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– Fra skotsk sangtradition til dansk folkemusikscene

Da den skotske sanger Cabbie Drennan i begyndelsen af 1990’erne giftede sig med den danske billedkunstner Kirsten Røjle, opstod der en varig musikalsk forbindelse mellem Skotland og Danmark. Via Kirsten blev Cabbie introduceret til den danske guitarist Anders Levring, og et tæt samarbejde tog form med afsæt i Cabbie’s omfattende repertoire af traditionelle sange. Kirsten påbegyndte samtidig det grundige arbejde med at nedskrive tekster og noder, så materialet kunne bringes videre i nye sammenhænge.

Gennem 1990’erne optrådte Cabbie og Anders som duo ved lokale arrangementer og på den danske folkemusikscene, herunder flere gange på Café Ellegård. Repertoire og samspil udviklede sig løbende, men i de følgende år var Cabbie primært bosat i Skotland, og de danske aktiviteter blev mere sporadiske.

En tilfældighed genantændte samarbejdet. I forbindelse med en koncert arrangeret af Sonya Christie i Kolle ved Nr. Nebel – med den skotske sanger Robyn Stapleton som hovednavn – var der plads til et åbningsnavn. Cabbie, der tilfældigvis opholdt sig i Danmark, trådte til. Sammen med Anders sammensatte han hurtigt et sæt, og koncerten blev startskuddet til en ny fase for den skotsk-danske konstellation.

Sonya Christie blev straks betaget af Cabbies’ vokal og sceneudtryk, og året efter tog hun initiativ til at samle et fast band omkring sangene. Cabbie Drennan Band blev dannet med Sonya Christie, Jens Krag, Anders Levring og Mona Ditlevsen. På kort tid blev der arrangeret et repertoire og skabt en musikalsk ramme, som gav Cabbie’s stemme og fortællinger nyt løft. Bandet debuterede i Musikgalleriet ved Mariehaven under Mariefestivalen og blev mødt af et begejstret publikum.

Siden har de fire musikere arbejdet koncentreret med arrangementer og sammenspil, så fundamentet er lagt, når Cabbie træder ind i rammen. Samarbejdet er kendetegnet ved intense arbejdsperioder med øvning, koncerter og indspilning.

EP’en Ballads from Rainbow’s End blev indspillet over en weekend i november 2023 i Anders og Monas nybyggede studie. Processen rummede både udfordringer og fordybelse, og i løbet af 2025 faldt det endelige mix på plads.
Udgivelsen rummer fem sange og udkommer nu i 2026 på pladeselskabet GO Danish Folk Music.

Cabbie Drennan Band forener den skotske balladetradition med et nordisk klangrum og et nært, akustisk samspil. Resultatet er en levende videreførelse af sangene – båret af en markant vokal og et ensemble, der balancerer respekt for traditionen med nutidig sensibilitet.

Tracks & credits:

1. Bonnie Lass of Fyvie 4:25 (Words & music: Traditional, Scotland)
2. Ma Rovin’ Eye 2:58 (Words & music: Traditional, Scotland)
3. Johnny Sangster 3:52 (Words & music: Traditional, Scotland)
4. Plough and Sew 3:24 (Words: Ernest Jones, Music: Traditional, Ireland)
5. Annie McKelvie 3:03 (Words and music: Iain Ingram)

All arrangements by Cabbie Drennan Band except track 2&3 Anders Levring

Producer: Cabbie Drennan Band
Musicians
Cabbie Drennan, Vocal
Sonya Christie, Violin, vocal
Jens Kragh, Accordion, Bodhran, background vocal
Mona Ditlevsen, Mandolin
Anders Levring, guitars, background vocal

Recording and mix: Anders Levring, https://anderslevring.dk/
Mastering: Jesper Vinther Petersen, https://vinthersound.dk/studie/
Cover artwork: Anders Levring
Photos: Cabbie Drennan, Kirsten Røjle

