Matt McGinn: The Calton-born singer-songwriter who appeared at Carnegie Hall and gave Bob Dylan advice

He was born and brought up in the Calton area of Glasgow, the eighth child of nine born into the family on Ross Street in January 1928. McGinn was remembered by the community a few years back when a plaque was unveiled on the street he grew up in three decades after his sad passing.

This is not the only tribute which you will see dedicated to McGinn in the city - there is a statue of him in the foyer of the People’s Palace at Glasgow Green, not too far away from where he grew up.

While working in a Hillington factory, McGinn spent his spare time reading and attending evening classes before he went on to study at Ruskin College on a trade union scholarship in the late fifties. It was during his time in Huddersfield while training to be a teacher that he won a local newspaper competition with a song called “The Foreman O’Rourke”.

McGinn was then part of the Folk Song Revival in the early sixties with his music rooted in humour, his left wing politics and knowledge of the life and times of Glasgow people.

This is best reflected by the writing of Hamish Henderson who said: “Nearly all his songs have merit, as well as high entertainment value. He was born in the Gallowgate district of Glasgow and his songs have the gallus sardonic verve of that area. I’d back at least half a dozen of them to ‘bide’ – for a while, at least.”

One of his outstanding achievements was after he met Pete Seeger in 1961, he invited him to be part of a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City which is where he would meet a young Bob Dylan for the first time who sought out his advice about touring in the UK. Dylan was not the only famous face he would encounter during the early days as Billy Connolly along with Tam Harvey were two of his backing musicians.

Matt McGinn will forever remain one of Glasgow’s favourite sons and it is right and fitting that there is a plaque in the East End to remember him forever.