Around this time, eight years ago, the BBC Folk Awards ceremony was held during Celtic Connections in Scotland’s Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. It was a star-studded night as Mark Radcliffe and Julie Fowlis took to the stage to announce the winners. To better place the time in your minds, Best Album went to Bellowhead for ‘Broadside’, Blair Dunlop picked up a Horizon Award, Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar won the Young Folk Award, LAU won Best Group (after releasing Race the Loser) and Best Orginal Song, presented by Mary Chapin Carpenter, went to Emily Portman for Hatchlings and a touching highlight came when Nic Jones was presented Folk Singer of the Year…
There were three Lifetime Achievement Awards that evening including Roy Harper who was presented his award by Glastonbury Festival’s Michael Eavis who appeared in shorts! It led Karine Polwart to Tweet “I should add Michael Eavis Mr Glastonbury is wearing shorts AND a suit jacket … In Glasgow. Is there an award for that?” Roy announced how honoured he was to be receiving the award and by the farmer who allows people onto his land to trample coke tins into his arable land…Eavis shouted from the side “IT’s DAIRY!”
He went onto to say: “I don’t belong anywhere…I don’t know whether I’m grateful or not but the BBC have finally found somewhere to put me. It’s nice to be back and be accepted and honoured by your peers…it is truly a life moment, so whether its the BBC or anyone here within I’d like to say thank you.”
Martha Wainwright presented Aly Bain with his Lifetime Award who went on to perform with his longtime collaborator, Phil Cunningham.
The finale, it was a mighty one, came when Dougie Maclean was given the award in recognition for his contribution to songwriting. It was marked by an all-star cast taking to the stage to perform Caledonia, what a tribute that was! They included Barbara Dickson, Rab Noakes, Martha Wainwright, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Eddi Reader, Ralph McTell, Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Dick Gaughan, Phil Cunningham, Aly Bain, Steve Knightley, Ross Ainslie, John McCusker, Emily Smith, Jon Boden, Jim Moray, Heidi Talbot, Blair Dunlop, Chris While and Emily Portman.
There were some passionate moments in that performance, watch for that duet from Kris Drever and Karine Polwart and Eddi Reader giving it her heart…Even Steve Knightley went all out and wore a kilt.
There wasn’t a dry eye in that audience.
Dougie accepting his award: