RIP Jean Redpath - 1937-2014

[Kathleen O'Connell]

The great Scottish folk singer Jean Redpath died on Thursday at the age of 77.

From her New York Times obituary:

Ms. Redpath, who recorded some 40 albums, combined voluminous historical knowledge, a winning stage presence and a voice that could be both bright and melancholy to become perhaps the most prominent Scottish folk singer of the postwar era.

She once sang for Queen Elizabeth II in a command performance, but she began as one of the gaggle of young singers who arrived in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s. For a while, according to histories of the era, she dated Bob Dylan. They slept on the floor of an apartment at One Sheridan Square with other folky hopefuls like Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

“I nearly blew a gasket blowing up so many of those rubber mattresses,” Ms. Redpath was quoted by Robert Shelton in his book, “No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan.”

Here is a YouTube clip of her singing "The Banks O' Red Roses" ETA: Here's a whole Jean Redpath playlist.

Go here to listen to selections from her many albums.

I set up a playlist of some of her songs on Spotify. If you have a Spotify account, you should be able to listen to it here.

Most of her songs are of a melancholy turn, but I threw in a few jolly ones, too.

[Helene]

Thank you so much, Kathleen. Redpath was an Artist in Residence at Wesleyan one year I was there, and I was lucky to have heard her perform live. She was a vivid presence on campus.

[sandik]

Oh dear -- she had such an authentic voice.