Roddy Hart - Sign Language

Described as “one of Scotland’s best kept secrets”, Glaswegian singer/songwriter Roddy Hart promises to shake off the tag with the release of his second studio album Sign Language on Vertical Records. Inviting comparisons with greats such as Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, Hart has established himself as an artist in the classic mould, and is gaining a growing reputation for his live shows with his band, The Lonesome Fire.

After graduating from Glasgow University with a first class law degree, Hart eschewed the most obvious of paths to release his self-recorded demo Home Tapes, which subsequently sold out. The demo brought him to the attention of US legend Kris Kristofferson, who invited the young singer to open for him on his U.K. tour. Kristofferson then added vocals to Hart’s debut studio album Bookmarks, alongside Scottish singer Eddi Reader. It was named as one of the Sunday Mail’s top ten albums of the year.

Subsequent tours followed with both Kris Kristofferson and Eddi Reader in the U.K., and Hart performed with Kristofferson at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2008. He has toured America in support of the Trashcan Sinatras (including a slot at the prestigious industry festival South by Southwest), played shows in Japan, Spain and Ireland, and has opened for other artists such as John Prine, Ray LaMontagne, Teddy Thompson, Rosanne Cash, and Deacon Blue. In the summer of 2008 Hart was asked to perform at the International Leonard Cohen festival in Edmonton, Canada, broadcast live on the national CBC network.

In January 2009, Hart was commissioned to write new melodies to existing Robert Burns’s poems to celebrate the launch of Homecoming Scotland. This led to an invitation to perform for the Queen at the Scottish Parliament, to mark its 10-year anniversary on July 4th, 2009. He also started the year with a 3-month stint on BBC Radio Scotland, presenting his own show. He continues as a regular stand-in for the station’s much-loved Iain Anderson.

“A genuinely distinctive singer crafting genuinely literate, affecting, soul stirring music…verging on the hymnal…exhilarating”
AMERICANA-UK.COM

“The voice, like a fledgling Willie Nelson, captivates”
UNCUT

“Echoes of a young Jackson Browne or Ron Sexsmith…Outstanding”
THE DAILY EXPRESS