Old Blind Dogs is a musical group which plays Celtic folk and traditional Scottish folk music, with influences from rock, reggae and Middle Eastern music rhythms. The three founding members of the band (Ian F. Benzie, Buzzby McMillan and Jonny Hardie) first met during a so-called "buskers' holiday" in the Scottish Highlands in 1990, and after playing together for the summer decided to call themselves "Old Blind Dogs". Dave Francis and Carmen Higgins joined the band soon afterwards, but left in 1992 before the recording of the first album, "New Tricks". Since that time, the lineup of the band has changed frequently, with only Jonny Hardie remaining from the original group. In 2004, Old Blind Dogs won the Folk Band of the Year award at the Scots Trad Music Awards. At the same time, Jim Malcolm was named Songwriter of the Year. In 2001, the UK’s Association of Independent Music selected their album "Fit?" as a finalist for the Celtic Album of the Year award. The band have toured extensively, performing in Britain, the USA, Denmark, Germany and Spain, with further tours of the USA, Britain, Russia, Italy and Germany scheduled for 2006.
