Singer Katherine Campbell has been an enthusiast for Scottish traditional music and the old Scots ballads since a young age and was a member of the Forres Fiddlers while still at school. She was a research fellow at the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh for several years and is now at Elphinstone Institute in Aberdeen.

While she was at the School of Scottish Studies she was introduced to the Harris family repertoire by Dr. Emily Lyle - the result was a CD  presenting for the first time the unique ballad repertoire of two sisters, Amelia and Jane Harris, who had inherited a wealth of traditional ballads and songs from a Perthshire family tradition dating back to the mid 1700's.

The collection includes versions of some well-known Scottish ballads such as Mary Hamilton, Captain Wedderburn and The Cruel Brother, but many of the Harris family ballads are rare and, in the case of several, this may well be their first recording.

Albums:

The Songs of Amelia & Jane Harris: Songs & Ballads from the Perthshire Tradition Katherine Campbell sings these fascinating songs written down by sisters Jane and Amelia Harris over 150 years ago. read more >>> £12.50

The Fiddle in Scottish Culture (book) The fiddle tradition in Scotland is rich and multi-faceted. This book explores the functions and place of the fiddle in society, using a variety of relatively untapped sources such as poetry by little-known writers, newspaper accounts, oral legends and works of art, a number of which are included as illustrations. read more >>> £19.99