Thomas Kendall plays the songs of Dick Gaughan, a Scottish singer-songwriter known for his social protest songs and contributions to Scotland’s folk music tradition.
Dick Gaughan’s impact on folk musicians the world over cannot be overstated. While it might be pure fantasy to suggest that anyone other than Dick himself can do these songs as well as he can, what can be learnt by trying, is a flatpick driven hybrid of Scots-irish balladry with the alternate tunings that were widely adopted by Celtic guitarists of the period (and still to this day). Beyond what he can impart as a guitarist are some of the most impassioned and brilliant vocal performances yet committed to tape.
For a bluegrasser like myself, knowing that Dick had a brief foray into bluegrass himself is a reminder that this heritage of song connects us the world over. When a scene starts to ossify, that’s when the wildfire comes through, tosses out the old growth and gives us something new. Forever regenerative, he remains a beacon of singular expressive brilliance to me and many other folkies. I hope to bring some level of justice to these songs, knowing it to be a sysyphean task.
