Lizzie Higgins (20 September 1929 – 20 February 1993) was an Aberdeenshire

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

singer.

Early life

Born Elizabeth Ann Higgins in Guest Row,

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 ...

, she was the daughter of settled Travellers the piper Donald "Donty" Higgins and the singer

Jeannie Robertson Jeannie Robertson (1908 – 13 March 1975) was a Scottish folk singer. Her most celebrated song is "I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day", otherwise known as "Jock Stewart", which was covered by Archie Fisher, The Dubliners, The McCalmans, ...

. In 1941, after her school was twice bombed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Lizzie moved with her mother to the rural town of

Banchory Banchory (, sco, Banchry, gd, Beannchar) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee. Prehistory and archaeology In 2009, a farmer discovered a short cist bu ...

, where the local children bullied her for her heritage. She was so unhappy in this environment that she left school at fifteen despite the pleasure she gained from studying. She moved back to Aberdeen to fillet fish and take seasonal agricultural labouring.

Career

She did not take up public singing until 1967 because she did not wish to distract public attention from her mother. "The folk scene claimed Jeannie. I didnae want it tae claim me", she explained later. She debuted at the Aberdeen Folk Song Festival, persuaded to sing by folk song collector Peter Hall.

Personal life

She married Brian Youlden. She died from

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

in 1993.

Discography

* ''The Princess of the Thistle'' (12" LP record. Topic 12 T 185. Mono. Recorded by

Bill Leader Bill Leader (born 26 December 1929) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He is particularly associated with the British folk music revival of the 1960s and 1970s, producing records by Paddy Tunney, Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, John ...

, notes by Peter Hall. London,

Topic Records Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.M. Brocken, ...

Ltd., 1969) * ''"Up and Awa' wi' the Laverock'' (Topic, 1975) * "What a Voice" 2" LPLismor Folk Records 1985 * ''In Memory of Lizzie Higgins 1929 – 1993'' (Musical Traditions, 2006)

References

* 1929 births 1993 deaths Scottish folk singers Scottish Travellers 20th-century Scottish women singers Topic Records artists {{UK-singer-stub

Early life

Career

Personal life

Discography

See also

References