Scottish Bluesman set for his most creative year yet

Popular Scottish Blues musician Iain ‘The Gator’ Donald – a current Forth Valley College HND Graphic Design student – has been creating a year to remember!

Back in October 2025 Iain visited the United States of America for a trip of a lifetime to tour the heartland of ‘Blues Country’, and to play with and meet up with heroes of the genre. Since coming back he has been concentrating on his studies and is considering applying to complete his degree at the University of Stirling, once he successfully finishes his HND.

He has also been working on new music tracks with influential musician and producer Martin Mullady – a former FVC Sound Production student – and a book packed with photos from his trip to the States, which he has used his graphics skills to design himself and is pencilling in a series of live gigs to promote both pieces of work.

Iain, said: “This is set to be a big year for me. Visiting the States back in October to travel to legendary Blues areas and meet with icons of the genre has totally changed my mindset and given me a real sense of what freedom means. It was also great to be alongside my great friend Andy Love who drove 2000 miles across America to make this dream possible.

“I have spent a lot of years playing Blues here in the UK, but until you actually visit the places where it all began in the deep south of the USA, and you look out and see the cotton fields where people were forced to work during slavery, it is only then that you realise how special this music is. It was overwhelming and I have come back one hundred times more grateful and thankful for the life I have had.”

Iain visited places such as Chicago, Indiana, Kentucky, Nashville, Memphis, Richland, Balloxy, Clarksdale, Ripley and New Orleans during his visit. And highlights include meeting blues legend Buddy Guy in his restaurant, having dinner with the daughter of icon Howlin’ Wolf and visiting and playing in superstar actor Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero club along with Mississippi Marshall.

Iain, added: “When I was travelling home from the trip I thought to myself that I might have reached the best I could ever do in being invited into the company of so many of my heroes, but I have come home and it has inspired me to do more.

“Studying at Forth Valley College has been great and my lecturers such as Brian Smith, have been brilliant with me and I am working hard in trying to successfully complete my HND and hope to then go on and complete my degree at university.

“I am also in the process of finishing of an EP in the studio with Martin Mullady, but I can’t say too much about it at the moment, other than it will have one or two big guest musicians on it. So I am looking forward to seeing this release along with my photo book – Notes from the Road - showing pictures from my US road trip and also playing some live gigs this spring and summer. I can’t wait.”

Iain also had time to help out current FVC Sound Production students and lecturers recently to create the music and sound for a blockbuster computer game trailer.

NC Sound Production (A and B Groups) led by lecturers Barry Frame, Neil Martin, Peter Flett and Ian Fairclough, were delighted to welcome ‘The Gator’ to add his guitar skills to the project which focuses on the western gunfighter based Red Dead Redemption 2 made by Rockstar Games.