Heather Heywood (born Heather Williamson on 26 December 1950), is a Scottish
folk singer
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
from
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
, Ayrshire. She was voted "Artist of the Year" by Glasgow’s Star Club in 1993.
Career
Heywood's first performance took place around 1968 in the Eglinton Folk Club in
Martin Carthy
Martin Dominic Forbes Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in English folk music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, as well as later ar ...
,
Lizzie Higgins
Elizabeth Ann Youlden (née Higgins; 20 September 1929 – 20 February 1993) was a Scottish ballad singer from Aberdeenshire.
Early life
Elizabeth Ann Higgins was born on 20 September 1929, in Guest Row, Aberdeen. She was the daughter of settled ...
and
Jeannie Robertson
Regina Christina Robertson (21 October 1908 – 13 March 1975) was a Scottish folk singer.
She is known for her version of the traditional song " I'm a Man You Don't Meet Every Day", otherwise known as "Jock Stewart", which was covered by ...
among others, she progressed to bookings as a solo artist for a number of Scottish clubs. She remained a solo artist for most of her career except for one tour of Brittany with the band
The Clutha
The Clutha were a traditional Scottish band hailing from Glasgow, that released a small number of albums in the 1970s. The line-up on the Clutha's first album, ''Scotia'' (1971), was John Eaglesham (vocal, concertina), Erlend Voy (fiddle, conce ...
during the absence of their singer Gordeanna McCulloch.
Heather Heywood is best known for ballads and is quoted to be "not so taken with lighter numbers."
Personal life
In 1970, Williamson married Peter Heywood, a folk music activist and publisher of ''
The Living Tradition
''The Living Tradition'' was a bi-monthly music magazine published in the United Kingdom between 1993 and 2022. It specialised in traditional folk music from the UK, Ireland and beyond. The original editors were Peter and Heather Heywood. In 20 ...
'' magazine. They have three daughters. Her three daughters are Fiona, Susie and Kathryn. Heather has 4 grandchildren - Mikey, Ray, Hope and Louisa ඩා.
Discography
*''Some Kind of Love'' (1987)
*''By Yon Castle Wa (1993)
*''Lassies Fair and Laddies Braw'' (2011)