User:Roddy Hart

Roddy Hart is a Scottish singer–songwriter from Glasgow. Described as “one of Scotland’s best kept secrets”, he has invited comparisons with greats such as Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. He has established himself as an artist in the classic mould, and is gaining a growing reputation for his live shows with his band, The Lonesome Fire. Roddy released his demo album, Home Tapes, in 2004. His debut studio album, Bookmarks, was released in May 2006 on Vertical Records in the UK and March 2007 on Compass Records in the USA and Canada. His most recent album, Sign Language, was released in November 2009 on Vertical Records.

Home Tapes
After graduating from Glasgow University with a first class law degree, Hart eschewed the most obvious of paths to release his self-recorded demo Home Tapes in 2004. Recorded in 4 days on an 8-track machine, the album had a limited edition release through small Glasgow indie label Adorno Records and subsequently sold out. The demo brought him to the attention of US legend Kris Kristofferson, who invited the young singer to open for him on his U.K. tour.

Bookmarks
Hart began recording his debut studio album Bookmarks in the winter of 2005, with members of Scottish band the Trashcan Sinatras. Kris Kristofferson then added vocals to "Home" and "My Greatest Success", alongside Scottish singer Eddi Reader. The record was released to critical acclaim in 2006 on Vertical Records and 2007 on U.S. label Compass Records. It was described as an “instant classic”, and was named as one of the Sunday Mail’s top ten albums of the year.

Touring
Subsequent tours followed with both Kris Kristofferson and Eddi Reader in the U.K., and Hart performed with Kristofferson at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2008. He has toured America in support of the Trashcan Sinatras (including a slot at the prestigious industry festival South by Southwest), played shows in Japan, Spain and Ireland, and has opened for other artists such as Ray Davies, Jeff Beck, John Prine, Ray LaMontagne, Teddy Thompson, Rosanne Cash, Glen Campbell and Deacon Blue. In the summer of 2008 Hart was asked to perform at the International Leonard Cohen festival in Edmonton, Canada, broadcast live on the national CBC network. He also performed during Scotland Week in New York in 2009.

Scottish Parliament 10th Anniversary
In January 2009, Hart was commissioned to write new melodies to existing Robert Burns’s poems to celebrate the launch of Homecoming Scotland. This led to an invitation to perform for the Queen at the Scottish Parliament, to mark its 10-year anniversary on July 4th, 2009. Hart performed the Burns poem "Nature's Law".

BBC Radio Scotland
In 2009, Hart was given a 3-month stint on BBC Radio Scotland, presenting his own show. He continues as a regular stand-in for the station’s much-loved Iain Anderson, and occasional stand-in for Tom Morton.

Sign Language
In November 2009, Hart released his second studio album "Sign Language", which was the first to feature his band The Lonesome Fire. Scottish journalist Billy Sloan named it as his number 1 album of 2009 in the Sunday Mail. "Send A Message" was the first single to be released from the album in 2009, and was named as the number 4 Scottish single of the year in the News Of The World. The follow up single "Take Me Home" released in 2010.

Production
In 2010 Hart produced “Hello! I’m Tommy Reilly” – the second album by the critically acclaimed winner of T4’s Orange unsignedAct., Tommy Reilly.

Hart continues to tour in 2010, recently performing again with Kris Kristofferson in Scotland, with Kristofferson joining him onstage to perform the Hart composition "Home". He has a new album, "Road Of Bones", due for a limited edition vinyl release in Autumn 2010.

Singles

 * "Send A Message" (2009)
 * "Take Me Home" (2010)

Albums

 * "Sometimes You're Lost" (2001)
 * "Home Tapes" (2004)
 * "Bookmarks" (2006/2007)
 * "Sign Language" (2009)