Karen Matheson

Biography (Courtesy of the Artist’s site, 2005).

It has been a long and eventful road for Karen Matheson since she became one of the founders of Capercaillie in Oban on the West coast of Scotland.

Karen inherited her love of singing from her parents and many of the traditional songs that have been the backbone of Capercaillie's material over the years, were learnt from her grandmother, a MacNeil from the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides.

Performing the songs of the land and its people, she has been called "the finest Gaelic singer alive today", a reputation that has been earned in a career which began with her performing in local ceilidhs when she was a child.

Karen recorded with Capercaillie on their first album in 1984 whilst still at school.

Over the following nine albums they established themselves as "the most exciting and vibrant band in the field of Celtic music today" (Billboard). They have sold more than one million albums across the world and played in over 30 countries, including ground breaking tours in South America, The Middle-East and Eastern Europe. In 1995 they wrote, recorded and starred(!) in the blockbuster movie 'Rob Roy', with Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange, in which Karen performed a solo rendition of a Gaelic lament.

In 1996 during a break from touring with the band, Karen worked on some solo projects and released her long anticipated solo album 'The Dreaming Sea'. Featuring an amazing line-up of musicians and collaborators including jazz musician Tommy Smith, singer songwriter James Grant (ex Love & Money) and the BT Scottish Ensemble, it more than showcased her stunning vocal talent.