Hi All. I’ll be heading up to the Castle Bay hotel in Barra for a couple of days to sing. The dates are.

11th and 12th of May….. Are you tempted to be there????

The next 5 Sundays in Jinty’s too.

I’m still trying to get some more dates in the states sorted, and elsewhere. I’ll keep you posted on it. Thanks. I hope you all doing well.

George

Let The Tears Flow. I wrote this song for a friend of mine. It’s based on a book that i read. The story didn’t do that much for me at the time. What i found more interesting was that a few years later i met a friend whom i hadn’t seen for a long time. We were talking about Paulo Coelho (My favourite Author) The subject came up about this book. It tells the story of a girl who is in love with someone who feels the same about her but he is a priest and can’t leave his vocation. Nothing ever happens between them……………. Will i tell you how the story ends????????? Anyway one part of the story is that, there is a river in Spain Called the “River Piedra” Where, if you have a broken heart, you can write out how you feel and throw your story in the river. This was supposed to help you to move on. A nice story. But the thing that i found out whilst talking to my friend was that she had been off the scene for a while because she’d fallen in love with someone who didn’t feel the same way about her. True to the story in the book, she went to Spain…… From Scotland, Wrote her story out and washed it away in the River.I thought it was one of the most romantic sad stories i’d ever heard. I asked her if it helped. She said sadly it hadn’t helped her. I wrote this song with her in mind…… Again, i didn’t see her for a long while… It turned out that she had moved to Spain……. She showed up in Jinty’s about a year ago, Telling me that she was getting married to a Spanish guy and they were both mad about each other and so in love. It’s amazing how, so often things turn out the way they were always supposed to. Love finds it’s way.

Well everyone, how are we all doing? It amazes me how fast all the time goes and looking back just how much has happened. It doesn’t seem that long ago that i was looking forward to The BIG Fall tour. Here’ i am now doing a blog in the Middle part of the Christmas Tour. Makes me wonder where i should begin……. So i think, maybe the Summer………

As you all would have know, i was working on releasing a solo CD. Well i achieved what i set out to do in the Summer. I was working With Dave Cook down in London and some of the musicians from Celtic Thunder……… Only the best will do. The final outcome was “The White Rose” I am so proud of what was achieved in my writing of most of the songs and the cover songs i chose. The feedback i’ve been getting has been none other that truly humbling and i am eternally greatful for your kind and supportive comments. I’m so pleased that you all love the CD. A lot of the individual Comments about said songs are great and i especially love that each song seems to finding it’s own space for people for their own particular reasons. Everyone seems to love the fact that there is a REAL story behind each song…… Well that’s the way i love it. Folk singing and songs are all about story telling. I’m so glad that i’ve “Hit the spot”.  One of my Favourite comments about “The White Rose” Was from a Father with his Daughter after one of the shows. He said, “It’s a great CD George. My daughter bought me it to persuade me to take her to see Celtic Thunder, Every Dad should have one” I think every ONE should have one. lol And i know that many of you do. Thank you so much. AND….  For all those asking……. YES I’m working on CD number 2. My Cd “The White Rose” is available at www.cdbaby.com ON Amazon and ITunes

It’s been great to see the support Growing and Growing for the show. All the faces we recognise from previous tours…… Yes, we do remember most faces………..i know that I am bad with names, at least that’s what ” Er thingy” told me. It’s also great to see all the new faces, people saying it’s our first show but certainly won’t be our last. It never ceases to surprise me the number of Grandchildren to Great Grandparents we see at the Shows. Thankfully we must be doing something right.

As you’ll know there have been a number of changes to line up of the Show, with Phil moving on, Paul persueing his solo career and Damian hitting the BIG time with Glee. I’d like to wish the guys all the best. We have some new faces, some you’ll recognise moving forward more. Young Daniel. Neil from CT guitar fame and Emmet. I love how the guys have slotted in so well. They are great to work with and have the professionalism that comes with the job. They are bringing a great element to the show and are loving watching us go from strength to strength. We all thought that we were loosing Ryan from the show. What a great bit of news it was to hear that he was staying. I have found an amazing friend in him and would probably have been sadder than any one to loose him from the show. Great to have you back bro, even tho you never really left.

One of my MANY high points of this tour, has to be meeting Sandy Chapin. The wife of the late Great “Harry Chapin”………… A big hero of mine. Need i even tell you that? We went out for a couple of drinks after the show in the Beacon in New York. I was singing “The Cat’s In The Cradle” That night and i’ve never been so nervous knowing that Sandy (Who wrote the lyrics) was out there listening to me. The after show drink with her and her two friends was just so sweet, relaxing and nothing other than normal, like i’d known them for years………. Best friends that i had met for the first time. I hope we get to meet up again, AND on the subject of Harry. Thank you  so much to all of you for giving me the LP’s, Programs and other “Harry Chapin” memorabilia. I am very grateful to you all and will treasure every one of the gifts.

