Famous Scottish Musicians

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Find out more about the greatest Scottish Musicians, including Fish, Calvin Harris, Angus Young, Bon Scott and Shirley Manson.
Vote for Your Favourite Scottish Musicians
 1 
David Byrne
(American-Scottish musician)
David Byrne
11
Birthdate: May 14, 1952
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dumbarton, Scotland
Talking Heads lead vocalist and avant-garde musician David Byrne has won several awards, including the Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe. He has spoken at TED Talks, launched his own record label, and held visual arts exhibitions. He advocates for cycling and has mostly used a bike throughout his life.
 2 
Lewis Capaldi
(Scottish Singer Best Known for His Hit Single 'Someone You Loved')
Lewis Capaldi
27
Birthdate: October 7, 1996
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

Lewis Capaldi's success story is one of the greatest testimonies to the fact that magical things can happen when talent meets opportunity. From being just another aspiring singer, he quickly became a popular singer-songwriter in the UK and the US after Ryan Walter stumbled upon his iPhone recording on his SoundCloud account. Subsequently, he was signed to Universal Music Group.

 3 
David McCallum
5
Birthdate: September 19, 1933
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

David McCallum is a Scottish musician and actor who gained recognition for portraying Illya Kuryakin in the popular spy fiction TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. He gained international recognition for playing Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard in the action police procedural TV series NCIS. David McCallum has also contributed as a writer, publishing a novel titled Once a Crooked Man.

Recommended Lists:
 4 
Bon Scott
(Singer & Musician)
Bon Scott
6
Birthdate: July 9, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Forfar, Scotland
Died: February 19, 1980
Bon Scott worked with bands such as The Spektors, Valentines, and Fraternity before joining the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, replacing lead singer Dave Evans in 1974. He was one of Classic Rock’s 100 Greatest Frontmen of All Time. Following his death, AC/DC released a best-selling album as a tribute.
Recommended Lists:
 5 
Annie Lennox
(Singer-songwriter of)
Annie Lennox
5
Birthdate: January 25, 1954
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Aberdeen, Scotland
Known for her androgynous look, four-time Grammy-winning artist Annie Lennox became an international sensation with Eurythmics, a duo she formed with Dave Stewart, delivering hits such as Sweet Dreams. Her song Into the West from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King received an Academy Award.
 6 
Calvin Harris
(The First UK Solo Artist to Reach more than One Billion Streams on Spotify)
Calvin Harris
12
Birthdate: January 17, 1984
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Dumfries, Scotland
Grammy-winning DJ Calvin Harris soared to fame with his album I Created Disco. His track We Found Love, a collaboration with Rihanna, charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. He owns a record label and topped Forbes's list of the highest-paid DJs of the world for 6 years.
Recommended Lists:
 7 
Donovan
(Singer-songwriter, Guitarist, Composer, Autobiographer, Writer, Poet, Record producer, Film score composer)
Donovan
4
Birthdate: May 10, 1946
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

Donovan is a Scottish guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for developing and popularizing a distinctive and eclectic style that blended many genres, such as folk, jazz, pop, calypso, and psychedelic rock. Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

 8 
Billy Boyd
(Actor)
Billy Boyd
3
Birthdate: August 28, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
 9 
Lauren Mayberry
(Vocalist and Percussionist of the Scottish Pop Band 'Chvrches')
Lauren Mayberry
4
Birthdate: October 7, 1987
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

Lauren Mayberry is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician. Mayberry, who possesses a soprano singing voice, is the lead vocalist of the popular Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches, where she also plays keyboards and drums. One-third of the band, Mayberry co-produces and co-writes the songs along with Martin Doherty and Iain Cook. A vocal feminist, Mayberry runs the feminist collective, TYCI.

 10 
Emeli Sandé
(R&B Singer Best Remebered for her Album 'Our Vision of Events')
Emeli Sandé
5
Birthdate: March 10, 1987
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England
 11 
Stuart Sutcliffe
(Scottish Musician Best Remembered for His Association with the Popular Rock Band 'The Beatles')
Stuart Sutcliffe
2
Birthdate: June 23, 1940
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: April 10, 1962

Stuart Sutcliffe was a Scottish musician and painter. He is best remembered for his association with the popular rock band the Beatles, where he was the original bass guitarist. Before achieving popularity as a guitarist, Sutcliffe left the Beatles to pursue painting. Along with John Lennon, Stuart Sutcliffe is credited with coining the name Beetles, which later became the Beatles.

