Biography

Elizabeth was born in 1939 in Fetterangus, Aberdeenshire, to a settled Traveller family with a very rich oral tradition. Her mother, Jean Stewart, was a musician and her aunt, Lucy Stewart, had a wide repertoire of ballads and folklore. There were also pipers and fiddlers in the family.

Elizabeth absorbed her family's musicality as well as the folklore and traditions which had been passed down the generations. As a young teenager she performed on the radio, accompanying pipe marches on the piano. In 1960 Elizabeth was a contributor on the radio ballad programme 'Singing the Fishing' which was made for the BBC as part of a popular series produced by Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker.

While raising her family, Elizabeth made local appearances at traditional music events and ran music clubs. She was invited to appear at a music festival in North Carolina in 1972 and this led to her doing a tour of universities and schools across America.

She enthusiastically supported TMSA festivals and traditional song events and also taught on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Scottish Music Degree course.

Elizabeth released two albums and published two books during her lifetime.

For a fuller biography see http://www.footstompin.com/artists/elizabeth_stewart (accessed 24 October 2022).