Dougie was born in the year 1954 in the countryside of Perthshire, Scotland. He grew up with music, his father played fiddle and his mother mandolin. In the ´70 Dougie joined a band called the "Tannahill weavers". With the band he recorded his first ever record "Are ye sleeping Maggie?", this record is also on one of Dougie`s Albums (Real Estate).
Afterwards he played together with friends and the joined all the big festivals around Europe.1979 Dougie played together with Donald MacDougall, they became very respected in Canada and England. During this time he recordes his first solo Album named "Snaigow".
In the year 1980 Dougie spent half a year playing with the famous Scottish band "Silly Wizard", together they toured around the USA and Europe. After this time touring around the world Dougie came back to Scotland and concetrated on his own music.
In 1990 he recorded "Whitewash" and 1991 "The Search" followed by "Indigenous", the first time Dougie´s Records came to London's big shops and his popularity started to widen again. 1991 "Real Estate" and "Whitewash" get the Gold Disc for the sales from the Scottish Music Industry. A lot of cover versions of Dougie´s songs became Top, the most popular was "Ready for the storm" recorded by Kathy Mattea on her album "Time passes". 1992 the Cover version of "Caledonia" sung by Frankie Miller reaches the #1 on the Scottish Charts.
(I hope Dougie can forgive me, if I forget or misunderstood something!)
Dougie MacLean - Quit subjective!
Dougie MacLean is one the best Folk musicians in the world. His songs inspired by his Scottish country transfers his feelings into anyone that listen him singing. Listen to this songs you feel like everything is quiet and calm. Even if you are in a crowed room or somewhere loud, you feel like sitting near a fire in the highlands. Dougie, the storyteller, brings you back in times when life was rough, he tells you about the life, people, their pride and of course their feelings. In his traditional way, only with fiddles and guitar, he makes it more easier to cool down and understand. Understand the way music can or should be. I'm very glad to lear to know this great singer/songwriter when I was in Perthshire. Especially the record "Craigie Dhu" from 1982 is one of his best albums. The fabulous mixture of traditional sounds and his perfect way of playing the guitar makes it so easy to listen. But that's not all. His lyrics, the expression of the words are so fascinating, you feel yourself so free, without any anger or sorrow. Maybe it's the love to his Scottish country and the way he grew up or he is only a man that can share and tell his feelings in such beautiful songs like "Eternity". It's just admirable. It's also true, that you learned a lot about Scotland and when you love this beautiful country, you'll like his songs as well.