Talking Shetland Fiddling With Kevin Henderson

Kevin Henderson is a native of Shetland, an archipelago off the northeast coast of Scotland with one of the richest fiddle traditions in the world.

- Desiah Melby

He is regarded as one of Shetland’s finest fiddle players and is in hot demand, playing with some of the best known groups and musicians in the folk music scene.

He began playing the fiddle at the age of nine, taking private lessons with highly renowned Shetland fiddler Trevor Hunter and at the age of 10 studied under the late great Willie Hunter, arguably Shetland’s finest-ever fiddler. He is a founding member of award winning Shetland powerhouse Fiddlers’ Bid, formed in 1991, has been a member of folk music legends Boys of the Lough since 2001, a member of Scottish super group Session A9 since 2004, and co-founded the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc in 2009.

In 2011 Kevin released his debut solo album, Fin Da Laand Ageen, to great critical acclaim. The album was a celebration of Shetland’s traditional fiddle music and featured Sweden’s Mattias Pérez on guitar and mandola. Such was the response to the album, and the duo’s take on presenting Shetland’s music, the duo now tour together.

Kevin has toured extensively throughout the world, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, and throughout Europe. He has performed on television and radio programs all over the globe and has been featured on many albums over the years. Besides touring with five musical groups, he performs at music festivals and teaches at workshops both at home and abroad. He can be seen touring the U.S. with the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc and his other bands. He also teaches at the West Denmark Fiddle School, in Wisconsin, where this interview took place.

Could you talk about the tradition and history of Shetland Fiddle?

The fiddle first appeared in Shetland around 1700. There is some earlier reference to an instrument called a