Archie Fisher was born in Glasgow on October 23, 1939. His mother was a native speaker of Gaelic, from the Hebrides. The family was a musical one; two of Archie's six sisters, Cilla and Rae, have made their own recordings. By 1960, Fisher was routinely performing at Edinburgh folk clubs. In 1965 the Fisher family released an album Traditional and New Songs from Scotland. Fisher wrote several songs for BBC documentaries that were vocationally driven; songs about lighthouse keepers, farmers, and shepherds. Fisher would interview people, and attempt to write songs in the vernacular that captured their experience and voice. Probably his best known song, in terms of those he wrote, is "Witch of the Westmorland." It is a song that is so very much in the traditional mode, that people frequently insist that "Witch of the Westmoreland" is a Child ballad. "Witch of the Westmoreland" was initially recorded by Barbara Dickson in 1971 on her album From the Beggar's Mantle, and later by Archie on The Man With a Rhyme in 1976, but made famous by Canadian singer and song writer Stan Rogers in 1979. Stan Rogers also recorded Archie Fisher's "Dark Eyed Molly." Fisher is the only living artist who wrote songs recorded by Stan Rogers, besides Roger himself. Fisher's songs have been recorded by a number of other artists besides Stan Rogers, including Fairport Convention, the Clancy Brothers, Sheena Wellington, Eva Cassidy, and John Renbourn.

In 1983, Fisher began hosting a BBC Radio Scotland program called "Travelling Folk," which he is still hosting today, between touring. The program is streamed over the Internet, as well as over the airwaves; you can find out more about it here. Archie Fisher was inducted into the Scots Traiditonal Music Hall of Fame, and was awarded an MBE ("Distinguished Member of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth after a nomination by his peers. In 2008 at the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival in Fisher was granted the Tradition Bearers Award. Fisher has performed with Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy, and toured Canada and the U.S. as a solo act as well as appearing with Garnet Rogers (see the 1986 album Off the Map) and John Renbourn. Fisher's solo albums are:

• Archie Fisher (1968)
• Orfeo (1970)
• Will Ye Gang, Love (1976)
• The Man With A Rhyme (1976)
• Sunsets I've Galloped Into (1988)
• Windward Away (2008)

Archie Fisher is currently touring; you can find his schedule on his Facebook page. Archie Fisher also has a MySpace page, and there's a recent interview here.

Here's Archie Fisher performing the Child ballad "Reynardine."