# Gerry Cinnamon
**Gerry Cinnamon** is the stage name of Gerard Crosbie (born 1984 in the [Castlemilk](https://www.edgepedia.org/castlemilk) area of Glasgow), a Scottish singer-songwriter who built one of the largest live audiences in Britain as an independent artist, without a record label, a backing band, or more than a handful of press interviews[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerry-cinnamon-mn0003676196). His catalog centers on acoustic guitar, harmonica, and anthemic singalong choruses delivered in a thick Glasgow accent, and his career is defined by word-of-mouth audience growth: he sold 50,000 tickets for [Hampden Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/hampden-park), Scotland's national stadium, within hours[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984, Castlemilk, Glasgow, as Gerard Crosbie[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/) |
| Stage name | Taken from The Cinnamons, a band he formed at college in 2010 before going solo[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/) |
| Debut album | *Erratic Cinematic*, September 2017; Gold-certified, UK Albums Chart peak 17 over 84 weeks[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/) |
| Second album | *The Bonny*, April 17, 2020; debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records) • [1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/) |
| Hampden Park | Sold 50,000 tickets in hours; two sold-out shows in summer 2022 drew 100,000 fans, the first Scot and first independent artist to sell multiple nights at the venue[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records) • [4](https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/album-review-gerry-cinnamon-live-at-hampden-park-22979689) |
| Chart profile | One UK number-1 album, one top-40 single ("Where We're Going", peak 39), 125 weeks of his albums in the top 75[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/) |
| Career status | As of his official site's latest crawl, no upcoming live dates are listed[5](https://www.gerrycinnamonmusic.com/) |
## Early career
Crosbie formed his first band, The Cinnamons, while at college in 2010; when he moved to performing as a solo act around Glasgow he kept the surname as his stage name[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/). Before committing fully to music he worked as a scaffolder, plumber, chef, joiner, and coffee-shop worker[6](https://currentuk.co.uk/features/gerry-cinnamon-scottish-indie-singer-songwriter/). He became known on the Glasgow gig circuit for hosting a weekly open-mic night at a city bar and began making waves with his own material in 2014[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerry-cinnamon-mn0003676196).
Two early songs established his reputation. "Hope Over Fear", written in about 15 minutes a few weeks before the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, was debuted at a rally in Glasgow's George Square and struck a chord with the "Yes" campaign; "Kampfire Vampire" was a social critique of growing up in Glasgow[7](https://indielight.co.uk/2020/12/18/single-review-gerry-cinnamon-hope-over-fear/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerry-cinnamon-mn0003676196). Both songs earned him high placement on the 2015 digital music charts, and social commentary became a recurring element of his lyrics[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerry-cinnamon-mn0003676196). He played [T in the Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-in-the-park) in 2015 and 2016, opened for [Ocean Colour Scene](https://www.edgepedia.org/ocean-colour-scene) and John Power of Cast, and won Best Live Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards in 2016[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerry-cinnamon-mn0003676196).
## Breakthrough and the word-of-mouth model
Cinnamon's rise ran almost entirely through his audience. He sold out Glasgow's O2 ABC venue on the strength of a single Facebook post[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/), and his 2019 arena tour broke ticket records[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/). A Guardian review of a December 2018 O2 Academy Glasgow show described a crowd that knew his songs word for word, with the wider media only belatedly catching up; [Radio X](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-x-united-kingdom) had named his single "Sometimes" one of its tracks of 2018[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/17/gerry-cinnamon-review-o2-academy-glasgow).
**Independence as strategy.** He had no formal label or PR and was wary of media attention, giving very few interviews; the Guardian counted word of his music reaching the paper in 2016, after which he showed little interest in talking to it or to anyone else[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records). The Guardian argued this distance was a choice rather than an accident, one that amplified the sense of his music arriving unmediated and let fans share it with each other rather than discover it through the press[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records). His label, Little Runaway Records, is distributed through AWAL[9](https://www.musicweek.com/media/read/appetite-shows-no-signs-of-waning-radio-x-s-mike-walsh-on-the-rise-of-gerry-cinnamon/076820).
2019 confirmed the scale. He played a much-photographed set in Glastonbury's John Peel tent and co-headlined Scotland's TRNSMT festival with Stormzy[10](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/12/gerry-cinnamon-review-belter-of-a-show-delivers-the-joy-sydney-needs-right-now). That performance drove his following UK tour to sell out in minutes and his first stadium-sized homecoming show at Hampden Park to sell out in hours[11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-2648918).
## Albums
*Erratic Cinematic* was self-funded and independently released in September 2017. The Official Charts profile describes it as now Gold-selling, peaking at number 17 on the [UK Albums Chart](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-albums-chart) and spending 84 weeks in the top 75[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/). Its songs, including "Sometimes", "Belter", and "Kampfire Vampire", became the core of a live set audiences knew completely[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/17/gerry-cinnamon-review-o2-academy-glasgow).
*The Bonny* arrived on April 17, 2020, deliberately kept in a lockdown release window other artists were avoiding. "It's probably not smart to release during a lockdown when the shops are closed and everyone's isolating but no chance I'm letting folk down," Cinnamon said[11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-2648918). It debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, spending 41 weeks in the top 75, and also debuted at number 1 on the Irish albums chart[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/).
