Kenneth McKellar

Kenneth McKellar (23 June 1927 – 9 April 2010) was a Scottish tenor.

Career McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen and after graduating he worked for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer.

McKellar toured New Zealand in 1964. On many occasions in the 1960s and 1970s he appeared on the BBC Television Hogmanay celebration programme, alongside Jimmy Shand, Andy Stewart and Moira Anderson. He also made numerous appearances on the popular White Heather Club television series (1959–1968), hosted by Andy Stewart. His last Hogmanay Show appearance was on STV in 1991.

In 1965, the BBC selected McKellar to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg. He sang five titles from which viewers selected "A Man Without Love" as the 1966 entry. According to the author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History, the Scottish tenor – who had changed into a kilt at the last moment – drew gasps from the audience when he appeared on stage. The song was placed ninth of the eighteen entries, making it the least successful UK placing in the contest until 1978. McKellar received scores from only two countries. The Irish jury gave the UK song top marks, one of only two occasions the Irish have done so in Eurovision history. His albums The World of Kenneth McKellar (1969), and Eco Di Napoli (1970), had a total of ten weeks presence in the UK Albums Chart.

He also recorded an album in Afrikaans, entitled Kuier By Ons, which was released just before his tour of South Africa in October 1970.

On 31 December 1973, the first Scottish commercial radio station Radio Clyde began broadcasting to Glasgow. The first record they played was "Song of the Clyde" sung by Kenneth McKellar. The same recording featured over the opening titles of the 1963 film Billy Liar.

McKellar lived in Lenzie, Glasgow in a house called "Machrie Mhor".

Outside music, McKellar wrote a sketch, involving a blindfolded man trying to identify the name of the celebrity beating him up, which was performed by the Monty Python team at The Secret Policeman's Ball. This was the only time they performed a sketch written by a non-member.

McKellar made most of his recordings on the Decca Records label.

Death McKellar died of pancreatic cancer, at the age of 82, at his daughter's home in South Lake Tahoe in the United States, on 9 April 2010. His funeral was in Paisley.

Selected discography Kenneth McKellar 1958 Decca LK 4203