I imagine the first question anyone will ask is what is a column called "Scottish Flotsam". I guess we will have to begin with what is "flotsam". Among the definitions of the word are "things washed ashore" or "miscellaneous trifles". Well, we believe you can find some great treasure on the ocean shore. But -- you will never know what you will find or its value. So we decided that is what this column is - flotsam. We wanted a place to put things that didn't fit anywhere else and might be of interest. Each item could be a column itself and might be some day but for now it will be the flotsam, which washes our way.

Sheena Easton (1959 - Present)

Sheena Easton Born Sheena Shirley Orr in Belshill, Scotland on April 27, 1959.

She is the youngest of six children (two brothers -- Robert and Alex and three sisters -- Marilyn, Annessa, and Morag). Underwent formal vocal training before launching her career in 1979 with EMI Records. Her eponymous 1981 debut album spawned several U.K. Top 10 singles, while in the U.S. "Morning Train" reached No. 1, lifting Sheena Easton into the Top 30. After scoring another hit with the theme to the James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only, Easton was awarded a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1982, establishing her as one of pop's rising stars.

Easton's 1982 follow-up Madness, Money, and Music peaked in the Top 100, but Easton returned to the spotlight in 1983 with "We've Got Tonight," a Top 10 duet with Kenny Rogers. In 1984 Easton broke new ground by recording a Spanish-language album, Todo Me Recuerda A Ti, a major success in Latin America; despite being of Scottish ancestry, Easton went on to win a Grammy for "Best Mexican-American Performance." She then returned to the U.S. Top 10 with 1984's "Strut," the first single from her platinum-selling 1985 release A Private Heaven. Easton broke into the R&B charts with a 1985 version of the Prince song "Sugar Walls," which reached No. 3, making her the first recording artist to land a Top 10 single on the Pop, Country, R&B, Adult Contemporary, and Dance charts.

After overcoming label difficulties, Easton rebounded in 1987 with an appearance on Prince's "U Got The Look," which reached No. 2 in the U.S. Her 1989 MCA debut The Lover In Me spawned the No. 2 dance single "101" (another Prince cover) and the No. 1 R&B hit "The Lover In Me." After scoring another Top 20 hit with the title track from 1991's What Comes Naturally, Easton took some time off to appear in a Broadway revival of Man of La Mancha, returning in 1993 with No Strings, a shift away from her previous style. 1995's My Cherie, was followed by another break during which Easton did some voice acting for All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 and appeared as Rizzo in a version of Grease!. Her most recent album, the self-produced Freedom, was released in 1997.

Source: http://www.electricscotland.com/history/women/easton.htm

It is time to stop combing the library but we can not quit without some quotes from Quotable Scots another great History bookshelf resident. Let's see what quotes we can find.

The Sea And Seafaring

I cast my line in Largo Bay,
And fishes I caught nine,
'Twas three to boil and three to fry, And three to bait the line.
John Ewen, O Weel May the Boatie Row

Chan fhuirich muir ri uallach

The sea won't wait for a load.

You can find more articles in the archive under Scottish Flotsam.