Sunday Sessions: Wild Mountainside
Wild mountainside.
Those words bring to mind several sorts of ideas and images...
They also form the title of a song, written by John Douglas, sung here by Eddi Reader.
It’s a song as much about resilience, friendship, hope, and courage as it is about several ways to appreciate the natural world as you walk that wild mountainside.
When she performs in concert, Eddi adds in a bit of a song you’ll know near the end as she invites her audience to sing along too.
Eddi Reader is a native Scot. So is John Douglas.
Some years back, Eddi had been following her music career by living in London. John knew she longed to return and live in Scotland. The story goes that he wrote Wild Mountainside in part as a way to encourage her to do that.
A result of the song or not, Eddi did move back to Scotland. She has been based in Glasgow for some years and has released a number of fine solo albums as well as keeping up her schedule of concerts both in Scotland and farther afield.
You will find Wild Mountainside recorded on the album Eddi Reader Sings the Songs of Robert Burns, where it stands in good company. Eddi chose to include it on that project, she has said, to point out that poetry and song still flourish in Scotland.
You may also wish to see
About that Burns album from Eddi Reader
Another album from Eddi
Some comments from Eddi about how she thinks about Robert Burns in this story
After her return to Scotland, Eddi and John married. Though John has long been part of the band Trashcan Sinatras and often appears as part of Eddi’s band too, he has only recently begun releasing albums himself.
Eddi and John plan to record a duo album in the autumn and expect to explore some of the material in a series of UK tour dates in the coming months.
If you enjoy Eddi’s music you may also like the music of Cathie Ryan.
You may also like to learn about another musician from Scotland: Julie Fowlis
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