Selected for 23
June
June is a favourite month for songwriters seeking imagery and atmosphere but this beautiful love song has never been bettered,
whether sung to the tune Burns himself put the words to, or in the better known version popularised by his publisher, George
Thomson. Legend has it that 'A Red, Red Rose' was written by Burns to be sung by his wife, Jean Armour. Her mezzo-soprano
voice could probably have coped with its considerable range. There is no doubt at all, however, that the late Kenneth McKellar's
vibrant, subtle tenor was equal to the strenuous demands of a song that will forever be associated with him. That great artist
was born in Paisley on this day in 1927.
Donny O'Rourke