Now………. my WEBSITE……….. you all have been amazing in supporting me in all the comments, compliments and just general chat on the site……….. As some of you might know, my laptop was ruined in Toronto beyond repair. So i lost a lot of information, had to buy a new one and……. being the Computer…………. What’s the opposite of literate????? Just kidding……. Let’s just say i thought lost info meant lost access to the site………. I’m an idiot sometimes……. Well long story short. I got a new laptop. The store managed to salvage my hard drive from the old one and returned it to me this week. I’ve since salvaged all the old info. No excuses now. So i’ll be back on my web site answering Questions, looking for Festival bookings…………. Just keeping in touch. Thanks for your patience.

On the road we’ve been preparing for the Christmas tour on what seems an ever honing and fine tuning of the show. I’m sure that we’ve reached the best show to date. I hope that you’re all enjoying what you’re hearing and seeing.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about doing a solo tour here in the States. There’s nothing i’d love more and will be looking at that over the next couple of months. The Celtic Thunder Schedule is busy to say the least so there is a lot pending on that. If i can fit some shows in somewhere then i truly will. I’ll keep you posted on progress there as soon as i know. Fingers crossed for at least a couple of dates in the Spring……

Well that’s it for the moment. I’ll be back on soon. I’ve got more to tell you but i hope this keeps you in the loop for the moment. I’ll be back on with a Festive cheer before Christmas.  You’ll find me and other info at    www.george-donaldson.com

Speak soon. George

My first song, a dedication the Great Harry Chapin, in my mind had to be a true story of how i heard of him, was blown away by him when i first heard his songs and how by chance i was singing at a gig i neither had the energy, nor the will to sing at. I had been so tired by the amount of work i was doing at that time, i needed a break from it all. I had just sung the song “The Green Fields Of France” and this fellow came to me and said. “If you love a good story in song, you’ll be able to sing me a Harry Chapin song” I’d never heard of him. (True to the lyric), This guy forced me to take 20 Pounds from him there and then, to buy a cd. He said he wanted to be the reason that i first heard a Harry Chapin song and to have a place in my mind. I bought the CD the next Day, “The Greatest stories Live” I don’t know who the guy was, never seen him again, but hey buddy, you made me so glad i did that gig. You’re a huge part of what i’m doing now. I hope i wrote a brief but detailed enough story of my thoughts on Harry, what he did for the world in charity and in song and how he eventually left us. A tragic loss of a phenomenal visionary. 

Hierarchy Blues. (I’m in no way implying we are all like this) LOL…………… I think that sometimes when we really want or need to have something, we get so used to getting our own way, we forget who we really are. I also wonder if it can be true that when we’re given a position of authority that it can go to our heads, Or, if we have more money than other people, does that in some way make us better than them? We forget that we struggled at one time, and the fact that we are not struggling now can sometimes lead us to feel that we are better than we used to be. I seen this in a person i knew, someone who had told me of the hardship in his life, how he had a terrible childhood and had been exposed to so many things that he should have been protected from. Then……. within a day of hearing his story and me having a lot of sympathy for him, i then seen him treat another person…… a “lesser”…. With a “lesser Job”…. like dirt, Judging him in a totally condescending manor. I just thought to myself,  There but for the Grace of God. I can’t explain how disgusted i felt about what i was watching and have to say that i’ve never felt so strongly about writing a lyric. As time went on what i found very interesting about this song was that after hearing it, so many people related it to having a terrible boss who may have climbed the Ladder and “Bettered” himself, only to look down on his “Minions” with that Dictators superiority. Am i over doing it here???????? Anyway, it’s just how i felt at the time………… I’ve calmed down now…. LOL

Halifax Town. Came to me one day whilst i was running Sarah to school. I’d been watching a program on tv the previous night about The Battle Of Culloden, The last battle fought on British soil. Ultimately where Bonnie Prince Charlie and The Jacobites had lost, and Scotland would eventually pay the price from the south. leading to the Highland Clearances. The ruthless taking of land, culture and anything else they wanted in order to prevent anything like that ever happening again. It was a very cruel period in Scottish history. The song is sung through the eyes of a Father and Husband who lost his Family and property and, if he stayed his life too. Many of the people who were exiled at this time ended up on the East Coast of Canada, Where traditional Celtic music and culture still thrives .

OR VISIT THE SITE AT: 

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/georgedonaldson