Everything about Michael Marra totally explained
Michael "Atlas" Marra is a
Dundee-born (1952)
musician.
Influences
Although deriving all his
musical influences from the
rock and roll canon that includes
Tom Waits,
Randy Newman and
Bob Dylan, Marra's subject matter remains eccentrically
Scottish with a Dundee focus in particular.
Major project
His most recent major project was the opera
Nan Garland.
In September 2007 he released a new CD titled " Quintet" featuring 5 songs about 5 musicians -Peerie Willie Johnson, Peter McGlone,Thomas Fraser. Martin Carthy and Dr John.
In November 2007 Michael is appearing in a new production of "The Demon Barber" at Perth Theatre in Scotland where he'll be performing all his music live on stage.
Nick Name
Due to Marra's large stature and his ability to lift heavy objects, many of Marra's close friends dubbed him
Atlas, named after the mighty titan who, according to
greek mythology, holds the earth on his shoulders.
Protest song
In April 2006, having his fingerprints routinely taken by Customs in
Washington – where he was performing as part of the
Tartan Week – Michael Marra was inspired to write a protest song about
Shirley McKie. (Former police officer Ms McKie had been wrongly accused of leaving her thumbprint at a murder scene in 1997. When she denied the print was hers, she was arrested and charged with
perjury but was acquitted in 1999. In February 2006, Ms McKie received an out-of-court settlement of £750,000 from the
Scottish Executive which first minister
Jack McConnell described as a result of an
honest mistake.) In the song, Marra writes:
» "We lecture children if they're telling lies/They won't prosper and they won't thrive.../And even the First Minister must sometimes stand naked."
(External Link
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Football mad
Earlier, Marra wrote a song about his favourite footballer, ex-Dundee United Goalkeeper,
Hamish McAlpine called
Hamish the Goalie. He also somehow managed to get a song from an occasion when a fox ran onto the pitch at Parkhead during a Celtic versus Aberdeen game.
It runs in the family
Michael Marra's children, Alice Marra Clark and Matthew Marra are musicians and songwriters, as well. They are members of their own Dundee-based musical group, The Hazey Janes.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Michael Marra'.
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