About Dougie Maclean
Scotland's Dougie MacLean, famed for writing 'Caledonia', has built an international reputation as songwriter, composer and extraordinary performer.
Dougie Maclean Description
This page is administered by Dougie MacLean himself as well as Jennifer MacLean (JM) Julia MacLean (Julia) and Jude Henderson (JH).
Dougie MacLean, originally famed for writing the song 'Caledonia', has built an international reputation as songwriter, composer and extraordinary performer on his own terms. This talent has taken his performance to concerts and festivals all over the world and to the stages of Carnegie Hall in New York, London’s Festival Theatre and the Sydney Opera House. Other appearances of note include sharing the stage with Lou Reed and Eddi Reader in the grounds of Culzean Castle at the Burns and A’ That festival, featuring on the BBC Hogmanay programme from Edinburgh Castle with James Taylor and sharing the bill with legendary soul singer Mavis Staples at Glasgows Royal Concert Hall.
His songs have been covered by hosts of artists including Scottish stars Paolo Nutini & Amy MacDonald, Irish greats Ronan Keating, Mary & Frances Black, Dolores Keane, Deanta and Cara Dillon, and Grammy award winning US country singer Kathy Mattea. His anthem Caledonia has topped the Scottish charts and become one of Scotland’s most popular contemporary songs. His music has been used in Hollywood films (eg Last of the Mohicans), TV Drama (eg BBC’s A Mugs Game) and he has been the subject of three BBC TV Specials (The Land - Songs of Dougie MacLean, SongRoads and Clann na Mara - Children of the Sea).
Dougie was awarded an OBE in this years New Years Honors list in recognition of his services to music and charity. He has also recently received two prestigious Tartan Cleff Awards and has been inducted into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame.
Dougie’s own 10 day Perthshire Amber Festival, now it it’s seventh year, was described by US magazine Sing Out as “The most original acoustic music festival in Scotland today”. Through the festival he shares his inspiring music, celebrates the history and culture of his Perthshire home and showcases it’s beautiful scenery. The concerts, which are staged in a variety of wonderful venues, welcome high calibre musical guests from Scotland and abroad.
“Dougie MacLean is a performer of extraordinary warmth and ease. . . he has a knack for turning the experiences of his own life into something universally understood, as well as a gift for bestowing each with just the right melody. ”
(Scotsman, UK)
“Strong yet subtle, hauntingly evocative yet contemporary in feel, this music demands listening to over and over again. ”
(Time Out, UK)
“. . a Scottish phenomenon. . . with his exquisite guitar style, expressive voice and honest performance, his songs conjure up remarkably vivid imagery of our world. ”
(The Performing Songwriter, USA)
“. . a musical hero. ”
(Wall Street Journal, USA)