Aly Bain is the latest name to receive Edinburgh’s highest civic honour, after decades in the traditional music scene.
The Shetland-born fiddler, who celebrated his 80th birthday this year, will be presented with the Edinburgh Award at a ceremony later in 2026.
Impressions of Bain’s hands have already been cast in clay by Leigh Bradley of the Colin Braid Stone Workshop before being carved into stone.
The finished handprints will be gilded and laid outside Edinburgh City Chambers, alongside those of previous Edinburgh Award recipients including Doddie Weir, Ann Budge, Sir Chris Hoy, Elizabeth Blackadder and Sir Geoff Palmer.
Bain, who has called Edinburgh home since his early twenties, said: “I’m honoured indeed to accept the Edinburgh Award.
“Edinburgh has been my home for the last 60 years. The city where I have raised my family and where my professional musical journey began.
“From small beginnings in places like Sandy Bell’s pub, Scottish traditional music has spread and is now respected worldwide.
“My life has been spent performing in cities all over the world but after every tour I have been lucky enough to return home to the most beautiful city of them all.”
Bain performed with The Humblebums alongside Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty in his early years, before becoming a founding member of influential folk group Boys of the Lough.
He has since built an internationally acclaimed solo career through recordings, collaborations and television projects, including the creation of the Transatlantic Sessions.
His connection to Scotland’s national life has included performing at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and at the funeral of former First Minister Donald Dewar the following year.
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, who chairs the Civic Awards Committee, said Bain’s contribution to Scottish music and culture was “simply immeasurable”.
He added: “For more than six decades, he has carried the traditions of Scotland to audiences around the world while remaining deeply connected to the communities and heritage that shaped him.
“As he celebrates his 80th year, it is fitting that we recognise not only a remarkable artist, but a true cultural ambassador whose legacy will endure for many years to come.”
The Edinburgh Award was established in 2007 to recognise people who have made a positive impact on the capital and achieved national or international recognition.
Bain’s name will also be added to the Edinburgh Award honour panel in the City Chambers, where he will receive an engraved Loving Cup from the Lord Provost.
