Mac MacLeod

Keith MacLeod (popularly known as "Mac" MacLeod) (9 July 1941 – 16 November 2020), was an English musician who was a part of the Hertfordshire folk and blues scene from 1959 onwards.

He played in St Albans alongside Mick Softley and Maddy Prior and toured with John Renbourn.

Influences include Softley, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Derroll Adams, Jesse Fuller, Big Bill Broonzy, Snooks Eaglin, Reverend Gary Davis and Davey Graham.

MacLeod was an early influence on Donovan, and was the bassist for the original line-up of Hurdy Gurdy which also inspired the Donovan song "The Hurdy Gurdy Man".

MacLeod has also worked with Argent.

Other bands MacLeod formed of note include Soft Cloud, Loud Earth with Mick Softley and the acoustic-based band Amber.

Keith MacLeod was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on 9 July, 1941.

In the early days in The Cock and later The Peahen pubs, MacLeod was a regular and one of the few finger pickers around.

He often played with other musicians of note: the flat picking Mick Softley and school friend Maddy Prior.

In the summer time MacLeod travelled to the South West where he made friends with John Renbourn.

However, no interviews with him from the 1960s mention either 'Dirty Hugh', 'Dirty Phil' or John Vanstone.

A guitarist called 'Dirty Hugh' (so called because he dressed in rags) played at 'The Cock', but he could only strum and flat pick the guitar, he could not finger pick and therefore was unable to teach Donovan that art.

The two busked together from around 1961 to 1964.

Donovan was influenced from 1961 onwards by MacLeod's finger picking and the flat pick styles made popular by Ramblin' Jack Elliott which had been a big inspiration on Mick Softley and 'Dirty Hugh'.

MacLeod taught Donovan claw hammer style and finger pick techniques (see Hurdy Gurdy) and many songs from his folk blues heroes.

In 1964 MacLeod and Renbourn recorded three or four demos together; 'South Coast', 'Cocaine', 'It Hurts Me Too' and 'Train Blues'.

In the summer of 1964 MacLeod was back in Torquay, this time Donovan joined him for his final summer before fame came knocking.

Donovan said in an interview for Beat Instrumental in May 1965 titled 'Donovan's Big Influence?

It's Not Dylan!'

"The man who encouraged and helped me most was a fellow called Keith 'Mac' MacLeod. I've known him for about three years, and he's taught me everything from chord progressions on the guitar, to how to appreciate folk and real blues".

MacLeod joined Donovan's first national tour of Britain which kicked off at the NME poll winners' party on 11 April 1965.

Donovan's set has been called the first folk-rock gig by music writer Richie Unterberger.

One of the tour dates saw Donovan and MacLeod playing on stage with Joan Baez.

After Donovan's first UK tour MacLeod teamed up first with Dana Gillespie then with another regular on the St Albans music scene, Maddy Prior, to form Mac & Maddy.

A demo tape of Mac & Maddy was made but has subsequently been lost.

After a run-in with the law, MacLeod had written to Donovan's manager, Ashley Kozak, in December 1967 and asked if he could help.

Donovan then penned them a song and "Hurdy Gurdy Man" was the result.

However, Donovan changed his mind on his gift of the song to MacLeod and recorded it himself.

Donovan explained the story to Keith Altham of the NME on 15 June 1968 (a different version of the article appeared in Hit Parader December 1968, but also with the MacLeod link being mentioned):

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" was originally written for a Danish group by that name (...).

There is a friend of mine in the group – Mac MacLeod – whom I looked to in the early days to learn how to pick the guitar.

I wrote the song especially for them but then we got into a disagreement over how it was to be produced.

I wanted to do it one way and they another.

Donovan has since the early 1990s changed his stories as regards MacLeod's influence, naming 'Dirty Hugh' or 'Dirty Phil' as his finger picking teacher and John Vanstone as his early guitar mentor, removing MacLeod's name from the story.

Donovan's first two albums included many songs that he learnt from MacLeod as revealed in Pete Frames ZigZag Wanderer No.5 March 1999 and in the Nigel Cross interviews for Terrascope

MacLeod's odyssey was to take him around Britain, and across Sweden and Denmark.

The anthology Mac MacLeod – The Incredible Musical Odyssey of the Original Hurdy Gurdy Man on RPM/Cherry Red Records contains many rare recordings, from the acoustic folksy beginnings through a succession of one-off groups like The Other Side (with Boz Scaggs) and Exploding Mushroom, to the Hurdy Gurdy (with producers Rod Argent and Chris White).

The group became an underground favourite and went on to headline at Middle Earth, supporting Pink Floyd at the same venue.

MacLeod was the lead singer and bassist in a power trio style group in Denmark (inspired by Cream) which he named Hurdy Gurdy.

The group sound was heading in a similar direction to The Jimi Hendrix Experience who had also started at around the same time.