An Angus musician”s career is erupting with success in America, thanks to the Icelandic volcano ash crisis.
Unlike thousands of holidaymakers across the globe, violinist Laura McGhee (28) benefited from being stuck overseas when her album rocketed up the Americana country charts.
Laura, from Monifieth, was touring the east coast of the USA to publicise her new album Celticana when the ash cloud halted all flights over British airspace.
The musician, who was scheduled to return home on April 17, was determined to use her extended trip wisely so she packed up her car and embarked on a door-stop tour of various radio stations.
“I saw on the news all the people stranded on holiday who wanted to get home and all the problems it was causing but I think I might be the only person who it worked out well for,” Laura said.
“I had thought about changing my flight anyway and this meant I had time to promote the album by performing and visiting lots of radio stations. It worked out great.”
Her hard work eventually paid off when Laura’s celtic-country themed album entered the Americana country charts at number 36 after only three weeks of release making her the first Scottish artist to achieve such success with a debut album in the USA.
Laura has also had the opportunity to perform with country music star John Carter Cash at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.
Now staying in Kentucky, she said she is thrilled at the positive feedback the album has received.
“I wasn’t expecting to get into the top 40 at all,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if people would like it but it has got a great reaction and I hope they will continue to play it over here.”
The dedicated musician has booked a flight to return to her Monifieth home next week to help celebrate a friend’s wedding and her dad’s birthday.
Images courtesy of www.lauramcghee.com.