Rachel Walker (born 1976) is an

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 ...

-born singer of

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 ...

folk music 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 ...

, having performed and recorded as a solo artist as well as in bands, such as

Skipinnish Skipinnish is a traditional Scottish band from the Gàidhealtachd, singing primarily in English. The band (and brand) Skipinnish was created by Angus MacPhail and Andrew Stevenson in 1999 - both studying at the time at the Royal Scottish Academ ...

. Born in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

, she moved to

Wester Ross Wester Ross () is an area of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland in the council area of Highland. The area is loosely defined, and has never been used as a formal administrative region in its own right, but is generally regarded as lying to t ...

at age eight, and attended Kinlochewe Primary School and

Gairloch High School Gairloch High School (Gaelic: ''Ard-Sgoil Ghearrloch'') is a six-year secondary school in Gairloch, Scotland. Being situated in a remote area of the Highlands, it serves a large catchment area, with over 70% many of the pupils relying on school ...

, learning Gaelic song and traditional music. On leaving school, Walker completed a course in Classical music at

Napier University , mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain , established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College , type = Public , academic_staff = 802 , administrative_staff = 562 , chancellor = Will Whitehorn , ...

and in 1996, she was accepted as one of the first students on the brand new Scottish music course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where she studied Gaelic song under the tutelage of the renowned Gaelic singer Kenna Campbell. She is married to

piper Andrew Stevenson and has two children.

Discography

* ''Braighe Loch Iall'' (2004) * ''Fon Reul-Sholus'' (2006). * ''Air Chall'' (2010) * ''Gaol'' (2020) * ''A Happy Place'' (with Aaron Jones) (2021) * ''Despite The Wind And Rain'' (with Aaron Jones) (2022)

References

External links

* 1976 births Living people English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters Scottish folk singers Scottish Gaelic singers People educated at Gairloch High School 21st-century Scottish singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers {{England-singer-stub