John McCusker

Biography

15 May 1973, Glasgow, Scotland. Prolific Scottish musician John McCusker studied violin from the age of seven, but was not drawn to the folk tradition until, at the age of 12, he saw his first concert by the Battlefield Band, the group he would subsequently join. Inspired, he formed a folk band with fellow Royal Academy students Patrick Murphy, Kevin McCarthy and Francis Macdonald, named Parcel O’Rogues. As he later recalled, ‘we just stole off Chieftains albums as we didn’t know any better’. The Battlefield Band invited Parcel Of Rogues to support them at their Highland Circus extravaganza in 1989, leading to the release of an album for Temple Records. McCusker also worked widely as a session musician during this time, collaborating with the BMX Bandits, Teenage Fanclub and Peter Nardini among others while simultaneously studying at Glasgow’s Academy of Scottish Music and Dance. However, he was still unsure as to whether his future lay in...

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