Dougie MacLean song wins Tartan Clef

Dec 1 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

THE end of Scotland’s Year of Homecoming rounded off a hectic year for Butterstone-based Dougie MacLean, culminating with his iconic song, Caledonia, winning the Homecoming Scotland Tartan Clef Award at a sell-out event in the SECC in Glasgow at the weekend.

Scotland’s great and good gathered to enjoy a stellar evening of entertainment in aid of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland, with the show proving a fitting tribute to the nation’s rich musical heritage.

Some of the country’s finest cultural ambassadors were honoured with prestigious Tartan Clef awards, with Scotland’s Culture Minister Mike Russell presenting the Homecoming Scotland Tartan Clef Award to Caledonia, which was performed on the night by Dougie MacLean and The Homecoming Band, made up of Greg Kane (Hue and Cry) on piano, Eddi Reader on backing vocals, Billy Rankin (Nazareth/Rock Radio) on guitar, Tommy Cunningham (Wet Wet Wet) on drums and Nico Bruce (Proclaimers) on the Bass.

At Dougie’s recent Homecoming concert in Perth Concert Hall as part of his Amber Festival, the singer-songwriter described Caledonia as his “loveable monster”, which he penned in a foreign hotel room when he was a homesick musician his early 20s and which has now become a standard-bearer for the nation.