finetune artist: John McDermott

b. 1956, Priesthill, Glasgow, Scotland. Although unable to read or write music, John McDermott has done much to keep traditional Celtic music alive in Canada, where he moved as a nine-year old child. Despite having a musical father, to whom he dedicated his 1995 album, Love Is A Voyage, McDermott never considered singing a viable career when he was a young man. Instead, he became a shipper and salesman for a chemical company, before starting work in the circulation department of the Toronto Sun. It was that newspaper's proprietors, who, after hearing him sing at a staff party, encouraged him to become a professional. McDermott's repertoire of Scottish and Irish songs has been in demand, both in Canada and the USA, ever since. His 1993 debut, Danny Boy, which was financed by local Toronto businessmen, sold close to 200,000 copies domestically. Although his subsequent releases were unable to uphold that sales profile, each has sold relatively well. He has also begun to win name-recognition in the USA. His debut sold disappointingly on release there for Angel Records, but a subsequent compilation, combining tracks licensed from his first two albums to the Newport, New York label Beautiful Music, served to awaken new audiences to McDermott's considerable talents as an interpreter of traditional material. Though even his biggest fans would have to concede that there is little that is innovative about the artist's approach, his competency, particularly in ballad work, can hardly be questioned. His inroads into the Irish-American communities has also been helped by his performance of the US national anthem at American football (Pittsburgh Steelers) and baseball (Chicago White Sox) games.

Listen to John McDermott at Finetune.

Danny Boy
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Amazing Grace
Scotland For Ever (Scotland The Brave)
Battle Hymn Of The Republic