1. Robert Ogilvie Noakes was a Scottish singer-songwriter.
19 Facts About Rab Noakes
1. 2.
Rab Noakes was at the forefront of Scottish folk music for over 50 years and recorded over 19 studio albums.
3.
Rab Noakes toured folk clubs and often performed at the Glasgow music festival Celtic Connections.
4.
Rab Noakes played on Rafferty's Can I Have My Money Back, notably "Mary Skeffington".
5.
Rab Noakes performed with Lindisfarne for a John Peel concert and in 1995 produced the BBC Radio 2 programme, The Story of Lindisfarne.
6.
Rab Noakes' songs have been covered by Lindisfarne and Barbara Dickson.
7.
Rab Noakes was born in St Andrews, Fife, on 13 May 1947, and brought up in Cupar.
8.
In 1963, Rab Noakes moved to London and worked for the Civil Service, where he played folk clubs at night.
9.
Rab Noakes returned to Scotland in 1967 and began a duo with Robin McKidd.
10.
Rab Noakes released his first album, Do You See The Lights, in 1970, with a line-up that included McKidd on electric guitar and the Scottish jazz bassist Ronnie Rae.
11.
Rab Noakes was a founding member in 1971 of the folk rock band Stealers Wheel, along with Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan.
12.
Rab Noakes sang backing vocals and played on Rafferty's first solo album, Can I Have My Money Back, most notably on "Mary Skeffington", a song about Rafferty's mother.
13.
Rab Noakes recorded and performed with Lindisfarne, whom he supported on a national tour in 1972, and recorded his songs "Turn a Deaf Ear" on their first album, Nicely Out of Tune, and "Together Forever" on their second, Fog on the Tyne.
14.
In May 1972, the British music magazine NME reported that Rab Noakes was to appear at the Great Western Express Lincoln Festival on 26 May that year.
15.
Rab Noakes subsequently toured with the Varaflames, containing Pick Withers, Rod Clements and the harmonicist, Fraser Speirs.
16.
Rab Noakes became the senior producer for music programmes on BBC Radio Scotland.
17.
Rab Noakes was diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2015, but treatment was effective and he was back recording The Treatment Tapes in 2016.
18.
Rab Noakes toured in 2017, at the Leith folk club and with a full band at Celtic Connections.
19.
Rab Noakes died on 11 November 2022, suddenly, at the age of 75, in hospital in Glasgow.