Rachael McShane is a cellist, fiddle player and singer based in the North East of England.An original member of folk big band Bellowhead, Rachael toured internationally with them as well as making several TV appearances, including Later with Jools Holland and the BBC Proms at the Albert Hall. In their 12 years together, Bellowhead recorded 5 studio albums, an E.P., 2 DVDs, a ‘Best of’ and a Live Album/DVD. The band won ‘Best Live Act’ at the Folk Awards 5 times, a testament to the energetic, fun-filled live shows, for which the band members are immensely proud. The band were also presented with Silver Discs for their 2010 album ‘Hedonism’ and the 2012 album ‘Broadside’ for sales of over 60,000 copies. Bellowhead said a final farewell on May 1st 2016 but if you’d like to know more about the band, then click here.

Rachael’s solo album ‘No Man’s Fool’ was released on Navigator Records in 2009. You can read a few reviews of the album on the Reviews page and it’s available to buy here. Rachael’s band for the album was made up of musicians from outside the folk genre but featured entirely traditional material.

Rachael’s brand new band is now booking for next year! Watch this space for more details and music soon. 

Rachael is delighted to announce that she will now be a full-time member of RJ Thompson‘s band. It’s not folk music folks…but you might just like it! He’s a great songwriter and performer, who you might have encountered supporting Jools Holland on tour recently.  You can find out more about him and hear some music here.As well as performing, Rachael is also a teacher and workshop leader, working in schools teaching violin/fiddle, cello and running string ensembles and choirs. She has also been a part of educational projects with organisations such as Aldeburgh Young Musicians and the National Youth Orchestra.