phil cunningham & aly bain

Phil Cunningham was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1960. His musical career began with accordion lessons at the age of three, and violin a few years later. His initial training was in classical music, with a deep interest and love of the traditional music of his homeland developing simultaneously. In 1976, he joined his brother Johnny in the highly acclaimed Scottish band Silly Wizard, and was a full-time member until 1983. Phil contributed many of his own compositions to their mostly traditional repertoire, adding to the musical heritage of Scotland and keeping the tradition alive.

Phil left Silly Wizard in 1983 to pursue a solo career, as he found himself in demand as a composer and performer for television, radio, film and stage. Between 1985 and 1987 he toured and recorded with supergroup Relativity , with his brother Johnny, and Irish brother and sister, Michael and Triona O'Domnaill. During this time he also produced two solo albums, Airs and Graces (Green Linnet, 1984), and Palomino Waltz (1989).

Phil has produced albums for many popular traditional artists, including Dolores Keane and Altan. In 1990, he wrote the music for Bill Bryden's spectacular theater productions "The Ship"(1990) and "The Big Picnic"(1994). In recent years he has worked as music director and composer for various BBC Scotland series, and also wrote "The Highlands & Islands Suite," an orchestral work which was performed at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. He has recently toured with Bonnie Raitt and with Kepa Junkera, in addition to running CAP recording studios.

Aly Bain hails from Lerwick, a small, enchanting town on the Shetland Islands. He began learning fiddle at the age of eleven. Tom Anderson, his teacher, is acknowledged as one of the true masters of Shetland music. Aly developed a highly dramatic style of playing, matching his great tone and technical ability with genuine emotion. Alert to the musical potential of the dynamic interaction between Irish and Scottish traditions, he helped establish the Boys of the Lough . The group is now recognized as one of the best in the tradition.

Simultaneously, Aly pursued his solo career. Since 1986, he has been working with Pelicula Films on various television series dealing with folk music. Aly has released two critically acclaimed solo albums, First Album (1984), and Lonely Bird (Green Linnet, 1996). He has also recorded numerous albums with the Boys of the Lough, as well as with Hue and Cry, Eddi Reader, Fish, Richard Thompson and Runrig. In 1993, his autobiography, Fiddler on the Loose, was published, co-written by journalist and editor Alastair Clark. He continues to tour extensively with the Boys of the Lough in addition to his collaborations with Phil.