Ambassador of Funk Jesse Rae dedicates Edinburgh Fringe show to people of Dayton

RESPLENDENT in kilt and helmet while swinging his Claymore, Jesse Rae found instant cult status both here and in the States with the 1985 release of Over the Sea.
Jesse RaeJesse Rae
Jesse Rae

The singer/songwriter comes to the Fringe for two nights this August as part of the Vibe Revue Supper Club at The Grange in Stockbridge.

His appearances on 7 and 14 August will be more emotional than he expected he reflects, in light of the Dayton, Ohio, tragedy, a city with which he shares a great affinity.

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“I am Funk Ambassador to Scotland for the Funk Music Hall of Fame, which is based there,” he explains.

“What has happened has really upset me. I love the people of Dayton and want to be a positive voice for them at this time.”

Rae’s ‘Funk Symposium’, a live music/video show, features footage filmed in the city when he recently spoke to the students of the University of Dayton.

Known as the Scottish funk warrior, Rae’s journey into the music business started in the 70s with a trip to the USA as the bassist in a heavy metal band.

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There, he teamed up with some of the best American funk musicians of the time, including the late Bernie Worrell, founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk) and Talking Heads collaborator.

In 1981 he was reunited with Worrell as part of the P-Funk spin-off Space Cadets.

As a songwriter he is best known the 1982 Odyssey single Inside Out, which reached No 3 in the charts.

In a long and varied career, Rae has supported Adam Ant, seen Over The Sea picked as the new Tartan Army national anthem in 2009 and won a celebrity fan in Roddy Frame, formerly of Aztec Camera. He has also stood for the Scottish Parliament as an independent.

Jesse Rae: Folk Symposium, Vibe Revue Supper Club at The Grange, Portgower Place, 7, 14 August, 7.30pm, £27 (includes supper), www.edfringe.com

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