The following
article was published in the 2007 edition (Volume
6 Number 2) of the Society Magazine - Clach A'
Choilch.
Sandi Thom
Two of the first new members recruited to the Society in
2007 were Christopher and Alexandria (Sandi) Thom. They are
the son and daughter of Alexander (Sandy) and Sandra Thom who
have been members of the Society for more than 10
years.
Sandi Thom is the Singer Songwriter
who became well known in 2006 when she screened concerts on
the internet via a webcam and in no time at all had her first
record at the top of the charts in the UK, Ireland and
Australia. Since then she has performed worldwide. Sandi has
kindly agreed that we can write a little about her life and
meteoric rise to fame in this edition of the
Clach.
Sandi was born in a small fishing
town on the North East coast of Scotland called Banff. Her
childhood was spent in the neighbouring village of Macduff.
She was shy a school and her reports said that she was a
daydreamer. She admits that this probably true. Her mother’s
side of family was Irish and musical. Her father, a fisherman
who became a helicopter pilot, used to sing and play guitar in
a band. It is no wonder then that Sandi is
Musical.
On her website Sandi writes that
one of her first memories is listening to her Dad’s Stevie
Wonder records – on vinyl. She says “I grew up on him, Ray
Charles and Aretha Franklin, these amazing singers. I’ve
always been influenced by soul singers along with
singer-songwriter artists like Dylan and Carole
King.”
By the age of eleven or twelve
Sandi was writing her own lyrics trying to express her
feelings about the “changing circumstances in her life”. A
typical title was ‘Where do I
belong?”.
When only fourteen, Sandi joined a
local ‘covers’ band called The Residents. Most of the other
members of the band were “middle aged professionals” but she
fitted in well singing and playing keyboards. The band played
at pubs, clubs and weddings across Scotland and Sandi learnt a
repertoire of classic pop and rock songs by Roy Orbison, The
Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and many others. She remembers that she
“loved the people”.
On leaving school Sandi decided to
apply for a place at the Liverpool Institute for the
Performing Arts. She was successful and arrived at the
Institute to find that she was the youngest person there.
Initially she was extremely homesick but she gradually got
into the course and loved Liverpool and its people. During her
time there Sandi did a lot of song-writing and learnt to play
the guitar. She also joined a gospel choir called Love and Joy
with whom she once performed “You’ll Never Walk Again” to a
crowd of 40,000 at Anfield – the home of Liverpool Football
Club.
Whilst at the Institute Sandi
assembled the group of musicians with whom she continues to
perform to this day. Over the years a tremendous rapport had
been built with the band. She writes that “They are more than
my band – they are my support unit.”
Following graduation Sandi moved
back to Scotland and the hard graft began. To earn a living
she did a lot of session singing and also landed a publishing
deal with Windswept Pacific Music. Whilst singing at one of
her own “gigs” in Glasgow she was approached and offered a
recording deal by Viking Regency Records – an independent
label based in Orkney. She began recording the songs for her
debut album, toured as support for other bands and continued
her own “gigs”.
It was early in 2006 that Sandi had her Eureka!
moment. Her car having broken down whilst travelling from a
venue in the North of England to Wales and then back to London
she thought to herself “There must be a better way to do
this”. A plan was formulated. She bought a £60 (US$ 120)
webcam and announced that a series of shows would be performed
and broadcast free of charge via her website on 21 consecutive
nights during February and March that year. The shows would
take place in her flat in Tooting, South London, which had an
audience capacity of just six. On the first night just 70
people logged on to watch. However by the middle of the second
week the audience had risen to an astonishing
70,000.
And so an amazing phenomenon
evolved. Executives from all the major record companies
streamed to the flat to see the show for themselves. They
found a singer “with a sensational voice - strong and
expressive enough to fill the largest theatres, but also warm
and soulful enough to win over hearts and minds in the most
intimate settings.” After a couple of weeks a contract was
signed with RCA in front of the webcam
audience.
Her first single “I wish I
was a Punk Rocker” was released in May 2006 and raced to the
top of the charts. The album “Smile…It confuses people” soon
followed. Since that time Sandi has been performing across the
world – UK, Germany, France, USA, Australia, Japan – the list
goes on and on and the pace appears frantic; and, of course,
she also continues to write her music.
Of particular interest to Clan
members might be Sandi’s appearance at the Tartan week in New
York – dressed in Tartan by Viviene Westwood playing a Tartan
guitar. Sadly the Tartan does not appear to have been
MacThomas!
If you would like to know more try
looking at Sandi’s website www.sandithom.com
– although other oldies like the author might find some of the
language a bit trendy and baffling!!
Webmaster(With thanks to Sandy
Thom and a number of websites)
