Mention the show ‘Singing Kettle’ in Scotland, and you’ll have half a room saying that it was their first ever concert, and the other half saying they wish it had been their first gig!
The original cast of the Singing Kettle began with a folk singing duo made up of husband and wife Artie Trezise and Cilla Fisher in the mid-1970’s.
Then the group, The Singing Kettle, appeared in 1982, with a children’s album featuring everything from traditional Scottish rhymes to folkier songs.
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A group of children contributed backing vocals for certain tracks, including their daughter Jane, creating the first set of "Kettle Kids".
Aside from producing many traditional children's music albums, The Singing Kettle has also released DVDs, and created a whopping five television series with BBC Scotland -as well as two television series with ITV.
The Singing Kettle was then made up of Cilla, Artie, Gary Coupland, Jane Fisher, Kevin Macleod and Anya Scott-Rodgers.
So, what became of this iconic children’s entertainment group? Read on below to find out what the stars of Singing Kettle are up to now.
Cilla Fisher - Maw
Maing her musical debut on BBC Radio Scotland at just 9 years old, Cilla began performing with her now-husband Artie in 1974.
Glasgow-born Cilla released several folk albums alongside husband Artie in the 70's, but are most famously known for their children's entertainment creation, the Singing Kettle.
Cilla played the character of Maw in the rag-tag family show, alongside husband Artie who played Willie.
The pair performed in the children's music group from 1982 until 2012, when Cilla decided to retire from the group aged 60 - but Artie didn't want to give up just yet.
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He did however retire at the time, and the group played their last collective show in 2015.
More recently, Cilla still occasionally sings solo in pubs and clubs, but her shows are more geared towards adults these days.
Artie Trezise - Willie and Jeremy
Artie originally worked as a teacher before he began touring pubs in his region to perform folk music. He joined up with Cilla in 1974, getting married and embarking on a new adventure together.
The Singing Kettle hit the ground running with their inception in 1982, releasing several records and even singing the theme song to a children's cartoon series, Meeow!, which ran from 2000 to 2002 on Children's ITV.
After all this success, Artie also retired with his wife Cilla in 2012, completing his last Singing Kettle performance with the original cast in 2015.
However, the pair split up later on after they left the tour, and in 2018, Artie returned to touring with a show called 'Artie's Tartan Tales' performing songs from the kettle and reading stories.
Three years ago, Artie made the announcement that he would be returning to the Singing Kettle of his own accord, and head on a solo tour run.
Then a year later, he began touring once again with the his live show 'Artie's Singing Kettle Show'.
Artie later toured in 2019 with a new show called 'Artie's Singing Kettle Sing-along', and also created some Halloween and Christmas shows alongside this.
Most recently, Artie has been posting YouTube videos of him singing songs from the shows along with a different coloured kettle, performing from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gary Coupland - Music Man
Gary Coupland MBE joined the Singing Kettle company in the 1980's, and became the musician for the group - having previously performed for Prince Charles.
Coupland performed at several types of occasions for over 25 years, showing off his musical skills at weddings, parties, ceilidhs, cabaret and school events.
Coupland is well known as The Singing Kettle's own Music Man and he received an MBE in 1999 for his services to children's theatre.
Gary is also the patron of Down Syndrome Scotland, working closely with the charitable company since 2015.
Gary also worked alongside other members of the Singing Kettle cast in a new group for children called Funbox, but retired from performing with the group in early 2020.
Jane Fisher - Kettle Kids
Jane Fisher, born in 1973 to parents Cilla and Artie, worked as a backing vocalist on some of The Singing Kettle's LP's and albums before joining the group as a front in 1995.
She performed up until 2002 for the Winter Wonderland tour, where she left the group to join electro band Motormark, and then Scottish electric punk band FANGS.
Kevin Macleod - Bonzo, Henry and Jock
Kevin joined the Singing Kettle as a performer when Jane Fisher left in 2002, leaving behind his original job as a stage manager for the group.
McLeod first appeared in the 2001 Christmas tour 'Winter Wonderland' and can be heard on the cassette.
This was a cross-over show, that also featured Jane prior to her departure, and this was the only time there were five members in the show at once.
Kevin later joined the group for their "Jungle Party Tour" in 2002 and was in the group until 2015, when they ceased to perform as a collective.
McLeod played the characters of Bonzo, Henry and Jock during his Singing Kettle career.
Kevin is currently still working alongside other members of the Singing Kettle cast in a new group called Funbox.
Anya Scott-Rodgers - Newest Face of Children's Entertainment
Anya Scott-Rodgers joined the group upon the retirement of Fisher and Trezise as performers in the show in 2015.
Anya was auditioned from hundreds of applicants from all over the world and became the new face of the Singing Kettle.
Anya is now the forefront of children's entertainment show Funbox, alongside Kevin Mcleod and Gary Coupland for a short time.
She performs across Scotland with Funbox.
The Singing Kettle was a massive part of many Scottish childhood's, and will be a first party and concert memory for thousands across our wee nation.
