I wrote one of Scotland's best known songs and will perform at a Glasgow festival this summer

Throughout his remarkable career, Scotland has always remained at the centre: from writing the country's ‘unofficial anthem’ about homesickness, to carving out a career independent from big record labels to remain in the country in Perthshire.

MacLean’s early career was not without its challenges. At a time when aspiring artists were expected to leave Scotland for London or New York to make their mark, he chose to stay closer to home.

MacLean said: “In the very early days, it was incredibly difficult to make a living from acoustic music in Scotland. Everyone said you had to leave for London or New York to make it, and there wasn’t much happening here. I had to overcome the notion that you needed to follow a certain path. That challenge pushed me to set up my own record label and publishing company and even build my own recording studio. Getting vinyl cut in Scotland was nearly impossible.”

“When I was in my early 20s, an English record company told me my songs were ‘banal, stupid, and parochial’, remarks that only strengthened my resolve. I decided then and there to go independent.

“I set up my own recording studio and label up here in Perthshire, because getting recording time was expensive, there were only a few big studios available, and they charged astronomical rates. So, I decided to build my own little recording facility, and that turned out to be the best thing I ever did. It allowed me to record exactly what I wanted without compromise, which was vital for my creative process.”

This decisive move paved the way for his future projects and set an inspiring precedent for independent artists across Scotland. His globally acclaimed song Caledonia is often regarded as the unofficial anthem of Scotland, covered by over 200 artists and sung at funerals, weddings and parties across the world.

“I wrote Caledonia in under ten minutes on a beach in Brittany when I was incredibly homesick. I was with a group of Irish buskers and we headed for the train home the day after I wrote it,” he recounts. “That little song has grown beyond its Scottish roots. It’s about a sense of belonging; it’s been embraced in Ireland, sung in Norwegian and Danish, and even finds its place at weddings, funerals, and football games.”

MacLean says he finds the impact the song has had on people’s lives “fascinating” . He continued: “I remember one day, several years ago, when I received two letters in one day. The first was from someone thanking me because their father was able to pass away peacefully, with his own music playing in the hospital: my music, as he was a fan of mine.

“The next letter I opened was from a woman expressing gratitude for making her childbirth easier because she was allowed to listen to my songs during labour. I thought, 'That's fascinating’, for the music to be such a constant presence.”

Despite decades of touring, including over thirty years in America, MacLean has always been based in Scotland. He purchased the old school teachers house and the school that he and his father attended in Butterstone, Perthshire, and converted it all into a music studio as well as his home.

“I still tour extensively, and I even do regular Saturday night broadcasts from our converted one-room school, set up by my brilliant son,” he said.

“It’s amazing how modern technology allows me to connect with a global choir of listeners, all from a place that keeps me deeply rooted in Scotland.”

For Dougie, music is a family affair. His son Jamie has produced his music for nearly three decades, working together on his solo song albums and their joint instrumental album, Flo, while even his grandchildren are beginning to show an interest, with his ten-year-old grandson lending a hand at a recent concert. But it was his own granddad who helped inspire it all.

He said: “My grandfather was a lovely Gaelic singer. I remember him returning from the Highland Games, singing beautiful Gaelic songs in our kitchen.

“He was full of whisky and sitting in our kitchen singing these beautiful Gaelic songs with the tears running down his face, and we'd be saying, 'What's wrong?' We called him Shenner, which is Gaelic for grandfather. We would say, 'What's wrong with Shenner?' and my mum would say, 'Oh, no, it's fine. He's just happy’.

“That emotional, almost magical connection in that language is something I’ve carried with me into every melody I create. I understand that emotion a lot more now. There's a lot of that kind of emotion in the melodies that I make, in the fiddle melodies and the song melodies. I think there's a bit of that in me as well, you know.

“I think with music, there’s magic in it. With Caledonia, there was a bit of magic in that song. Maybe it was because I was in my 20s and a bit more sentimental and naïve, but when I sing it now it transports me back to being a homesick 20-year-old on the beach. That has to be magic.”

Now, with a career spanning over 51 years, Dougie MacLean remains a steadfast advocate for live performance, the ultimate connection between artist and audience. “For young musicians, there’s nothing better than getting out there playing gigs, even busking on the streets, to truly connect with audiences. It’s the live experience that teaches you the real craft of music. It gives you a chance to show your music to an audience, to connect with them and let them form an opinion on what you’re creating.”

Dougie Maclean performs at The Reeling, Glasgow's summer celebration of traditional music festival at Rouken Glen Park from Friday 6 June to Sunday 8 June 2025.