# Chris Connelly presents ‘My Father Took Me Everywhere’ featuring Monica Queen. Joint ‘The Birthday Poems’ LP album out June 15

- Link: https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/
- Published: 2021-06-01T09:26:17-05:00
- Author: Eugene Tierney

_“A feel good rating of 10… brilliant and a delightful surprise. It has us eager
to hear more from this duo, willing to learn as the reveal these highly relevant
personalities in Scotland’s recent history”_ ~ [The Spill Magazine](http://spillmagazine.com/spill-video-premiere-chris-connelly-monica-queen-tae-the-poets/)

_“A perfect performance… The sauntering beat follows Connelly down the street as
he confidently unfurls his storytelling spoken word vocals. The chorus is punctuated
with his enthusiastically exclaimed vocals, even as the instrumentation maintains
its swaying rhythm”_ ~ [Big Takeover Magazine](http://bigtakeover.com/news/SongPremiereTaeThePoetsbyChrisConnellyandMonicaQueen)

_“Cracking… ear-catching… marries the worlds of music, literature and the demon 
drink, something which is never far away from either world… both fun and full of
historical resonance”_ ~ [The Swindonian](https://theswindonian.co.uk/culture/poetry-in-musical-motion-from-chris-connelly-and-monica-queen/)

_“Lyrical continent is intriguing, delivery is stunning and production is impeccable,
performed by an artist with highly unique vocal stylings. Fans of Róisín Murphy,
PJ Harvey, Little Dragon, Swallow and Morrissey should dive right in”_ ~ **Amplify
Music Magazine**

Two Scottish alternative music legends – **Chris Connelly** and the incomparable**
Monica Queen** – ‘My Father Took Me Everywhere’, the new single from their collaborative
album ‘The Birthday Poems’, to be released on June 15 via [Jnana Records](https://jnanarecords.bandcamp.com/artists).

My Father Took Me Everywhere - Official Video

[⌊My Father Took Me Everywhere - Official Video⌉⌊My Father Took Me Everywhere - 
Official Video⌉
Watch this video on YouTube

This album is a fictionalized account of the romance between celebrated Scottish
poet and author **George Mackay Brown** and his muse Stella Cartwright, as well 
as Stelle’s friendship with Edinburgh born poet **Stanley Roger Green**, spanning
three decades (from the mid 1950s until Stella’s tragic and untimely death in 1985).

Named for the poems that George would write for Stella every birthday until she 
died,** ‘The Birthday Poems’** is a song cycle based on the relationship between
these highly signifiant cultural figures of 20th-century Scotland. Stella’s voice
is sung by Monica Queen throughout this colossal and historically significant 18-
track album.

[[

Chris Connelly photo by Derick Smith. Monica Queen photo by Johnny Smillie.

The video for **‘My Father Took Me Everywhere’** stars Monica Queen as Stella. Inspired
by the 1964 short film [‘Palindrome’ by Margaret Tait](https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/8548),
which features some of the only known footage of Stella Cartwright, this video was
created by Iain W. Mutch / [Walkerandwilliam](https://www.facebook.com/Walkerandwilliam-482996161885416/).

As a young girl attending Mary Erskine School for Girls in Edinburgh, Stella would
ravenously devour literature, art and music. Her father would often take her to 
bars, parties, the theatre and other social and cultural events, where she would
meet and charm Scotland’s cultural elite.

The duo also recently shared the lead track [‘Tae The Poets’](https://youtu.be/RpEqMJx2qJs),
featuring swaggering vocals by Connelly, the clever video for which was filmed on
location at [Chicago’s GMan Tavern](https://gmantavern.com/) and created by photographer
[Derick Smith](https://www.instagram.com/derickphotography/) and [Matt Walker](https://www.instagram.com/mwbattery/).

With 2021 being the 100th birthday of Orkney-born poet George Mackay Brown, this
album represents a sometimes overlooked but very important part of Scottish culture.
Stella had a deep relationship with Mackay Brown, which turned into a friendship
enduring from the 50’s until her death in the ’80’s. It was not always a joyous 
one – neither of the pair were particularly happy, and their love of whisky did 
not help.

“While she had relationships with many of the poets who would haunt the bars of 
Edinburgh’s Rose Street during the ’50s and ‘early ’60s, her love of literature,
art and culture was insatiable. She was never given credit or encouraged in her 
own art and expression. I hope that this album illuminates the beautiful treasure
that she was, and how hugely significant she is to Scottish literature of a certain
era,” says **Chris Connelly**.

“As a child and younger man in Edinburgh, I walked the same streets, drank in the
same bars and walked the same hills. I was also lucky enough to be close friends
with Stanley Roger Green’s children, who, highly creative in their own ways, greatly
informed and inspired my life”.

