The legendary Scottish Canadian balladeer is coming to Strathspey Performing Arts Centre on November 3 at 7:30 p.m.

John McDermott’s smooth, sweet singing has propelled him to international stardom. With more than 25 albums to his credit, he entertains audiences with a dynamite repertoire of heartfelt songs like The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Sonny’s Dream, The Mull of Kintyre, Caledonia, The Parting Glass and Song for the Mira.

John McDermott got his start in music in an unusual way. recorded an album of Irish and Scottish ballads as a nice 50th wedding anniversary gift for his parents. He recorded 12 tracks, one for each of the 12 McDermott children, and then added one more version of Danny Boy the way his father liked to hear it sung – a cappella.

Those who heard the album encouraged John to have it produced commercially. Recalling that a couple of entertainment business heavyweights, Michael Cohl and Bill Ballard, had been impressed with his singing at a Karaoke Night during the Toronto Floating Film Festival a couple of years earlier, John took the album to Ballard, who put him in touch with the president of EMI Music Canada.

EMI released 2,000 copies on November 10, 1992. The next day being Remembrance Day, famed Canadian broadcaster Peter Gzowski played three tracks from the album – And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Danny Boy and Christmas in the Trenches. The stores couldn’t keep it on the shelves and more copies were quickly produced. A few months later, Paul McGrath, a CBC-TV documentary maker who had also attended St. Michael’s Choir School, profiled John in a short piece that Peter Mansbridge aired on his prime time nightly newscast The National. Within a short time the album had sold more than 50,000 copies.

John McDermott will be performing at Strathspey Performing Arts Centre in Mabou on November 3. Tickets are $50 in advance, $55 day of show. Members of the Strathspey Performing Arts Centre Association are entitled to a 20 percent discount on advance tickets.