Matt McGinn

Matt McGinn (17 January 1928 – 5 January 1977) was a Scottish folk singer-songwriter, actor, author and poet. Born in Glasgow in the late 1920s. McGinn was a prolific songwriter and is recognised as an influential figure in the British folk music revival of the late fifties-early sixties.

Matthew McGinn was born in Ross Street at the corner of the Gallowgate in Calton, in the East End of Glasgow in 1928. Born the eighth child of a family of nine, his formal education ended when he entered an Approved School at the age of 12. Despite this, Matt, an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable individual, was, by his early 20s, recognised as a highly political charismatic debater of left-wing politics. On his release from approved school he worked in the Hillington factory of GKN, spending his spare time at evening classes and reading. He gained a Trade Union scholarship to study economics and political science at Ruskin College in Oxford when he was 31. After graduating, he trained to become a teacher at Huddersfield Teachers' Training College and went on to work as a teacher in Lanarkshire for three years before becoming the organiser of the Gorbals Adventure Playground.

McGinn joined the folk scene after winning a song contest with a song entitled "The Foreman O'Rourke". He met Pete Seeger in 1961 when Seeger was touring the British Isles. Seeger championed McGinn's music in the United States and arranged for McGinn to be part of a concert performance at Carnegie Hall, where McGinn met a young Bob Dylan. His career in music began during the folk revival of the 1960s but whilst others leaned towards traditional song, McGinn carved his own niche as a humourist and playwright as well as a singer/songwriter. He was a prolific songwriter, drawing on his experiences of Glasgow life for much of his material. He was a communist, republican, and trade unionist, and a member of the CPGB. His performances in clubs and concert halls were hugely popular. McGinn's earliest recording was in 1962 when he was featured on the Folkways Records "Revival in Britain, Vol. 1" a collection compiled by Ewan MacColl. He was also featured, alongside Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger, on the ″Broadside Ballads Vol″. 1 released in 1963. McGinn was also included in the 2000 compilation ″The Best of Broadside 1962–1988″, which was nominated for a "Grammy" in the "Best Historical Album" category in 2001.

...
Wikipedia