Biography
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Born
10 December 1948
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Died
11 April 2001 (aged 52)
Davy Steele (born in Prestonpans, East Lothian on 10 December 1948; died 11 April 2001) was a Scottish folk singer and songwriter. Over his time he was a member of Drinkers’ Drouth, Ceolbeg, Caledon, Urbn Ri, Clan Alba and Battlefield Band. He also released three solo albums.
One of Scotland's best loved singer songwriters, Davy Steele was loved equally for his sensitivity to others and for his charismatic and ebullient nature.
Born in Summerlee, by Prestonpans on the banks of the River Forth, near Edinburgh, he remained a proud "Panner" all his days. Davy's rich life took him many places, from tours with the 1st Royal Tank Regiment to his lifelong dream of touring as a musician. He was well known for his earlier work with Drinkers’ Drouth and Ceolbeg . He co-founded three bands, Caledon, Urbn Ri and Clan Alba but it was joining Battlefield Band in the 1990s that allowed his talents to be fully shared with the wider world.
A proud family man, Davy was married twice, had four children, David, Mark, Krysty and Jamie and now has three grandsons Tobin, Hayden and Ewan. He had a strong social conscience and was a social worker for twelve years at a home for children in crisis. This background provided inspiration for his many songs. Their topics span army life, working men's rights, family and love songs, all rooted firmly with a sense of place and personal experience.
Steele's song writing, as a young man, explored soul music, adding various styles including country ballad before moving towards traditional ballad. Other forms emerged later; protest song, work song and love song, ending up with the ultimate 'come-all-ye' of which he was a master: "Just One More Chorus".
Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin were Davy's first heroes and influenced his early writing, in songs such as "Sliding" and "Lost In The Long Grass". "Friends", "Butterfly" and the love songs "Quietly Sing You To Sleep" and "Long Hellos And Short Goodbyes" represent the country ballad in his writing. With "The Ballad Of Jimmy Steele" and "The Rose o' Summerlee" he moved into traditional ballad style, using memories of his own family. He was interested in work and social change: "The Last Trip Home" deals with the transition from horse to tractor, while "Heave Ya Ho", "Farewell Tae The Haven" and "Here's A Health Tae The Sauters" are in story form, taking us through the changing shape of life and work of the fisher-folk. The "sauters" were salters, also known as "Panners", of Prestonpans where the sea salt extraction was an important industry. Not scared to tackle social issues which disturbed him, "Chasing Shadows" is strikingly poignant amongst current financial and political scandals and "Eyes Of A Child" reflects Davy's years of work to help 'the child without hope'.
Davy always sang from the heart, and his songs were songs of Scotland. He was also renowned for his singing of traditional Scottish song and often his version became the definitive one. His own song "Scotland Yet" was his call for unity between all the cultural divisions within his small country.
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