Matthew McGinn (17 January 1928 – 5 January 1977) was a
Scottish folk singer-songwriter, actor, author and poet. Born 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 ...
in 1928, McGinn was a prolific songwriter and is recognised as an influential figure in the
British folk music revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
McGinn was born in Ross Street at the corner of the
Gallowgate in
Calton, in the East End of Glasgow on 17 January 1928. Born the eighth child of a family of nine, his formal education ended when he entered an
approved school at the age of 12. Despite this, McGinn was, by his early 20s, recognised as a highly political charismatic debater of left-wing politics. On his release from approved school he worked in the
Hillington factory of
GKN
GKN Ltd is a British multinational automotive and aerospace components business headquartered in Redditch, England. It is a long-running business known for many decades as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. It can trace its origins back to 1759 an ...
, spending his spare time at evening classes and reading. He gained a Trade Union scholarship to study economics and political science at
Ruskin College
Ruskin College, originally known as Ruskin Hall, Oxford, is an independent educational institution in Oxford, England. It is not a college of Oxford University. It is named after the essayist, art and social critic John Ruskin (1819–1900) an ...
in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
when he was 31. After graduating, he trained to become a teacher at
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
Teachers' Training College and went on to work as a teacher in
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...
for three years before becoming the organiser of the
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...
Adventure Playground.
McGinn joined the folk scene after winning a song contest with a song entitled "The Foreman O'Rourke". He met
Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
in 1961 when Seeger was touring the British Isles. Seeger championed McGinn's music in the United States and arranged for him to be part of a concert performance at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
, where McGinn met a young
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 ...
. His career in music began during the folk revival of the 1960s but, while others leaned towards what they perceived traditional music, McGinn carved his own niche as a humourist and playwright as well as a singer/songwriter. He was a prolific songwriter, drawing on his experiences of Glasgow life for much of his material. He was a communist, republican and trade unionist, and a member of the
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...
. His performances in clubs and concert halls were hugely popular. McGinn's earliest recording was in 1962 when he was featured on the
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.
History
The Folkways Records & Service ...
''Revival in Britain, Vol. 1''a collection compiled by
Ewan MacColl
James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...
. He was also featured, alongside
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 ...
and
Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
, on the ''Broadside Ballads Vol''. 1 released in 1963. McGinn was also included in the 2000 compilation ''The Best of Broadside 1962–1988'', which was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
in the Best Historical Album category in 2001.
Matt McGinn embraced the "Folk Song Revival" of the 60s and brought to this his talent as a poet, his humour and his wealth of knowledge and experience of the ordinary folk of Glasgow and West of Scotland. It was never his ambition to be a singer/songwriter but considered tunes and melodies as a vehicle to express and propagate his beliefs and politics.
Perhaps a recent description of him as a people's historian is fitting. McGinn brought together his musical abilities, perception, humour, knowledge, politics and personal experience, to leave a history in words and music of the life and times of Scottish people, in particular Glasgow and the West.
McGinn also wrote songs for children, one of which, "Little Ticks of Time," was frequently used in 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 its offshoots such as ''Hokey Cokey''. The song was also featured in the 2011 Franco-German film ''
. Well known recordings of McGinn include "
", ″The Rolling Hills of the Border″, ″I have seen the Highlands″, ″The Jeely Piece Song″ (written by another stalwart of Glasgow music, Adam McNaughtan), ″The Big Effen Bee″, ″Skinny Malinky Longlegs″, ″The Red Yo Yo″, ″Gallowgate Calypso″, ″The Ibrox Disaster″ and ″The Wee Kirkcudbright Centipede″.
McGinn's first novel about his time in approved school ''Fry the Little Fishes'' was first published in 1975 () 2nd edition re-issued 2013 ()
There is a wealth of information about McGinn, as well as the words and music of some of his songs in the book ''McGinn of the Calton'', collated by Janette McGinn, and originally published by Glasgow District Libraries in 1987 ().
McGinn's songs are still performed by folk musicians in Scotland and America at tribute concerts. McGinn's songs have been recorded by
'', McGinn's songs "Little Ticks of Time" and "Why Did I Ever Become a Football Referee?" are sung by
.
McGinn died on 5 January 1977 of smoke inhalation, aged 48 (12 days short of his 49th birthday) after falling asleep with a lit cigarette in his hand. The post mortem revealed that there was no trace of alcohol in McGinn's blood.
In January 2019 a
for McGinn was installed in the Calton district of Glasgow's East End.
1963 Topic
: A thematic album which features Matt McGinn as one of the singers and a songwriter
''Matt McGinn'' 1966 Transatlantic
''Matt McGinn Again'' 1967 Transatlantic
"The Boys From Lisbon" (7" Single) 1968 Transatlantic
"I Have Seen The Highlands" & "I'll Be Coming Home To Glasgow" (7" Single) 1968 Transatlantic
''Honesty Is Out of The Fashion'' 1968 Transatlantic
''Little Ticks of Time'' 1969 Transatlantic
''The Matt McGinn Sampler'' 1969 Transatlantic
''Take Me Back to the Jungle'' 1971 RCA INTS
''Tinny Can on My Tail'' 1972 RCA INTS
''The Two Heided Man'' 1972 Emerald Gem
''Magic Shadow Show'' (7" EP) 1973 Moonbeam
''The Two Heided Man Strikes'' Again 1974 Emerald Gem
''Screwtops Are Falling on My Head'' 1975 Pye
''Ma Wee Auntie Sarah & Granda'' 1975 Pye
*''Revival in Britain Volume 1'' (first side only, other side various artists – compiled by
in 1962)
*''The Best of Matt McGinn'' (comprising around 50% of McGinn's 1966–69 output on
)
*''The Best of Matt McGinn Volume Two'' (comprising McGinn's albums ''Take Me Back to the Jungle'' (1971) and ''Tinny Can on My Tail'' (1972) plus 1 track from the ''Magic Shadow Show'' EP). (Now deleted)
*''The Return of the Two Heided Man'' (comprising most of the live albums ''The Two Heided Man'' (1973) and ''The Two Heided Man Strikes Again'' (1974))
*''On The Road From Aldermaston: Complete Transatlantic Recordings (1966-1969)'' (2017)