Kenneth McKellar (singer)
| Kenneth McKellar | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kennth McKellar |
| Born | 23 June 1927 |
| Origin | Paisley, Scotland |
| Died | 9 April 2010 (aged 82) |
| Genres |
Comedy music Folk music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1947–1996 |
| Labels |
Parlophone Decca Records |
| Associated acts | Scottish television show The White Heather Club |
Kenneth McKellar (23 June 1927 – 9 April 2010) was a Scottish tenor.
McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer. He did not enjoy his time with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and left them to pursue a career singing traditional Scottish songs and other works. His albums of the songs of Robert Burns (now digitised) are considered by musicologists to be definitive interpretations.
He frequently toured the United States and Canada 1959-1977 with other Scottish entertainers such as Helen McArthur, often appearing in small local venues.
From 1957 he starred each year in innovative pantomimes by Howard & Wyndham Ltd notably at their Alhambra Theatre Glasgow. For a decade from 1960 he starred as Jamie in the new pantomimes devised around him, starting with A Wish For Jamie, followed by A Love For Jamie, which ran at the Alhambra in each of five years, accompanied by Rikki Fulton, and moved after to Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Newcastle. He described these years as the most fulfilling of his stage life outside his international recording career.
McKellar toured New Zealand in 1964. On many occasions in the 1960s and 1970s he appeared on the BBC Television Hogmanay celebration programme, alongside Jimmy Shand, Andy Stewart and Moira Anderson. He also made numerous appearances on the popular White Heather Club television series (1959-1968), hosted by Andy Stewart. His last Hogmanay Show appearance was on STV in 1991.
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