Kenneth McKellar died he was 82

Kenneth McKellar died he was 82. McKeller was a Scottish tenor.

(23 June 1927 – 9 April 2010)

McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission.^[1] He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer.^[1] He did not enjoy his time with the Carl Rosa Opera Company and left them to pursue a career singing traditional Scottish songs and other works. His albums of the songs of Robert Burns (now digitised) are considered by musicologists to be definitive interpretations.

In 1964 he toured New Zealand. On many occasions in the 1960s and 1970s he appeared on the BBC Television Hogmanay celebration programme, alongside Jimmy Shand and Andy Stewart.

In 1966 the BBC selected McKellar to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Luxembourg. He sang five titles from which viewers selected "A Man Without Love" as the 1966 entry. According to author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History, the Scottish tenor drew gasps from the audience when he appeared on stage.^[2] The song was placed ninth of the eighteen entries, making it the least successful UK placing in the contest until 1978. McKellar received scores from only two countries. The Irish jury gave the UK song top marks, one of only two occasions the Irish have done so in Eurovision history.^[2]

"A Man Without Love" peaked at #30 in the UK Singles Chart in March 1966.^[3] His albums The World of Kenneth McKellar (1969), and Ecco Di Napoli (1970), had a total of ten weeks presence in the UK Albums Chart.^[3]

On 31 December 1973, the first Scottish commercial radio station Radio Clyde began broadcasting to Glasgow. The first record they played was "Song of the Clyde" sung by Kenneth McKellar. The same recording featured over the opening titles of the 1963 film, Billy Liar.

McKellar made the majority of his recordings on the Decca Records label.^[1] He also recorded several classical works, including Handel's Messiah alongside Joan Sutherland in a performance conducted by Sir Adrian Boult.^[1]

McKellar died of pancreatic cancer, at the age of 82, at his daughter's home near Lake Tahoe in the United States, on 9 April 2010.^[4]

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