Calum MacDonald
Calum MacDonald (Scottish Gaelic: Calum Dòmhnallach /kalˠəm dɔ̃ːnəlˠəx/; born 12 November 1953) is a musician who was a founder member of and percussionist in the Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. MacDonald was the band's primary songwriter with his older brother Rory MacDonald from 1973 to 2018. Generally, Rory wrote the melodies and Calum the lyrics.
Calum MacDonald
- Name
- Calum MacDonald
- Born
- 12 November 1953
- Birthplace
- Lochmaddy, North Uist, Scotland
- Occupation
- * Teacher
- Nationality
- United Kingdom
- Fields
- Celtic rock
- Honours
- Sàr Ghaidheal Fellowships
- Languages
- English
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wikidata · Q2045063
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Calum MacDonald • Birth Name — Calum MacDonald • Born — 12 November 1953 • Birthplace — Lochmaddy, North Uist, Scotland • Origin — Isle of Skye, Scotland • Instrument — * Percussion • Drums • Vocals • Backing vocals • piano accordion • Genre — Celtic rock • Occupation — * Teacher • Musician • Years Active — 1973–present • Past Member Of — * Runrig • The Band from Rockall • Label — * Neptune Records • Lismor Records • Ridge Records • Chrysalis Records
Early life
Early life
MacDonald was born in Lochmaddy, North Uist before moving to Portree, on the Isle of Skye, for secondary school. It was in Skye that MacDonald and his brother Rory formed Runrig along with Blair Douglas and subsequently Donnie Munro and Robert MacDonald. He attended Jordanhill College and worked as a P.E. teacher at Lasswade High School and other schools in Lothian until 1983 when he became a professional musician.
Later life
Later life
During the 1980s, MacDonald's Christian faith deepened and this influence began to be felt in his lyrical content, in both Gaelic and English. He was based in Edinburgh for the 1980s and early 1990s before relocating his young family to Contin in the Scottish Highlands. MacDonald has contributed main vocals to a handful of Runrig tunes, including Dust and Faileas air an Airigh.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1953
Calum MacDonald born at Lochmaddy.
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Calum MacDonald (musician), revision 1351010707 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Born at
1- LochmaddyPlace
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Further particulars
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Calum MacDonald is recorded as singer, songwriter, percussionist, composer and musician.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
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