Talented fiddler Charlie McKerron is not only a member of Scots supergroup Capercaillie, but he's an award-winning performer in his own right, with his own band, fiddle group Session A9.
Charlie McKerron was born in London in 1960 and spent the first few years of his life in Africa. His father is from the North-East of Scotland and the family moved back to the area in 1965. He began playing the fiddle when he was nine years old and was taught by Drummond Cook at Hopeman Primary School. In secondary school, his teacher was Jimmy Taylor from Elgin. Charlie won his first fiddle competition when he was twelve at the Elgin Strathspey and Reel Society. One of Scotland's finest fiddle players, he also won the Daily Record Golden Fiddle Award. He did a science degree in Edinburgh, but became a professional musician after completing his degree and was undertaking Scottish tours in his final year. He joined "Capercaillie" in 1985 and went on their first tour to Canada.
Charlie has composed for films, including Rob Roy, Four Men and a Malt and Gruth is Uachdar (Crowdie and Cream) which he co-wrote with Donald Shaw, and for which he received two Royal Television Society Awards for "original, bespoke composition echoing the programme and informing the audience of its themes". He also picked up the "Best Composer" at the 2005 Scots Trad Music Awards - his tunes Bulgarian Red and the 70th Year are but two which have entered the Scots folk-tune repertoire |
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