Brian McNeill (born 6 April 1950, Falkirk, Scotland) is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of Battlefield Band which combined traditional Celtic melodies and new material.
Brian McNeill
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McNeill performing in August 2006
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1950-04-06) 6 April 1950 (age 74) Falkirk, Scotland |
| Genres | Folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, guitar, viola, mandolin, bouzouki, cittern, concertina, hurdy-gurdy |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Website | Official website |
McNeill learnt music on the violin before taking up other instruments including guitar, fiddle, viola, mandolin, bouzouki, cittern, concertina, and hurdy-gurdy, as well as singing. He played fiddle with Battlefield Band from its formation in 1969 until 1990.[1][2][3] In 1987, he won the UK National Songsearch competition for amateur and professional performers, having been runner-up in 1986.[4]
From 1996 until January 2008, McNeill was head of the traditional music course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow.[1][5]
As a novelist he has published three books, The Busker (1989),[2][3][6] To Answer the Peacock (1999),[2][3] and In the Grass.[2] He has also produced an acclaimed audio-visual show about Scottish emigration to America, The Back o' the North Wind.[2][6][7]
Apart from his visible contributions, McNeill is influential in Scotland and abroad as a producer. He has many production credits in the UK and North America including "Emigrant and Exile" for Eric Bogle with John Munro.[8]
McNeill's songs often feature lyrics based on Scottish historical themes, and he continually has celebrated the culture of his fellow Scots, including those who have emigrated to North America. His album The Back o' the North Wind features songs about industrialist Andrew Carnegie and the man who initiated the conservation movement in the United States, John Muir.[6][2]
Brian McNeill won the inaugural Fatea Lifetime Achievement award in 2007[9] and was the producer of 2017's instrumental album of the year, "Matt Tighe", the eponymous debut album of the young English fiddler that Brian had inspired at one of his many Cambridge Folk Festival appearances.[10]