Folk singer and guitarist Ray Fisher came to folk song through skiffle, and learned from the remarkable ballad singer, the Scots traveller Jeannie Robertson. Her commercial recording debut was with her brother Archie Fisher on Far Over The Forth on the Topic label in 1961 but she also recorded for the School of Scottish Studies archives in Edinburgh.
Ray has spent her whole life performing. Learning the techniques of some of the finest exponents of Scottish music, she is a worthy carrier of the tradition with her amazing ballad interpretations, heart-rending songs and respect for the songs of her homeland. Her main singing source was the tinker community - a nomadic or semi-nomadic people whose origins lay among the outlawed clans of bygone days. She literally sat at the knee of such famous exponents of the Scottish tradition as Jeannie Robertson, the Stewarts of Blair and Lizzie Higgins and was taught their techniques and repertoire at first hand.
Ray Fisher is a worthy carrier of the tradition with her stunning ballad interpretations, songs sad and humorous, plus a sprinkling of the best of the continuing contemporary songs of her native Scotland. She continues to travel worldwide to Festivals, seminars and concerts, and USA and Canada, Hong Kong and New Zealand have been her ports of call in recent years. Her abiding respect and love for the song and story of her homeland is without doubt, as can be heard wherever and whenever she sings.
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