Jock Duncan, the revered singer of songs from the North-East of Scotland, is the subject of a new book to be published on March 17th.
Recognised as a cultural icon and one of Scotland’s greatest traditional singers, Jock Duncan grew up in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire and was part of the last generation of tradition bearers to inherit his songs from a living oral tradition.
He later moved to Pitlochry, where his sons, Ian and Gordon became leading figures on the piping scene. Father and sons had the distinction of all being recipients of the Herald Angel award, which the Scottish newspaper presented for exceptional performances in Edinburgh during the festival season.
The book, called Jock Duncan: The Man and his Songs and published by Rymour Books of Perth, includes the words and tunes of the songs Duncan sang together with detailed notes and a biography of the singer, who died aged ninety-six in 2021.
A new CD, containing many previously unavailable recordings, is being released by Springthyme Records to coincide with the book's publication.
A book launch and concert are being held at the Cowdray Hall in Aberdeen on Sunday, March 17 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm.