A Celebration of Scottish Music –
in a good cause

Musician and bandleader BILLY McISAAC has put together a new compilation CD featuring top Scottish musicians, with the proceeds going to the Fort William-based charity, Lochaber Hydrotherapy.

HERE’S TAE US is a major charity CD featuring eighteen tracks donated by many of Scotland’s top musicians and songwriters, including Phil Cunningham, Aly Bain, Eddi Reader, Capercaillie, Fergie MacDonald, Dougie Maclean, Donnie Munro, Jim Hunter, Wolfstone, Carol Laula, Caledon, Michael Marra, Blazin’ Fiddles, Mackenzie, Anam, The Lushrollers and Cliar. The CD comes with a twenty-page booklet including pictures and lyrics of the featured artists, and all profits from the CD are going to Lochaber Hydrotherapy.

I started putting the project together in December 2002, and came up with a strong melody, which became the instrumental ‘Song for Shona’. A friend suggested putting words to it, and ‘Here’s Tae Us’ was the result, a very patriotic song which will tug at the heartstrings of every Scot abroad:

I will sing of the hills,
All the treasure they hold
Of the memories stirring inside me
Of the people who toiled on the land, sea and soil
And the music that brings me home.
I thought at that point that I could produce a single that could raise funds for charity. I had spent the previous few years raising money for a charity in Fort William called Lochaber Hydrotherapy, both through sponsorship (I raised £2,300 after climbing all of Scotland’s 284 Munros – mountains over 3,000 feet) and a few dances in Fort William with my band.

Lochaber Hydrotherapy intends to build a specially heated pool with lifting and lowering aids which is used in conjunction with physiotherapy. It will benefit over 2,500 people in the Lochaber area, but the cost will be in the region of £500,000.  My involvement came via my friendship with George Macleod, who would benefit from using the pool as he suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.

At this point my two tracks were still in demo form. By pure chance, a fellow songwriter here in Milngavie mentioned that he was working with Mick Macneil of Simple Minds and that he was great to work with. I then approached Mick and he agreed to work on my two tracks. He literally breathed life into my music; it was incredible hearing the two tracks come together with great ideas and musicianship. He suggested getting Ken McCluskey (ex-Bluebells) to do vocals on ‘Here’s tae Us’ and the result was stunning, with the addition of some haunting low whistle (Steve Lawrence) and harmonica.

At the start of 2003 I contacted Midge Ure (I used to play in Slik with Midge) and let him hear my two tracks. He really liked them, and suggested that because of their ‘traditional’ feel, Phil Cunningham might be able to help. Around this time I spoke with Mary Ann Kennedy from the band ‘Cliar’ and she suggested that I could ask some Scottish musicians to donate a track to an album. From this moment things just snowballed.

Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain agreed to donate a track and put me in touch with Blazin’ Fiddles and Wolfstone, Mary Ann Kennedy suggested Michael Marra, Nick Turner (Watercolour Music) suggested The Lushrollers and Jim Hunter. As names were added and because it was such a worthwhile charity, it became easier. Before I realised what was happening I had added Dougie Maclean, Cliar, Donnie Munro, Eddi Reader, Anam, Carol Laula, Caledon, Mackenzie, Capercaillie and Fergie MacDonald.

“Before I realised what was happening I had added Dougie Maclean, Cliar, Donnie Munro, Eddi Reader, Anam, Carol Laula, Caledon, Mackenzie, Capercaillie and Fergie MacDonald.”

Mid-way through 2003, things started to falter as there were problems financing the project. I decided that if I put up £1,000 of my own money that would pay for artist contracts and would get the ball rolling. Lots of people started to offer assistance (free or at a vastly reduced rate) such as Nick Turner, who mastered the album at his Watercolour studio, and Bob Buchan (Radio Promotions).

I approached John Slaven at The Living Tradition magazine to do the artwork. He has now produced a beautiful twenty-page booklet with a picture of Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis on the front cover by top Scottish photographer Michael Macgregor. Birnam is producing the CD at a discounted price and Nevis Print in Fort William has produced thousands of posters free of charge, some of which will be distributed by Safeway to 7,500 households in Lochaber. The list goes on. Mark McCann and Shirley Sen from Lochaber Hydrotherapy have put in vast amounts of work to help the CD project.

We still needed more money to finance the project, which was going to cost £7,000. People in Lochaber came to the rescue with, amongst others, Inverlochy Whist group raising £900.

Before I knew it, we had a stunning eighteen-track album featuring the cream of Scotland’s musicians and songwriters – it was incredible. The ‘buzz’ had started. Lots of people were talking about the CD and its potential to do so much good by raising money for Lochaber Hydrotherapy. An important facet of the CD is the fact there are four tracks in Gaelic, featuring Cliar, Capercaillie, Anam and Mackenzie.

In December 2003, I formed my own record company, S.F.F Records, to maximise profits for the charity. Scotland’s two biggest distributors, Gordon Duncan and Highlander Music, will place the CD in all leading record stores and tourist shops. This is a CD that will appeal not only to traditional fans all over the world, but also to tourists. There will be extensive media coverage in radio, television and print, with interviews and competitions.

The local radio station, Nevis Radio, is backing the project to the hilt. I also have a great love for Lochaber, having spent many wonderful days climbing and walking in its hills. My ancestors are McIsaac’s of Smerrisary (by Glenuig), traced away back to 1720 (three of them fought at Culloden). The front cover of the CD features that most prominent of Fort William landmarks, Ben Nevis.

I hope that the people of Lochaber will be as proud of this CD as I am. The project has taken on a life of its own because of the ‘feel good factor’ and the sheer quality of the CD.

A Celebration of Scottish Music / Here’s Tae Us (Cat. SFF 002) is released on Monday 5 April.