This album was produced by 30-year Connelly collaborator [Chris Bruce](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chris-bruce-mn0000089453/credits),
a long-time musical partner and band member of **Meshell Ndegeocello**, who has 
also worked with **Seal**, **Aaron Neville**, **Bob Dylan**, **The Waterboys**, **
My Brightest Diamond**, **Sheryl Crow** and **Sam Phillips**, amongst others. This
album also features strings by **Dave Eggar** and sax by **Levon Henry**, as well
as contributions by **Blake Collins** and **Phil Faconti**.

While **Monica Queen** fronted 90s band [Thrum](https://www.facebook.com/MonicaQueenandThrum)
and released 2 introspective albums with partner **John Smillie**, she has gained
a reputation as Glasgow’s guest vocalist of choice. Her formidable voice is widely
familiar thanks to her vocal turn on **Belle & Sebastian’s** much-loved[ ‘Lazy Line Painter Jane’](https://youtu.be/EB2R8bb0vkk).

For almost forty years, **Chris Connelly** has completed creative pieces ranging
from the triumphant to the tragic, from the humble to the hilarious – each time 
promptly moving on to seek his next inspiration. Since early days with [FiniTribe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finitribe)
in his native Edinburgh, Connelly has [over twenty solo releases](https://chrisconnelly.com/discography).
He frequently collaborates with other musicians, building on notable projects with**
Ministry**, **The Revolting Cocks** and **Pigface** and contributing to newer ones
such as **Cocksure** and **The Joy Thieves**. As an explorer of art as a broader
endeavour has also issued [four books](https://chrisconnelly.com/books), encompassing
the realms of poetry, autobiography, and fictional narrative.

As of May 31, ‘My Father Took Me Everywhere’ is available everywhere digitally, 
including [Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/chris-connelly/44132448)
and [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4IZgjF9Cb5w0gQTUOYSCQK). The full 
album ‘The Birthday Poems’ will be released on June 15, and can preordered via [Bandcamp](https://chrisconnellyjnana.bandcamp.com/album/the-birthday-poems).

Soon Connelly will perform a series of limited-seating shows in Chicago, performing
songs from ‘The Birthday Poems’, as well as stories associated with Connelly’s discovery
and investigation of the relationship which inspired the album. An online event 
is also in the works. Links to all events can be found at [www.thebirthdaypoems.com](http://www.thebirthdaypoems.com/).

**FOR FANS OF:** Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Scott Walker, Róisín Murphy,
PJ Harvey, Jackie Leaven, David Bowie

**Keep up with Monica Queen[www.thebirthdaypoems.com](http://www.thebirthdaypoems.com/)

[https://www.facebook.com/MonicaQueenandThrum](https://www.facebook.com/MonicaQueenandThrum)
[https://twitter.com/MonicaQueen4](https://twitter.com/MonicaQueen4)

**Keep up with Chris Connelly[www.chrisconnelly.com](http://www.chrisconnelly.com/)

[https://facebook.com/ChrisConnellyOfficial](https://facebook.com/ChrisConnellyOfficial)
[https://twitter.com/Connelly_Chris](https://twitter.com/Connelly_Chris)[https://www.instagram.com/connellyofficial/](https://www.instagram.com/connellyofficial/)
[https://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisConnellyDotCom](https://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisConnellyDotCom)
[https://chrisconnelly.bandcamp.com/](https://chrisconnelly.bandcamp.com/)[https://soundcloud.com/chrisconnellyofficial](https://soundcloud.com/chrisconnellyofficial)
[https://open.spotify.com/artist/4IZgjF9Cb5w0gQTUOYSCQK](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4IZgjF9Cb5w0gQTUOYSCQK)

### Share this:

 * [  Facebook ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=facebook)
 * [  X ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=x)
 * [  Email ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Chris%20Connelly%20presents%20%27My%20Father%20Took%20Me%20Everywhere%27%20featuring%20Monica%20Queen.%20Joint%20%27The%20Birthday%20Poems%27%20LP%20album%20out%20June%2015&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyrdcast.com%2Fchris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15%2F&share=email)
 * [  LinkedIn ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=linkedin)
 * [  Mastodon ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=mastodon)
 * [  Nextdoor ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=nextdoor)
 * [  Pinterest ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=pinterest)
 * [  Reddit ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=reddit)
 * [  Tumblr ](https://www.nyrdcast.com/chris-connelly-presents-my-father-took-me-everywhere-featuring-monica-queen-joint-the-birthday-poems-lp-album-out-june-15/?share=tumblr)

### Like this:

Like Loading…

### _Related_