Main Travelled Roads - A Tribute to Jackie Leven

A tribute to the maverick genius of the late great Scottish songwriter and folk musician Jackie Leven.

He was one of Scottish pop’s nearly men. Emerging in the febrile post-punk era of the late 1970s with the band Doll by Doll, a ferocious, even intimidating, live act at the time, he survived a brutal assault and heroin addiction in the 1980s to become a cult singer-songwriter much loved by critics and his loyal fans (who included crime writer Ian Rankin), releasing over 20 albums, but sadly ignored by the wider world.

Jackie died of cancer in 2011, aged 61, leaving behind an impressive legacy; more than 300 songs, a book full (maybe more than one) of tall tales attached to his legend, some of them even true, taking in everyone from Gordon Brown to Princess Di to the Dalai Lama.

Jackie played at What's Cookin' several times and his performances were always captivating and joyous. He would stay with us after his shows and I will always remember us round the radio singing drunkingly along to Solid by Ashford & Simpson. He loved the acoustics in our little bathroom and he was all set to record a show live playing sitting on the loo. Unfortunately it didn't happen in time. We still miss him…

“He’s one of the most poetic songwriters I know… He’s an undiscovered treasure” IAN RANKIN