RAEL BIRNS| JOHN GNODDE | JIMMY SMYTH | NIPPY CRIPWELL | ALAN STRANG

Apart from the obligatory piano lessons and “fiddling around on a cheap guitar”, Alan's introduction to music involved teenage visits to pubs in Edinburgh where there was a healthy culture of folk and traditional music to be heard.

At the tender age of 37, in the same year as the Waldorf String Band was formed, he was a regular attendee of Buskers Music Club, when a committee member coerced him to get up and sing instead of sitting at the back listening.

After a couple of tentative solo sets, Alan began a series of collaborations with various groups of musicians which focused on singing and harmonising. Highlights of this period included several appearances, in different guises, at music festivals around the country, notably, Splashy Fen and the Fourwinds Festival in Port Elizabeth.

From being an ardent fan of the Waldorf String Band in the early days, Alan was invited by Rael to contribute backing vocals to the band's "Spirit of Christmas" album and has been involved in WSB recordings ever since.

While traditional folk music remains his natural passion, Alan's taste in music is wide-ranging with a particular liking for Gerry Rafferty, Linda Ronstadt and Supertramp in the rock idiom. Strong folk influences include the Corries, Planxty and Sandy Denny. Alan is currently an avid fan of Ireland 's Cara Dillon.