FARMINGTON — An avid horseman and master guitarist, singer and songwriter Archie Fisher is Scotland’s foremost troubadour and is known throughout the country as the host of BBC Radio Scotland’s award-winning “Travelling Folk” show, which he has been presenting for over 25 years. Fisher will appear on stage on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Old South Church, 235 Main St.
Recognized for his contributions to Scottish folk music, he was inducted into the Scots Traditional Music Hall of Fame and in 2006 was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire), a prestigious honor nominated by his peers and bestowed by Queen Elizabeth. Fisher was born in Glasgow into a large singing family, which yielded three professional singers: Archie and his sisters, Ray and Cilla Fisher.
The son of a Gaelic-speaking mother, from Vatersay in the Outer Hebrides, and a father who sang in the City of Glasgow Police Choir, Fisher absorbed his first lessons in songcraft from both the eloquence of traditional ballads, and the literary brio of light opera and music-hall. The 1950s skiffle boom drew his sights stateside, where he discovered kindred spirits and role models like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, and through them the power of song as a vehicle for contemporary politics and protest.
Coming of age as he did at a time when folk music enjoyed its highest ever profile on the nation’s airwaves, Fisher was also to emerge – in parallel with his performing career – as one of the genre’s most important ambassadors and advocates in the broadcasting world. As presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s weekly flagship show, “Travelling Folk,” which he took over in 1983, he has championed the best of Scottish folk music, complementing his support for new artists with his vast knowledge of the music’s history and international context.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with a jam session at 6:15 and the concert kicks off at 7 p.m. Admission is adults, $15; students, $5/$10, college students current ID required. Refreshments will be available during the jam session and intermission by donation. Tickets can reserved by calling or texting 207-491-5919 or as a Facebook message.
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