Kris Drever (born 31 October 1978) is a Scottish

contemporary folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid-20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century, a new form of popular folk music evolved from trad ...

musician and songwriter who came to prominence in 2006 with the release of his debut solo album, ''Black Water''. Drever is the vocalist and guitarist of the folk trio Lau with Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke. He has worked with other British folk contemporaries, including

Kate Rusby Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the be ...

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Eddi Reader Sadenia "Eddi" Reader Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 August 1959) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, known for her work as the lead vocalist of the Folk music, folk and soft rock band Fairground Attraction and for an enduring solo caree ...

and

Julie Fowlis Julie Fowlis (born 20 June 1979) is a Scottish folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic. Early life Fowlis was born and grew up on North Uist, an island in the Outer Hebrides, in a Gàidhealtachd, Gaelic-s ...

Career

Drever was born in

Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

, where he learned to play guitar and participated in the island's folk festival. In 1995 at age 17 he moved to

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, where he played at the Tron Ceilidh House several nights a week. He played the double bass for a time but returned to the guitar where his style – "a highly individual blend of rhythm and harmony, folk, jazz, rock and country inflections" – made him a sought after

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

. In late 2000 he began playing alongside Nuala Kennedy and Anna-Wendy Stevenson in a weekly session at Sandy Bell's pub in Edinburgh. The trio became known as Fine Friday and toured in the UK, Europe and Australia, releasing two albums before disbanding. Drever went on to collaborate with a number of prominent folk musicians including Cathy Ryan of Irish-American supergroup

Cherish the Ladies Cherish the Ladies is an American female super group that plays Celtic music. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985. It was the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in Amer ...

; Scottish fiddlers

and Bruce MacGregor; Irish accordionist Leo McCann; Gaelic band Tannas; and the Irish dance show Celtic Fusion. Drever is also a founding member of the folk collective Session A9, has been a member of

's band and has worked with contemporary folk artists

and

. In 2005 Drever formed the trio Lau with Scottish fiddler Aidan O'Rourke and English accordionist Martin Green. The band has released five studio albums to date and conducted numerous tours throughout the UK and worldwide. He also collaborated with Roddy Woomble, lead singer of Scottish indie band Idlewild, and John McCusker. The trio worked, along with other notable folk musicians, on an album entitled '' Before the Ruin'', which was released in September 2008. Before the release of ''Black Water'', Drever had not considered a solo career. In an interview with ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'', Drever stated: A live DVD was released 28 July 2008, featuring Drever's "Classic Album" set at 2008's

Celtic Connections The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of trad ...

. In January 2010, Drever released his second solo album, ''Mark the Hard Earth'', during Celtic Connections. Drever launched the album with a concert at the Old Fruitmarket on 29 January, alongside his former band, Session A9. Drever's third solo album, ''If Wishes Were Horses'', was released in March 2016.

Personal life

Kris is the son of Ivan Drever, a former member of

Wolfstone Wolfstone are a Scottish people, Scottish musical group founded in 1989, who play Celtic rock. Their repertoire consists of both original songs and traditional folk pieces. They have released seven studio albums, the latest, ''Terra Firma (Wol ...

. Originally from Orkney, Drever lived in Shetland for a few years before moving to the mainland in 2019; he now lives in Glasgow with his wife Louise and their children.

Discography

Solo

*''Black Water'' (2006) *''Mark the Hard Earth'' (2010) *''If Wishes Were Horses'' (2016) *''Hill and Shore'' (2019) *''Where the World is Thin'' (2020)

With Lau

*'' Lightweights and Gentlemen'' (2007) *''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

'' (2008) *'' Arc Light'' (2009) *''Race the Loser'' (2012) *'' The Bell That Never Rang'' (2015) *''Decade - The Best of 2007-2017'' (2017) *''Midnight and Closedown'' (2019) *''Unplugged'' (2020)

With Roddy Woomble and John McCusker

*'' Before the Ruin'' (2008) No. 156 UK

With Fine Friday

*''Mowing The Machair'' *''Gone Dancing''

With Éamonn Coyne

*'' Honk Toot Suite'' (2007) *''Storymap'' (2013) *''Mareel EP'' (2014)

With Boo Hewerdine

*''Last Man Standing EP'' (2015), Reveal

Other appearances

*'' The Girl Who Couldn't Fly'' –

(2005) *'' Ballads of the Book'' – Idlewild's "The Weight of Years" (2007) *'' Awkward Annie'' – Kate Rusby (2007) *''In Love and Light'' – Heidi Talbot (2008) *'' Farrar'' – Duncan Chisholm (2008)

Awards

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

*2007: Horizon Award for Best Newcomer – winner *2008, 2009, 2010, 2013: Best Group – winner (with Lau) *2017: Folk Singer of the Year – winner; Best Original Song – winner for "If Wishes Were Horses"

Garden Sessions

*2008: Song of the Year – winner for 'Poorest Company' with Roddy Woomble & John McCusker

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drever, Kris Living people Scottish folk musicians 21st-century Scottish male singers Scottish male guitarists People from Orkney 1978 births Lau (band) members 21st-century British guitarists