Cat.no GO0226EP
ISRC: DK6KA260201-05
Barcode : 5705934007136
LC 09240

Released digital and CD February/Marts 2026 by GO Danish Folk Music

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The Cabbie Drennan ( Born: Jimmie Drinnan) story
– Cabbie Drennan have been around as a floor singer in many clubs since the 60’s
– He helped start the original Kilmarnock Folk Club in 63
– Moved to Essex in 64 Regular floor singer at Hoddesdon, Harlow, The Singers Club, & The Fox Islington Clubs,
– In the 60’s & 70’s Singer with The Millers Reel Folk Group in the 70’s… Bob Gale, Eddie Sinclair, Vic Blake,   
   Cathy & Brian Murphy
– Was one of the resident singers at MacColl & Seegers Singers club in the 80’s
– Solo singer at the unveiling of the Spanish Civil War Memorial London 1985
– Resident singer at The Square Harlow during the 80’s & 90’s
– Singer with The Diggers Group in the 90’s with John Hammond & John Brain Appeared on BBC Radio Essex &
  BBC Radio Bedford
– Returned to Scotland early 90’s.. via Denmark
– Best Solo Male Singer at the Orkney, Killin, Girvan, Newcastleton,  & Pennycuik, Festivals
– Sang in Denmark accompanied by Anders Levring Guitarist

– Now singing with the newly formed Danish Group “The Cabbie Drennan Band”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktk_fy5fD9g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2IJyA8L2Es

Cabbie Drennan Band – From Scottish Song Tradition to the Danish Folk Scene

When Scottish singer Cabbie Drennan married the Danish visual artist Kirsten Røjle in the early 1990s, a lasting musical bridge was formed between Scotland and Denmark. Through Kirsten, Cabbie was introduced to guitarist Anders Levring, and a close collaboration began to take shape, rooted in Cabbie’s extensive repertoire of traditional songs. At the same time, Kirsten undertook the meticulous work of transcribing lyrics and notating the music, ensuring that the material could be preserved and carried into new contexts.

Throughout the 1990s, Cabbie and Anders performed as a duo at local events and on the Danish folk scene, including several appearances at Café Ellegård. Their repertoire and musical interplay developed steadily, but in the following years Cabbie was primarily based in Scotland, and activities in Denmark became more sporadic.

A coincidence rekindled the collaboration. At a concert organized by Sonya Christie in Kolle near Nr. Nebel — featuring Scottish singer Robyn Stapleton as the headline act — an opening performer was needed. Cabbie, who happened to be in Denmark at the time, stepped in. Together with Anders, he quickly assembled a set, and the concert marked the beginning of a new phase for the Scottish-Danish constellation.

Sonya Christie was immediately struck by Cabbie’s vocal presence and stage charisma, and the following year she took the initiative to form a permanent band around the songs. Cabbie Drennan Band was established with Sonya Christie, Jens Kragh, Anders Levring, and Mona Ditlevsen. Within a short time, the group developed a repertoire and created a musical framework that gave new depth and dimension to Cabbie’s voice and storytelling. The band made its debut at Musikgalleriet at Mariehaven during the Mariefestival, where it was met with an enthusiastic audience.

Since then, the four musicians have worked intensively on arrangements and ensemble playing, creating a solid musical foundation into which Cabbie steps as the central voice. The collaboration is characterized by concentrated working periods of rehearsals, concerts, and recording sessions.

The EP Ballads from Rainbow’s End was recorded over a weekend in November 2023 at Anders and Mona’s newly built studio. The process involved both challenges and deep immersion, and during 2025 the final mix fell into place.
The five-track release came out in February 2026 on the label GO Danish Folk Music.

Cabbie Drennan Band unites the Scottish ballad tradition with a Nordic sonic landscape and an intimate acoustic interplay. The result is a vibrant continuation of the songs — carried by a distinctive vocal presence and an ensemble that balances respect for tradition with contemporary sensibility.

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