Sheena Wellington (born 29 August 1944, in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, Scotland) is a

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

Scottish singer. She is best known for performing the

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

song ''

A Man's A Man For A' That "A Man's a Man for A' That" is a song by Scottish poet Robert Burns, famous for its expression of egalitarianism. The song made its first appearance in a letter Burns wrote to George Thomson in January 1795. It was subsequently published anonym ...

'' at the opening ceremony of the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

in 1999. Wellington was born in Dundee on 29 August 1944. She attended Blackness Primary School and

Harris Academy Harris Academy is a co-educational comprehensive school in the affluent residential area of West End, Dundee, West End of Dundee, Scotland. Harris Academy was founded in 1885 and is the oldest state school in Dundee. Previously academically-se ...

. Her repertoire covers everything from Burns to ballads to the best of contemporary songwriting, drawing from the rich Scottish tradition passed from musician to musician through the ages. She has toured in Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East and her solo albums, ''Kerelaw'', ''Clearsong'', ''Strong Women'' and ''Hamely Fare'' have gained international acclaim. A passionate and articulate advocate for traditional music, she has played a leading role in the fight for recognition, status and improved funding for Scotland's traditional arts. "..she can lay fair claim to being chiefly responsible for the seriousness with which her branch of the arts is now taken ..." The Herald (Glasgow) Honours bestowed on her for her work include Doctorates from the Universities of St Andrews (2000) and Dundee (2006)) and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama (2007), The Heritage Society of Scotland's award for her outstanding contribution to Scotland's culture, the UK-wide Association of Speakers Clubs Speaker of the Year 2001 and the coveted Herald Archangel for her Edinburgh International Festival's series of traditional song programmes "Work, Sex and Drink". Wellington is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, an Honorary Life Member and Patron of the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA), and was, for several years, vice-president of the Voluntary Arts Network and patron of Voluntary Arts Scotland. In 2004, she joined Scotland's Cultural Commission and quickly became a leading member, as well as an outspoken critic of plans to amalgamate the

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council (), was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the Scottish Government as well as National Lottery funds ...

and

Scottish Screen The Moving Image Archive is a collection of Scottish film and video recordings at the National Library of Scotland, held at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. There are over 46,000 items within the collection, and over 2,600 of these are publicly a ...

into a super-quango called "Culture Scotland", which eventually happened with the creation of

Creative Scotland Creative Scotland ( ; ) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the execut ...

. Wellington was made the year's Honorary President of Greenock Burns Club (The Mother Club) in January 2006, when she became the first woman in the club's 204-year history to be invited to give The Immortal Memory. In November 2009, she was installed in the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame whose inductees include

Jimmy Shand Sir James Shand (28 January 1908 – 23 December 2000) was a Scottish musician who played traditional Scottish dance music on the accordion. His signature tune was "The Bluebell Polka". Life and career James Shand was born in East Wemyss i ...

Aly Bain Aly Bain MBE (born 15 May 1946) is a Scottish fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. The former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell called Bain a "Scottish icon." Career Bain was born in the town of Le ...

The Corries The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. The group was a trio from their formation until 1966 when founder Bill Smith left the band but Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne contin ...

and

Sheila Stewart Sheila Stewart (7 July 1937 – 9 December 2014) was a Scottish traditional singer, storyteller, and author. She inherited a large number of traditional songs from older family members, including her mother Belle Stewart. Biography Born in a ...

. She was, from 2006 to 2016, the Honorary Librarian of Dundee's internationally famous Wighton Collection and still organises the programme of concerts, recitals and classes in the Wighton Heritage Centre to promote the music and song it contains. She also performed at the memorial of Alex Salmond on 30 November 2024, at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, a rendition of A Man's a Man for A' That.

References

External links

A Man's A Man For A' That (Opening of Scottish Parliament) - Sheena Wellington
Living people Musicians from Dundee 20th-century Scottish women singers People educated at Harris Academy 1944 births {{UK-singer-stub