Band Members: Ross Wilson

Discography: North Ten (2013) Julie EP (2013) Whitechapel EP (2013) Ballads Of Peckham Rye (2014) Live at SPOC (2015) Grateful EP (2015), Lo! The Bird Is On The Wing (2016), Live At The Convent (2016), The Waters Of Leith (2017) 

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Website: http://www.bluerosecode.com

One of our favourite Scottish singer-songwriters is the very excellent Edinburgh born Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code.  A wonderful writer of Caledonian Soul whose live performances are not to be missed. At the edge of contemporary alt-folk, Ross' music evokes a meeting of Van Morrison and a young John Martyn, both shipwrecked with a bunch of Motown records. His last album has just been released on vinyl (14th October), preceded by a double A-side single to promote the release, 'Chasing Sunlight/Rebecca'.

'...AND LO! THE BIRD IS ON THE WING' is the new album from Blue Rose Code. Previewed to a sold out theatre at 2016’s Celtic Connections, released on 4th March and supported by a UK and European tour. Recorded at Gran's House Studio in the Scottish Borders and written between the Shetland Isles and rural Dorset, '...AND LO! THE BIRD IS ON THE WING' features the finest Scottish Jazz and Folk musicians, Nashville Gospel singers, The McCrary Sisters, British music legend Danny Thompson and Hollywood A-lister, none other than Ewan McGregor.

Of the new record, Ross says, "It's an album for music fans and musicians, a challenging record. I'm passionate about that fusion of folk and jazz and where it intersects with songwriting. Working with these musicians has been a game-changer. I may have cut my throat because there's not really a single on here but, this is the album that I've written and it's just as I wished it to be."

In the space of only a short few years and two stellar albums Ross has gone from song-writing in the obscurity of an East London flat to being celebrated by the industry and fans alike as a legacy artist whose work stands alone. As BBC Radio 3 broadcaster Mary-Anne Kennedy said recently, “Blue Rose Code is one of those rare artists whose work makes you sit up and listen”.

The Ballads Of Peckham Rye, Blue Rose Code’s second record, was nominated for the prestigious Scottish Album Of The Year Awards in 2014 and featured a roll-call of remarkable talent, including Danny Thompson, Karine Polwart, John Wetton, Aidan O’Rourke and Kathryn Williams. 

'GRATEFUL', the first single from the new album was released at the end of 2015 and was playlisted on BBC Radio Scotland for a full five weeks. Truly remarkable for an act without the backing of a label or a heavy management deal. 

Further praise has come from the most unexpected of quarters in Hollywood A-lister, Ewan McGregor. Ewan explained, “My uncle Denis Lawson, (star of Local Hero) gave me a copy of The Ballads Of Peckham Rye, it’s beautiful and I can’t stop listening to it.”

Performing live he is stunning, and this reputation led Edith Bowman to personally ask Ross to perform on the launch show of BBC At The Quay with Texas and Stornoway. Edith described Ross’ performance with a nine-piece band, including guest Karine Polwart, as “truly special and beautiful”.