Gavin Greig

Who was Gavin Greig?

Gavin Greig was a folksong collector, playwright and teacher.

He edited James Scott Skinner's biggest collection of music, The Harp & Claymore Collection, providing harmonies for Skinner's compositions, and he was jointly responsible for compiling The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection, with the Rev J. B. Duncan. A selection from this collection of over 3000 songs and tunes was published in 1925. Two volumes were published in 1981-1982, but the full collection, in eight volumes, was only finally published between 1981 and 2002.

He is also noted as the playwright of the Doric play Mains Wooin', which experienced great popularity in the North East of Scotland before World War II.

Greig was related to Robert Burns on his mother's side and to Edvard Grieg on his father's side.