Though rooted mainly in folk and Celtic traditions, Scottish singer/songwriter Dick Gaughan pursued an extended and wide-ranging career that encompassed multiple artistic fields. Born Richard Peter in 1948, he began playing guitar at seven and delivered his first solo album, No More Forever, in 1972. He next joined the folk-rock ensemble the Boys of the Lough for their self-titled 1973 release, then resumed solo work with Kist o Gold in 1976. Shortly afterward he assembled the group Five Hand Reel, whose debut album appeared that same year; between 1977 and 1978 he issued four further records—Copper and Brass and Gaughan as a solo artist, plus For a' That and Earl o' Moray with Five Hand Reel. During the late 1970s and early 1980s he also contributed criticism and columns to Folk Review and performed with the 7:84 Theatre Company. Following a three-year recording hiatus, he resumed with Handful of Earth in 1981, continued with A Different Kind of Love Song two years later, Live in Edinburgh in 1985, and True and Bold in 1986. After Call It Freedom in 1988 he stepped back once more, devoting considerable time to computers and later gaining recognition as a programmer and web designer. He subsequently formed the short-lived Clan Alba, which dissolved after its self-titled 1995 album; the solo Sail On followed in 1996 and Redwood Cathedral in 1998. Later solo efforts comprised Outlaws & Dreamers in 2001 and Lucky for Some in 2006.
