Horse McDonald
Horse McDonald | |
|---|---|
Horse McDonald performing at ColognePride 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Sheena Mary McDonald 22 November 1958 Newport on Tay, Fife, Scotland |
| Genres | Indie, soul, pop |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Capitol, MCA, Randan, Kosmic Music |
| Members | Horse McDonald (vocals, guitar) Andrew Samson (drums) / Gemma Filby (keyboards, vocals) Gordon Turner (lead guitar, vocals) Andy Jackson (sound) |
| Past members | George Hutchison Steve Cochrane Steve Cooke Steve Vanstis Angela McAlinden Graham Brierton Jennifer Clark (double bass, bass guitar) |
| Website | HORSEMcDonald.com |
Horse McDonald (born Sheena Mary McDonald, 22 November 1958) is a Scottish singer-songwriter.
Career
McDonald was born on 22 November 1958 in Newport on Tay, Fife, Scotland and grew up in Anstruther, also in Fife.[1]
In the 1980s, she toured with Tina Turner and BB King.[2]
She has been performing with her band since 1990 and has nine studio albums to date.
McDonald toured in March 2011, playing an acoustic set.[3]
McDonald appeared on the 2012 charity single 'It Does Get Better' created by The L Project. The single benefitted LGBT charities and was written in response to the suicide of LGBT teenagers.[4][5]
She performed a one-off show at the Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom on 2 March 2013 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her album God's Home Movie and the release of her 9th studio album, HOME.[6]
In January 2013 she married her long-term partner, Alanna, in Lanark, where she lived as a teenager.[2]
In 2017, she was inducted into the Saltire Society Outstanding Women of Scotland.[7]
Her portrait was painted by Roxana Halls in 2019. It was acquired by the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, where it now hangs.[8]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | SCO | UK Indie | UK DL | ||
| The Same Sky |
|
44 | – | – | – |
| God's Home Movie |
|
42 | – | – | – |
| Both Sides (with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra) |
|
– | 47 | 35 | – |
| Hindsight... It's A Wonderful Thing |
|
– | 71 | – | – |
| Only All of Me |
|
– | – | – | – |
| Coveted |
|
– | – | – | – |
| Red Haired Girl |
|
– | – | – | – |
| Coming Up for Air |
|
– | – | – | – |
| Home[10][11] |
|
– | – | – | – |
| The Road Less Travelled |
|
– | – | – | 47 |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Odds And Sods: Compilation For The Wee Small Hours |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [12] |
GER [13] | |||
| 1989 | "You Could Be Forgiven" | 76 | — | The Same Sky |
| 1990 | "The Speed of the Beat of My Heart" | 81 | — | |
| "Sweet Thing" | 96 | 58 | ||
| "Careful" | 52 | — | ||
| 1993 | "Shake This Mountain" | 52 | — | God's Home Movie |
| "God's Home Movie" | 56 | — | ||
| 1994 | "Celebrate" | 49 | — | |
| 1997 | "Careful ('97 Remixes)" | 44 | — | single only |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||
Solo:
- "Sometimes I..." (1999)
- "Same Old, Same Old" (2006)
- "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (2010)[10]
- "I Am" (2012) Rocket Science Remix[14]
- "Home" ( Randan, 1 Jul 2013)
References
- ^ "My Scotland – Horse McDonald". The Scots Magazine. DC Thompson. December 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ a b Dingwall, John (8 January 2013). "Music star Horse McDonald returns to home town that shunned her for being gay to wed love of life". Daily Record.
- ^ "News item on the official Horse website". www.randan.org. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
- ^ "The L Project". It Does Get Better. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ "It Does Get Better - The L Project (Official LGBT Charity Song)". It Does Get better. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Barrowland Ballroom History". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Horse McDonald". Saltire Society. 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Horse McDonald, b.1958. Singer-songwriter". National Galleries of Scotland.
- ^ "HORSE songs and albums full Official Chart history". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 259. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Allmusic.com – Discography – accessed March 2009
- ^ "Official Charts Company: Horse". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "Horse – German Chart". charts.de. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ "News item on the official Horse Newsletter". Horse Newsletter. Retrieved 1 June 2012.