 12 
Marti Pellow
(Lead Singer of the Scottish Pop Group 'Wet Wet Wet')
Marti Pellow
3
Birthdate: March 23, 1965
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Clydebank, Scotland
Although discouraged by his father from choosing music as a career option, Mark McLachlan decided to try his luck with a band he formed with three friends. While the band grew to become the internationally renowned Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet, Mark became Marti Pellow, its lead singer.
 13 
Jimmy Somerville
(Scottish Pop Singer and Member of the 1980's Pop Groups 'Bronski Beat' and 'The Communards')
Jimmy Somerville
3
Birthdate: June 22, 1961
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland

Jimmy Somerville is a Scottish singer-songwriter best known for his association with popular synth-pop groups like The Communards and Bronski Beat. Somerville, who possesses a soulful and powerful falsetto singing voice, is known in particular for including political commentary on issues like LGBT rights in his songs. In 1984, he won the Grierson Award for his work in Framed Youth.

 14 
Derek William Dick
(Singer-songwriter, Actor, Singer, Composer, Poet)
Derek William Dick
3
Birthdate: April 25, 1958
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland

Better known by his pseudonym, Fish, Scottish rock singer Derek William Dick first gained fame as part of the British band Marillion. Known for hits such as Kayleigh, he later also had a successful solo career. He once revealed how he almost died twice, from skin-infection-induced blood poisoning.

 15 
George Young
(bassist, guitarist, songwriter, record producer)
George Young
4
Birthdate: November 6, 1946
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Glasgow
 16 
Sean Biggerstaff
(Actor, Musician)
Sean Biggerstaff
4
Birthdate: March 15, 1983
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Glasgow
 17 
Elizabeth Fraser
(Singer-songwriter best known as the vocalist for the pioneering dream pop band Cocteau Twins)
Elizabeth Fraser
3
Birthdate: August 29, 1963
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Grangemouth, Scotland

Once described as “the voice of God,” Scottish singer Elizabeth Fraser gained fame as part of the dream pop band Cocteau Twins, known for its obscure lyrics and foreign words which were inserted in the songs because they sounded good. Sexually abused by her family members, she left home at 16

 18 
Edwyn Collins
(musician, guitarist, songwriter)
Edwyn Collins
3
Birthdate: August 23, 1959
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Edinburgh
 19 
Scott Hutchison
(Founding Member and Primary Songwriter of Indie Rock Band 'Frightened Rabbit')
Scott Hutchison
3
Birthdate: November 20, 1981
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: May 9, 2018

Scottish singer-songwriter Scott Hutchison is remembered as the founder of the indie rock band Frightened Rabbit. Though he had initially studied illustration, he later switched to his old love for the guitar and stepped into music. He was found dead by Scottish police after going missing for 2 days.

 20 
Jimmy McCulloch
(Musician, Songwriter, Guitarist)
Jimmy McCulloch
3
Birthdate: June 4, 1953
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dumbarton
Died: September 27, 1979
 21 
Hans Matheson
(Actor and Musician)
Hans Matheson
3
Birthdate: August 7, 1975
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Stornoway, Scotland

A shy kid, Hans Matheson hated school and, on the insistence of his mother, joined a drama school. The Scottish actor is best known for his roles in Doctor Zhivago, Sherlock Holmes, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. He loves playing the guitar, harmonica, and violin, and often travels by train.

