It’s the Leith he could do
Singer Dean Owens delighted at endorsement from Trainspotting author on album sleeve
Q&A DEAN OWENS
HIS name may not be as well known as Lewis Capaldi or Paolo Nutini but Dean Owens has big-name celebrity fans.
And his new album The Man From Leith brings together songs from his seven albums and offers a great starting point for the troubadour’s music.
Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh waxes lyrical on the sleeve notes to the album and Dean’s brand of Celtic Americana is a favourite of radio legend Bob Harris.
How do you know Irvine Welsh? We met a few years ago through my hairdresser, Sandy Jones, in Edinburgh. Sandy is a very old friend of Irvine’s and had been playing one of my albums in the shop when Irvine popped in for a visit (not a haircut). He liked my music and it went on from there. He’s a good guy. What did it mean to get his notes for the album? Were you blown away? Very much so. Irvine has been very kind and supportive of me and my music over the years. I admire his writing, so it’s lovely to see him writing nice things about me. Have you lived in Leith all your life? I don’t actually live in Leith
now. I moved to the other side of Edinburgh, but my family are still there. Leith’s changed a lot since I was a kid growing up there. The Shore area is all gentrified. When I was wee it was all sailors and hookers down that area at night. I remember when as kids we used to play down the docks and even used to get on to some of the big ships that came in. I spent a lot of my childhood playing in The Fort housing scheme in Leith. It’s all gone now. I feel there is still a good, strong community spirit in Leith. Once a Leither, always a Leither. The Proclaimers. Which song is better? Their Sunshine on Leith or your Man from Leith? Sunshine On Leith is a really beautiful song. I loved it more before it became the big Hibs anthem, as I’m a Hearts fan. I’m a real Jambo. My song is very different. It’s so personal. It’s about my dad. It’s his story. I’ve met the twins a couple of times over the years but only very briefly. I don’t think they’re too keen on Jambos. Why do a best of now? It just felt like a good time. I’ve done seven solo albums and you can really only pick two or three songs at most from each album, so it would be a lot harder to choose the songs if I left it much later and had more to choose from.
While you’re from Leith one of your best known songs is Raining in Glasgow. Why is it that songs about Glasgow like Michael Marra’s Mother Glasgow who was from Dundee, are written by non-Glaswegians? I think it’s because Glasgow is such a great city and it’s always had a good musical soul. Most of the best experiences I’ve had in music in Scotland have taken place in Glasgow. I always say Edinburgh’s nice to look at but Glasgow’s better to touch. Tell us about Dora? It’s the story of my granny Dora who was born into a circus family. The Salvona’s Circus was set up by my great, great grandfather Ambrose Salvona, who was a lion tamer. How did you get into music? I got seriously into music at secondary school after hearing Aztec Camera’s High Land Hard Rain album and seeing The Waterboys open for U2 at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Roddy Frame and Mike Scott were the guys that made me want to try and be a singer and a songwriter. My first serious band – Smile – had a wee bit of chart success with our single Obvious in the early
90s, and eventually I went on to form Americana band The Felsons. We made a few records and gained a good reputation touring with people like The Mavericks and playing shows with the likes of Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris before going on a break in 2001 which has lasted until now. We are still great pals. How are you getting on with the virus closing venues? It’s a nightmare for everyone involved. I’m supposed to be on the road right now in the UK promoting The Man From Leith with my band The Southerners. I also had to cancel my US tour and my plans to go back and mix my next album, Sinner’s Shrine, in Tucson, Arizona, where I recorded in January. For now we’re all out of work.
The Man From Leith – The Best of Dean Owens is out now.