William Jackson (Scottish composer)

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William Jackson is a Scottish harpist and composer, born in about 1952 in Cambuslang, near Glasgow.

Since his grandparents came from County Donegal, he visited Ireland many times. He trained as a music therapist at the Guildhall School of Music, London. In 1973 he joined the Scottish folk group Contraband, who released an album in 1974, then disbanded in 1975. Billy's brother George Jackson (died 1998) was also a member. In 1976 he became a founding member of Ossian.

Ossian disbanded in about 1987, and this allowed Billy to experiment on his own. From 1989, calling himself William Jackson rather than Billy Jackson, he released a series of neo-classical albums, sometimes using ancient texts, and the mystical poems of Kahlil Gibran. In 1996, A Scottish Island was commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. For the bagpipes he wrote Land of Light which was performed at Edinburgh Castle on July 27, 2000 to mark the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother. He performed the music for Battle of the Clans, a documentary on The History Channel. As a producer, he has worked with several singers on the anthology Celtic Woman. If you view classical modernism as a kind of neurosis, then his kind of classical music is a calming antidote. He has also worked as a music therapist at a hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Duan Àlbanach was recorded with the Scottish Festival Orchestra, recorded live in 2002, but not released until 2004.