Orkney musicians join folk elite to launch Doddie AID single

Several Orkney musicians have joined with a folk supergroup in an effort to raise money and awareness of Motor Neuron Disease.

Sales from the charity single by Blazin’ Fiddles and the Scottish Folk Orchestra will benefit the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, founded by Scotland rugby legend Doddie Weir.

The foundation recently saw a flurry of fundraising activity after the launch of Doddie AID. Across Orkney, Scotland and beyond, folk took to roads, pathways and treadmills to clock up their miles in aid of the cause, raising over £7 million.

Now, this musical scrum of folk talent from across Scotland is bouncing off the momentum of Doddie Aid with the aim of raising even more money for the charity. The single, Doddie’s Dream, is led by supergroup Blazin’ Fiddles, which includes Orkney fiddle player Kristan Harvey. Meanwhile, Brian Cromarty and Douglas Montgomery of Saltfishforty also contributed to the musical effort.

Alongside these Orcadian performers, the charity single also includes some of the biggest names in the international folk scene, such as Grammy Award-winning Nicola Benedetti, Irish accordion legend Sharon Shannon and American Dobro master Jerry Douglas.

Also joining the prestigious line-up is revered songstress Julie Fowlis, highly acclaimed composer and fiddle player Duncan Chisholm, fiddle and accordion duo Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham, musician and composer Donald Shaw and BBC Take the Floor Presenter and member of Mànran Gary Innes, alongside many more.

Doddie’s Dream is now available for download from Apple Music and Amazon Music. It is also available to stream on Spotify. All proceeds will go to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.