Biography
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Born
1948 (age 76)
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Born In
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Shelagh McDonald (born 1948, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist who released two albums before her abrupt and mysterious disappearance in 1971.
Originally from Scotland, McDonald moved to London in the late 1960s, where she was part of the folk-music scene. In 1970 she released her first album, Shelagh McDonald Album, which sold rather poorly. 1971's Stargazer sold better, and was critically acclaimed. However, some time after its release, McDonald disappeared.
Shelagh McDonald's music is close to that of some of her contemporaries, for example, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, and Duncan Browne. Her voice is a clear soprano, somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny. On her albums she worked with, amongst others, Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson, The Pentangle's Danny Thompson and Robert Kirby (who is most famous for the arrangements he did for Nick Drake).
On 16 January 2013, McDonald made her first official public appearance (after more than 40 years away) as a guest of The False Beards at the Green Note, Camden, London. Among her half hour set of previously unrecorded material, she also played her version of the traditional song "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" from her first album. A series of low-key appearances took place in 2014, mainly at Scottish venues, and a similar but longer tour in 2017, in collaboration with Nigel H. Seymour followed, which took in some appearances in England.
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