Leave a Light On has been created by Kevin McKidd and his band the Speyside Sessions Band
Grey’s Anatomy actor Kevin McKidd has got his band back together to create a lockdown charity single.
Leave a Light On, a beautiful Celtic Ballad, written and performed by the Speyside Sessions Band of musicians and singers, was released today (Monday 4 May).
The charity single will raise funds for two charities, The Trussell Trust and Help Musicians UK.
McKidd is male lead vocalist on the single, and sings with Northern Irish singer, Mairead Carlin. The song, Leave a Light On has been composed and produced by James D. Reid, and arranged and produced by Carlin’s husband and leading talent Ronan Scolard.
The idea came about when old Elgin chums, James and Kevin were having a chat about wanting to do something to help and both had been very shocked by reports on empty food banks. After a chat with (Small Faces and River City) actor Iain Robertson, a plan was hatched to pull together their old team from a highly successful, previous collaboration in 2012, The Speyside Sessions.
The original Speyside Sessions album went straight to Number 1 on the iTunes World Music Charts in six different countries: the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Germany & Spain in 2012.
McKidd said: “I had been looking for an excuse to get the old Speyside Sessions Band back together. It has been such a great experience to get the old Speyside Sessions Band back together. James has done a great job with writing Leave a Light On. He and Ronan Scolard had an uphill struggle to mix and produce this song with all the Quarantine restrictions and everyone being apart. But they did it brilliantly!’
“It was Iain Robertson’s idea to raise money for the Trussell Trust and support all of the Food banks across the UK. I hate to give the wee man credit of any kind in case it goes to his already big heid, but in this case he was dead on and has helped immensely with the whole project.
“Then when we got Mairead on board, she suggested that we help raise money for Help Musicians UK. Another brilliant idea! She has been amazing to collaborate with and so talented. We are so lucky to have her on this single.
“If ever there was a time that we need music, it’s now. I am very proud of the track and it has been a real honour to sing with Mairead and all of the old Speyside bunch again.”
With 13 backing singers, many of them sang into their I-phones from under their stairs, in their kid’s bedrooms and one singer had to wait to sing at night to avoid seagulls joining in on the background! Kevin had to throw together a temporary studio and sang into a very basic mic, going into his laptop. You can see his mic gaffa taped to an upright floor light in the video.
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