Gentle Giants

A collection of songs on the specific subject of the broad-backed and beautiful  'gentle giants' - Clydesdale horses - sadly no longer part of the rural scene.

At its peak Scotland had around 140,000 farm horses, plus an unknown number in towns and cities, most of which were Clydesdales. They played a role in the development of Scottish community life and history that cannot be forgotten. Clydesdales are in the photographs, the old books, the stories and novels and in the songs. In the folk songs of agricultural Scotland the horses are never far away, always alluded to, sometimes with comic derision, but mostly it was the ploughmen who took centre stage.. The men who controlled the great horses  in such a skilled way, managed to weave a certain mystique around their craft. These 'ploughboys' were highly regarded by the young women and songs about 'bonny plooboy laddies' are legion. In this album, however, the emphasis is on the the Clydesdale horse, sadly replaced with the coming of the internal combustion engine.

This CD was created in partnership with The New Makars Trust, who aim to promote songwriting about life in communities in Scotland.