Verlon Thompson and Friends in Concert
‘A joyful gathering and sharing of songs’
Verlon Thompson returns to the St Margaret's stage in 2022.
Doors open 7:00pm
Start 7:30pm
Finish (approx.) 9:30pm
"A few years ago I led a week-long songwriting workshop in Scotland. Our lodging and classroom was the beautiful Kincardine Castle on the River Dee west of Aberdeen. When we weren’t strolling the beautiful estate or eating like kings and queens we managed to get down to the business of songwriting and honing our craft. But the most beautiful magic was when we gathered with the talented and gracious musicians from the area.
The music we shared in the great room of the castle, the pubs, churches and venues...it was all so beautifully spontaneous and joyful that I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I returned to Tennessee. There were lots of pictures and cell phone recordings of these gatherings but I found myself wishing I had better documented those beautiful moments. So…..Scotland, I’m coming back!
I’m returning in 2022 with another group of songwriters, but this time I’m bringing an award winning documentary filmmaker, who also just happens to be my beautiful wife (she should get an award for that as well!). With plans to enlist an agile and professional sound engineer to follow us around, I hope to recapture some of the magic and music that followed me home...and has never stopped calling me back."
Verlon Thompson
Songwriters seem to flourish on the fertile Oklahoma plains. Woody Guthrie, Roger Miller, Leon Russell, J.J. Cale and Jimmy Webb.
Add Verlon Thompson to that list.
Thirty years as a professional songwriter and traveling troubadour serve as credentials. As a solo performer, and as the trusted sidekick
of Texas Americana songwriting icon Guy Clark, Verlon has viewed the world from stages everywhere from Barcelona to Binger (his hometown in Oklahoma).
Along the way Verlon Thompson compositions have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Suzy Bogguss, Anne Murray, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Del McCoury, Sam Bush, Trisha Yearwood and many more.
Equally important in his songwriting and live performances, Verlon's guitar work cannot go unnoticed. His guitar can be heard on recordings by Restless Heart, Pam Tillis, and many more, including, and especially Guy Clark.
Verlon co-produced Guy Clark's Grammy nominated CD "Cold Dog Soup" as well as "The Dark", "Workbench Songs" and "Somedays the Song Writes You".
As the in-house musician for Genuine Human Productions, Thompson scores themes and background music for documentaries and special film projects.
Verlon Thompson is currently on the road. Or in the studio. Or writing in his bunkhouse on the river in Tennessee...
....but never far from the fertile plains of Oklahoma.
Fiona Kennedy
Fiona Kennedy is a singer, songwriter, broadcaster and producer of stage and television productions and a tireless volunteer and ambassador for a number of charities.
Her work is tremendously varied with many highlights including singing for Her Majesty The Queen on a number of occasions, performing at the G8 Summit at Edinburgh Castle, singing at the first ever NATO Burns Supper in Brussels, performing at Celtic Connections and Transatlantic Sessions on BBC 2, touring with Runrig, hosting television programmes for PBS in America, narrating ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘The Snowman’ with the RSNO, presenting ‘Live at The Lemon Tree’ for BBC Scotland with Phil Cunningham, narrating ‘The Three Ships’ with Sir Tony Robinson, composed by Paul Mealor, and acting in a number of plays including ‘Alfie’ in the West End and ‘Ane Satire of the Thrie Estaires’ at The Edinburgh Festival.
A visit to Ellis Island inspired her own production ‘ The Kist’, which attracted 5-star reviews at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, as well as at venues in Scotland, London and New York. She collaborates regularly with award winning actor, writer and director John Bett, including 10 years of ‘Nae Ordinary Burns Supper’!
She has recorded several albums to critical acclaim including Maiden Heaven, Coming Home and her 2017 album Time to Fly includes songs co-written with Beth Nielsen-Chapman and duets with Ross Wilson of Blue Rose Code.
Fiona was awarded an OBE in 2014 for her contribution to music and charitable work and is is a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire. She is Honorary President of VSA (Voluntary Service Aberdeen) one of the largest social care charities in the UK, and is the Patron of several charities including FROM Scotland (Famine Relief for Orphans in Malawi), Speakeasy, St Margaret’s Braemar, Jazzartuk and Pitlochry Festival Theatre. In addition, she is a Trustee of the University of Aberdeen’s Development Trust and an Ambassador for London Scottish Rugby Club.
Paul Anderson
Already something of a legend in the time honoured fiddle tradition of Scotland; Paul Anderson is the finest Scots fiddler of his generation. Although only in his forties, he is already something of an icon in Scotland, a fact duly recognised by two specially commissioned portraits of him, a life size one in Aberdeen Art Gallery and a study which is in the care of the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.
In the tradition of many of Scotland’s great fiddlers, Paul is a composer of some repute, having composed over 300 pieces in the Scots style. His music provided the theme tune for the film Red Rose about the life of Robert Burns, Paul composed and recorded the theme music for the PBS television show, Tartan TV, in the USA and in 2008 he was the musical director for HMT Aberdeen’s critically acclaimed production of Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon. In 2008 Paul performed at a private reception for Prince Charles at Fyvie Castle to celebrate Prince Charles' 60th birthday and in June 2010 he performed at an 80th birthday party in Edinburgh Castle for Sir Sean Connery at the request of the Scottish Government. In 2011 Paul performed at Scotland House in Brussels for members of the EU parliament and at a Burns Supper in the British Embassy.
During his competitive career Paul won most of the traditional fiddle championships in Scotland and in 1995 won Scotland's premier fiddling event, the Glenfiddich Scottish fiddle championship which is held each year at Blair Castle.
Shona Donaldson
Award winning Scots Singer Shona Donaldson is one of Scotland’s leading tradition bearers. A fiddler and singer she grew up in Huntly, Aberdeenshire and was surrounded by music and song from a young age. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Drama and has performed and taught worldwide. Shona is a former winner of the MG Alba Scots Singer of the Year and to date is the only woman to win the Bothy Ballad Champion of Champions competition. She particularly enjoys singing and teaching local Aberdeenshire songs in Doric and is a sought after tutor. An able performer, she has sung at many events from folks clubs to The Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow with the Scottish Symphony Orchestra.