Biography

Calum Stewart Ross was born in Kildonan Drive, Partick, Glasgow in 1934 to Peggy Stewart and Donald 'Big Dan' Ross. Both parents were from Skye, with Peggy hailing from Uig and Donald from Flodigarry. Calum spent most of the war years in Uig, returning to Glasgow in 1943.

After leaving Hyndland Secondary School, Calum signed up for National Service and was stationed in Singapore after basic training. After his National Service, Calum worked for a short while for the Clyde Trust before leaving to study history, geography, and Gaelic at Glasgow University. Calum would go on to complete his teacher training at Jordanhill College and embark on a teaching career that would span four decades.

Calum's final post was teaching Gaelic to the Scottish Music Course undergraduates at the RSAMD (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) and taught a number of well-known Gaelic and traditional musicians.

Calum grew up with music around him. His father, Donald, and uncles Archie and Alasdair were all precenters in the church. Calum's uncle from his mother's side, Angus, was a piper and Calum started playing the pipes when he was twelve years old.

Calum joined Govan Gaelic Choir after graduating from university and quickly found he was being asked to sing at local ceilidhs and local mods. Calum received support and singing lessons from Kenny MacRae, Sheila Nicol, and Joan MacLeod.

Calum has won four gold medals at the Royal National Mòd. In 1963 he won the Nova Scotia Gold Medal, and the Mod in 1967 saw him winning the Oban & Lorn Association Medal. In 1968 Calum won the Gold Medal at the Mòd in Dunoon. After a break from competitive singing, he won the Gold Medal for Traditional Singing in Perth in 1980.

Calum continued to tour and perform well into his 80s and it was on his 80th birthday that he decided he would make a CD, Mu Dheiradh Thall. The photo on the album cover was of Uig Bay, a view which Calum knew well from his days as a child in Idrigil during the war.