue in the West Village, part of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, in New York City. Initially opened by owner Mike Porco as a restaurant called Gerdes, it eventually began to presen ...

. In 1963, following a concert performance, she signed with

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. In 1975, she switched to the Philo label. From 1972 to 1976, Redpath was artist-in-residence at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settlers as a town under its ...

. She lectured in folklore and acted as cultural resource in the local school system. In 1976, Redpath embarked on a project to record all the songs of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who ha ...

, some being folk songs, some Burns's own compositions, and most a mixture of the two. Twenty-two volumes were planned, but when her collaborator, the composer Serge Hovey, died after seven volumes, the project came to a premature end. Hovey had done the instrumental arrangements for 323 songs, and Redpath felt no other musician could replace him. The albums won critical praise from around the world. In 1986, she recorded ''Lady Nairne'', a collection of songs written by Scottish women. Redpath sensitively reconstructed songs that might otherwise have been lost. Between 1974 and 1987, Redpath appeared regularly on

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

's "

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from Her ...

" APM radio show. She also appeared on Robert J. Lurtsema's " Morning pro musica" broadcast from

WGBH WGBH may refer to: * WGBH Educational Foundation The WGBH Educational Foundation (also known as GBH since August 2020) is an American public broadcasting group based in Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1951, it holds the licenses to all of ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

. Redpath toured throughout the U.S. and Canada, played venues in South America, Hong Kong, and Australia, including the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

, and performed often at the Edinburgh Folk Festival. In 1977, Royal Jubilee Year, Redpath appeared at a royal banquet at

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland 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 (in ...

for

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. Starting in 1979, Redpath was a lecturer at the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

, Scotland, with occasional trips to teach at

. She gave courses for ten years in Scottish Song at the Heritage of Scotland Summer School at the

. She was awarded the

in 1987, as well as being named a

Kentucky colonel Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the most well-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission (the certificate) is ...

by the Governor of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...

. Redpath also received honorary doctorates from the

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

and the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, and was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame in 2008. A portrait of Redpath by Alexander Fraser hangs in the

Scottish National Portrait Gallery The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. The gallery holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Co ...

in Edinburgh. In 1996, she launched the Burns International Festival. In 2009, Redpath made an appearance on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production co ...

'', singing "Some Kind of Love" by the late John Stewart of the

Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, an ...

. Letterman promoted her album ''By Request'' during her appearance, although the song "Some Kind of Love" does not appear on that album. This led to some confusion for viewers who wished to obtain a recorded version of the song. In 2011, she returned to her alma mater to become artist-in-residence at the

’s Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies. She kept her links to Scotland owning a house in

Elie Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked ...

during her life.

Death and legacy

Redpath died from cancer on 21 August 2014 at a hospice in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, Arizona."Folk singer Jean Redpath has died"
Bbc.com; 21 August 2014; accessed 21 August 2014. In the town where Redpath was raised, Leven in Fife, there is a street named in her honour: Jean Redpath Wynd.

Discography

*''Skipping Barefoot Through the Heather'' (1962) Prestige PR 13020Pohle, H. (1987) ''Folk Record Source Book''; p. 388 *''Scottish Ballad Book'' (1962) Elektra EKL 214 *''Laddie Lie Near Me'' (1963) Elektra EKL 274 *''Songs of Love, Lilt, Laughter'' (1963) Elektra EKL 224 *''Frae My Ain Countrie'' (1973) Folk Legacy FSS 49 *''Jean Redpath'' (1975) Philo PH 2015 *''Songs of Robert Burns vol. 1'' (1976) Philo PH 1037 *''There were Minstrels'' (1977) Trailer LER 2106 *''Song of the Seals'' (1978) Philo PH 1054 *''Father Adam'' (1979) Philo PH 1061 *''Lowlands'' (1980) Philo PH 1061 *''Songs of Robert Burns vol. 2'' (1980) Philo PH 1048 *''Songs of Robert Burns vol. 3'' (1981) Philo PH 1071 *''Songs of Robert Burns vol. 4'' (1981) Philo PH 1072 *''Haydn: Scottish Songs'' (1984) Philo PH 1082 *''Love Is Teasin (1984) *''Love Is Teasin (reissue) *''Songs of Robert Burns vol. 5'' (1985) Philo PH 1093 *''The Scottish Fiddle'' (1985) Lismor LIFL 7009 *''Lady Nairne'' (1986) *''A Fine Song For Singing'' (1987) *''Songs of Robert Burns vol. 6'' (1987) Greentrax TRAX 005 *''First Flight'' (1989) *''Songs of Robert Burns vol 7'' (1990) *''Leaving the Land'' (1990) *''The Moon's Silver Cradle'' (1996)

References

External links

Jean Redpath archive
at the University of South Carolina Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections * {{DEFAULTSORT:Redpath, Jean 1937 births 2014 deaths Musicians from Edinburgh 21st-century Scottish women singers Scottish folk singers British music educators Members of the Order of the British Empire Academics of the University of Stirling Wesleyan University faculty Elektra Records artists People from Leven, Fife Deaths from cancer in Arizona Scottish expatriates in the United States Academics of the University of Edinburgh Women music educators Scottish women academics 20th-century Scottish women singers