 22 
Jimmy Bain
(Musician)
Jimmy Bain
2
Birthdate: December 19, 1947
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Newtonmore, Highland, Scotland
Died: January 23, 2016
 23 
Jim Diamond
(Singer-songwriter)
Jim Diamond
2
Birthdate: September 28, 1951
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland
Died: October 8, 2015
 24 
Mike Scott
(Scottish Singer-Songwriter and Musician)
Mike Scott
2
Birthdate: December 14, 1958
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
 25 
Bert Jansch
(Musician)
Bert Jansch
2
Birthdate: November 3, 1943
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Glasgow, United Kingdom
Died: October 5, 2011
 26 
Billy MacKenzie
Billy MacKenzie
2
Birthdate: March 27, 1957
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dundee
Died: January 22, 1997
 27 
Bobby Gillespie
(Singer)
Bobby Gillespie
2
Birthdate: June 22, 1962
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Glasgow
 28 
Ricky Ross
Ricky Ross
2
Birthdate: December 22, 1957
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Dundee
 29 
Iain Cook
(Guitarist, Composer)
Iain Cook
2
Birthdate: November 2, 1974
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Scotland
 30 
Ray Wilson
(singer, songwriter)
Ray Wilson
2
Birthdate: September 8, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Dumfries
 31 
Leon Jackson
(Singer, Jazz musician)
Leon Jackson
2
Birthdate: December 30, 1988
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Whitburn
 32 
Stuart Murdoch
(singer-songwriter, musician)
Stuart Murdoch
2
Birthdate: August 25, 1968
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Ayr
 33 
Dougie MacLean
(songwriter)
Dougie MacLean
2
Birthdate: September 27, 1954
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dunblane
 34 
Neil Murray
(Bassist Known for His Association With ‘Whitesnake’ and ‘Black Sabbath’)
Neil Murray
2
Birthdate: August 27, 1950
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
 35 
Isobel Campbell
(Singer-Songwriter)
Isobel Campbell
2
Birthdate: April 27, 1976
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
 36 
Julie Fowlis
(Folk singer and multi-instrumentalist who sings primarily in Scottish Gaelic)
Julie Fowlis
2
Birthdate: June 20, 1978
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: North Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
 37 
Sandi Thom
(Singer, Songwriter)
Sandi Thom
2
Birthdate: August 11, 1981
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Banff
 38 
Robin Guthrie
(Record producer, Composer, Audio engineer, Songwriter)
Robin Guthrie
2
Birthdate: January 4, 1962
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Grangemouth

Part of the Scottish band Cocteau Twins, Robin Guthrie and his guitar made serious waves in the alternate music scene of the 1980s. He also performed as part of Violet Indiana and has often collaborated with American pianist Harold Budd. He later also stepped into music production.

 39 
Ivor Cutler
(Scottish Poet, Singer-Songwriter , Musician, Artist and Humorist Known for His Regular Performances on 'BBC Radio')
Ivor Cutler
2
Birthdate: January 15, 1923
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died: March 3, 2006
Known for his frequent appearances on BBC radio programs and his baritone voice, singer Ivor Cutler had once been a RAF navigator. While he initially studied painting and sculpting, he later took to poetry and songwriting. He had also penned children’s books. Called an eccentric, he mostly traveled by bicycle.
 40 
Jim Reid
(Lead singer for the alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain)
Jim Reid
2
Birthdate: December 29, 1961
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: East Kilbride, Scotland
 41 
Gordon Waller
(Singer)
Gordon Waller
2
Birthdate: June 4, 1945
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland,
Died: July 17, 2009
 42 
Chris Connelly
(singer)
Chris Connelly
2
Birthdate: November 10, 1964
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Edinburgh
 43 
Wattie Buchan
(Lead Vocalist for the Punk Rock Band the Exploited)
Wattie Buchan
2
Birthdate: July 24, 1957
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
 44 
King Creosote
(Singer-Songwriter)
King Creosote
2
Birthdate: 1967 AD
Birthplace: Fife, Scotland
 45 
Alexander Young
(Singer, Songwriter)
Alexander Young
2
Birthdate: December 28, 1938
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
Died: August 4, 1997
 46 
William Reid
(Musician best known as being lead guitarist, songwriter, co-founder and occasional singer of the Scottish alternative rock band, The Jesus and Mary Chain)
William Reid
2
Birthdate: October 28, 1958
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Glasgow, Scotland
 47 
Helen Marnie
(singer)
Helen Marnie
2
Birthdate: 1978 AD
Birthplace: Glasgow
 48 
Roy Williamson
(Musician, Singer-songwriter)
Roy Williamson
0
Birthdate: June 25, 1936
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: August 12, 1990
 49 
Greg Holden
(Singer-songwriter)
Greg Holden
1
Birthdate: February 28, 1983
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Aberdeen, Scotland
 50 
Jimmy Shand
(Musician)
Jimmy Shand
1
Birthdate: January 28, 1908
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: East Wemyss, Scotland
Died: December 23, 2000