Biography Born and bred in County Durham, England, in 1949, Scrowther had
his first taste of singing to an audience with a
He moved on the edges of the (Coventry) folk scene in the early seventies with a duo/trio, and even did the occasional finger-in-ear solo gig. Resident near Zurich, Switzerland since 1978, it's only in the last 10 to 15 years that Scrowther has had anything approaching a musical "career". On the one hand he's built up a reputation as an interpreter of other people's songs in a bewildering variety of styles, his work with Swiss country-rock institution Rusty Nugget and his two-person show "Fascinating Rhythm", based on the life and music of George Gershwin, being just two examples. On the other, his own songs, showcased on 1989's "No Promises" and particularly on his critically-acclaimed 1995 solo album "Scrowther", continue to build up a following. These songs have been introduced into the English folk scene by people like PJ Wright of Little Johnny England and Sheffield singer/guitarist/playwright Norman West, and recorded by Little Johnny England, Isambarde, 4Square and the mighty Fairport Convention. The album "Scrowther", apart from garnering praise from the Swiss press, was also singled out for a major, positive review by British monthly "Folk Roots", who also included the track "Maybe" on a free CD sampler. This was despite the album having no British distribution. His long-awaited second album, "The Heart of the Song" is now available. Featuring the sublime guitar playing of PJ Wright, and ace Swiss rhythm-section Felix Müller and Beat Aschwanden, the album contains ten more sterling example of Scrowther’s song-writing talents. Scrowther has never played with anyone famous or been to America. Nostalgia makes him uncomfortable and he knows nothing about goats. |