The album follows the template of the debut: mostly Cinnamon, his acoustic guitar, and occasional basic drumming, with songs built to be obvious enough that repeated listening reinforces rather than changes first impressions[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records). Reviewers were divided on the lyrics. The Guardian found *Erratic Cinematic*'s vivid character writing largely absent and the new material given to nonspecific aphorism, while crediting the strong hooks and the "rich, true rasp" of his voice[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records). The Scotsman praised its "unpretentious empathy" and wry honesty[12](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-album-review-2542462), and the Evening Standard noted that Radio X listeners' poll of the greatest British songs included three Cinnamon tracks even though he had not yet had a top-40 single[13](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-a4416951.html).
**Hampden Park.** In summer 2022 he played two sold-out homecoming shows at Hampden Park to 100,000 fans, the first Scot and the first independent artist to sell multiple nights at Scotland's national stadium[4](https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/album-review-gerry-cinnamon-live-at-hampden-park-22979689). The recordings became *Live at Hampden Park*, released July 2023, which compiles both studio albums with previously unreleased material including "Sacred", a rendition of [Billy Connolly](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-connolly)'s "I Wish I Was in Glasgow", and the fan favorite "Discoland"; it peaked at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart[4](https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/album-review-gerry-cinnamon-live-at-hampden-park-22979689) • [1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/).
## Live performance
Cinnamon performs largely alone, busker-style with acoustic guitar, harmonica, and a loop pedal. Reviews describe him stomping, shouting, and racing about the stage, barking mid-ballad laughter and serving an energy that, in one Guardian reviewer's phrasing, sends audiences into ecstasy[10](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/12/gerry-cinnamon-review-belter-of-a-show-delivers-the-joy-sydney-needs-right-now). At Reading Festival 2024, where he headlined, NME described the crowd hollering back every word like fans of a winning football team, with a set running from "Lullaby" and "Sometimes" to the bittersweet "Dark Days" and the campfire politics of "War TV"[14](https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/gerry-cinnamon-live-at-reading-2024-review-photos-setlist-3786511).
## Critical reception and the singles question
His chart profile is unusual. Through his singles career he has never had a UK top-10 hit; "Canter" peaked at number 50, "Belter" at 88, "Sun Queen" at 64, and "Where We're Going" at 39, his only top-40 entry[1](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/). His success instead sits in albums and live attendance, a combination several reviewers read as a genuine phenomenon built on audience loyalty rather than media machinery[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records). Critics have also been steady in their reservations: the songwriting is called rudimentary, the chords repeated, and the lyrics uneven in quality, with the counterargument that the simplicity is precisely what makes 100,000 people sing every line[13](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-a4416951.html) • [4](https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/album-review-gerry-cinnamon-live-at-hampden-park-22979689).
## References
1. [Gerry Cinnamon songs and albums, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/45357/gerry-cinnamon/)
2. [Gerry Cinnamon biography, AllMusic (Rob Wacey)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerry-cinnamon-mn0003676196)
3. [Gerry Cinnamon: The Bonny review, The Guardian (Michael Hann, 17 April 2020)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/apr/17/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-little-runaway-records)
4. [Album Review: Gerry Cinnamon, Live at Hampden Park, Hot Press (Will Russell, 14 July 2023)](https://www.hotpress.com/opinion/album-review-gerry-cinnamon-live-at-hampden-park-22979689)
5. [Gerry Cinnamon official site](https://www.gerrycinnamonmusic.com/)
6. [Gerry Cinnamon: The DIY Scottish Singer-Songwriter Who Defied the Music Industry, Current UK](https://currentuk.co.uk/features/gerry-cinnamon-scottish-indie-singer-songwriter/)
7. [Single Review: Gerry Cinnamon, Hope Over Fear, Indie Light (18 December 2020)](https://indielight.co.uk/2020/12/18/single-review-gerry-cinnamon-hope-over-fear/)
8. [Gerry Cinnamon review, O2 Academy Glasgow, The Guardian (Graeme Virtue, 17 December 2018)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/17/gerry-cinnamon-review-o2-academy-glasgow)
9. [Radio X's Mike Walsh on the rise of Gerry Cinnamon, Music Week (17 July 2019)](https://www.musicweek.com/media/read/appetite-shows-no-signs-of-waning-radio-x-s-mike-walsh-on-the-rise-of-gerry-cinnamon/076820)
10. [Gerry Cinnamon review, Sydney, The Guardian (12 December 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/12/gerry-cinnamon-review-belter-of-a-show-delivers-the-joy-sydney-needs-right-now)
11. [Gerry Cinnamon, The Bonny review, NME (Damian Jones, 17 April 2020)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-2648918)
12. [Gerry Cinnamon: The Bonny album review, The Scotsman (Fiona Shepherd)](https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-album-review-2542462)
13. [Gerry Cinnamon, The Bonny review, London Evening Standard (David Smyth, 17 April 2020)](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/gerry-cinnamon-the-bonny-review-a4416951.html)
14. [Gerry Cinnamon at Reading Festival 2024, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/gerry-cinnamon-live-at-reading-2024-review-photos-setlist-3786511)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Adult contemporary, 2010s to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license