Based in Edinburgh, STAIRHEID GOSSIP are five women singers who specialise in a-cappella arrangements of both traditional and contemporary folksong from Scotland and beyond. They are Claire Lamond, Sylvia McGowan, Rebecca McKinney, Eileen Penman and Elaine Wallace.
The group met at the Edinburgh Adult Learning Project's 'Women in Folksong' class, taught by Eileen Penman, and with other class members began to sing at various events. In 1997 the group was asked to sing at a concert organised for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit Meeting in Edinburgh and began to arrange songs outside the class setting. Because most of the group members lived in top-floor tenement flats at the time, the name Stairheid Gossip seemed to fit perfectly. In 1998 the group was invited to sing at a memorial concert for Danny Kyle, who had previously given the group great encouragement, and they shared the stage with The McCalmans, Archie Fisher and others. A positive review in The Scotsman followed and since then Stairheid Gossip has performed at community events, festivals, folk clubs and at Edinburgh Festival Fringe (both 2000 and 2001). The group previously included Karine Polwart, who subsequently moved on to join Malinky, MacAlias and Battlefield Band. The five remaining singers are now seeking a higher musical profile, while balancing work and family commitments.
CLAIRE LAMOND is a mother of two daughters and her interest in folksong developed through family connections with the music-rich north-east of Scotland and her involvement in left-wing politics. She has worked with children and young people in traditional music.
SYLVIA McGOWAN grew up in Edinburgh and began singing with her family in childhood. As a solo singer she has had recent success in traditional song competitions at folk festivals. Sylvia has sung in partnership for several years with husband Terry, whose love of Irish traditional music influenced her greatly.
REBECCA McKINNEY grew up in a musical family in the U.S.A. and began playing flute in childhood. She came to Scotland in 1994, where she developed an interest in traditional music and song. Rebecca also plays guitar, and with husband Craig, is active in bluegrass and American traditional music circles.
EILEEN PENMAN is an experienced singer/guitarist, songwriter, group song tutor and workshop leader with a love for community involvement and activism. She has taught singing to numerous groups in Edinburgh and, outside Stairheid Gossip, founded and leads Wildfire Women's Community Choir and also performs solo gigs.
ELAINE WALLACE was brought up on a mixture of pop, punk and classical music. She made the transition to folk through community singing and has been involved in a variety of projects in Edinburgh and elsewhere, concentrating on the unaccompanied voice and singing for the joy of it. The album was recorded and mixed by lan McCalman at Kevock Studios, Lasswade, during 2001. |
