Battlefield Band - Forward With Scotland's Past

	Alan Reid joined Battlefield Band in 1969 and traveled the world with the group on every step of their journey for forty years. His solo and harmony singing have been to the fore throughout the band’s history and his self-penned songs have long been noted for their strong melodies, story telling element & lyricism.While other members came, honed their talents and moved on to develop solo careers, Alan remained in the keyboard engine room, becoming the ‘father and son’ of Battlefield Band. He bowed in 2010, after four decades, in order to develop his writing and to follow other musical paths and partnerships. He is currently playing in a duo with guitarist & singer Rob Van Sante and you can find out more about them & their tour dates at: www.reidvansante.com

	Alistair Russell is involved in a music shop specialising in traditional instruments and he's now back to doing quite a bit of gigging, both solo and in his new duo with Chris Parkinson. You can find information on upcoming shows here. He has his own small recording studio which is commercially available. His latest CD release is 'A19'. Also available is a duo CD with Parky: 'Paddy goes to Huddersfield', and a re-release of his pre-Battlefield vinyl album on CD, 'Getting to the Border', which is also still available in cassette from Temple

Brian McNeill is still touring, writing, producing and delighting audiences with his multimedia performances of ‘The Back O’ the Northwind’ - Tales of the Scots in America. Time is the enemy of such a creative man but hopefully a new novel will be out soon and a companion to ‘The Back O’ the Northwind’, this time ‘Tales of Scots in Europe’ is waiting to be completed.

John McCusker has recently released his third solo album. He now plays with his own band and also tours with Kate Rusby's band. He was awarded 'Musician of the Year' at the 2003 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ceremony and has recently completed composing his first film score.

Davy Steele 10th December 1948 - 11th April 2001
It is with the deepest sorrow that Battlefield Band and all of the management team at Temple Records and Folklore Productions in the USA regret the passing of Davy Steele. Davy was for all too short a time part of the Band, but the music he made with us, and the great body of music he made before joining the Band, as well as the many friends and admirers he made on the road, is a testament to his contribution to Scottish music

Karine Polwart had a couple of very good years with the band but she decided that, although she enjoyed touring and playing with the band, she no longer wanted to travel as much. She really wanted to concentrate her times on her other commitments with Malinky and Macalias etc. We hope that she will sit in with the band when the occasion allows, and wish her every success for the future.

Dougie Pincock and John Gahagan are still very active in Glasgow where John works as an illustrator and graphic artist. Dougie's piping skills were being well used at The Piping Centre in Glasgow and he was doing a lot of session work and playing in ceilidh bands including ‘Robbie Shepherd’s Nightmare. His inspirational and teaching qualities have had a great impact on his work with young people and he is now the director at The National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, based in Plockton High School.

Jamie McMenemy moved to Brittany in 1979, where he was immediately adopted by the traditional musicians; it is now his permanent home. In 1981, he recorded a solo album and formed Kornog. When the group disbanded in 1987, he took a break until 1993.
He has since been gigging in various line-ups from duos to 6 piece outfits, Breton dance bands, or Irish/Scottish bands where he sings, and regularly gigging with other Kornog members.More recently, he has been playing with, and has also recorded an album with, piper Fred Morrison

Pat Kilbride lived in Brittany and Belgium before moving to the USA where he did a lot of recording and solo work and was a regular member of ‘The Kipps Bay Ceilidh Band’. He then spent time on the scene in London before settling down to live in Madrid. Pat's career then turned full circle and he rejoined the Batties for a second stint, where his musical talents and experience made him a welcome addition to the fold.

Ged Foley has been based in the USA for a number of years and is currently a member of at least two bands. Most of his time is spent with ‘The House Band’ and he records and tours with ‘Patrick Street’.

Jim and Sylvia Barnes came to Battlefield Band via Kentigern and later settled in England where their home became a welcoming ‘safe house’ for many a travelling Scottish folk musician. Jim sadly passed away in 2004.

Jenny Clark lived in Australia for about seven years where she was involved in the theatre. She has recently moved back to Edinburgh and is still singing.

Duncan MacGillivray has his hands full being a farmer and bringing up a family, he now has five children. He continues to play and is still winning piping competitions. In 1997 he achieved the top award in Piping when he won the Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting in Inverness. He is a member of ‘The Ghillies’, a group brought together to showcase new tunes written in a traditional style by musicians from all over Scotland, and also plays in a local ceilidh band called ‘Ben Wyvis and the Last Resort’.

Iain MacDonald is immersed in the music of the Western Highlands, the community from which he came to the Battlefield Band. In the past he also played with Ossian and is now contributing to several Musical and Gaelic theatre projects. He has also just been confirmed as a ‘Musician in Residence’ at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (the Gaelic College) on the Isle of Skye.