A happy birthday to a great ambassador for Scots song.

Jean has been part of my awareness for many, many years, and only last year I delivered to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (from which Jean has an honorary doctorate) a copy of a poster from an early event in Edinburgh on which the late Arthur Argo had gathered signatures from the great guest list -- Jeannie Robertson, Jimmy MacBeath, Willie Scott (and perhaps also Davy Stewart?) from the source singers, and a wheen of younger performers including Ray Fisher, The Corries, Gordon McCulloch and Bobby Campbell, John Watt -- and Jean herself. Her signature included a wee devil cartoon, if I remember rightly!

And her name also came up today at the Glasgow Ballad Workshop, where there was much pleasure in recalling her performance of The Kirk Soiree - not a ballad, I know, but a grand piece of story-telling.

Many happy returns, Jean, and lang may yer lum reek!