Born in the heart of darkest Ayrshire, Aly was brought up singing and playing with the world famous band the Macrazies, graduating to the more serious art of playing for ceilidhs with The Tattiehowkers and later The Oatcakes. Lured by the promise of working late nights and long periods of unemployment he put pen to paper in earnest, writing songs about whatever took his fancy: drinkers, itinerant gangsters, favourite jumpers and teddy-bears.

Aly also worked as an Actor, Musical Director and Composer on:
The Beggar's Opera, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Belgrade Coventry, Tramway, Vanishing Point co-production; Interiors Vanishing Point, Traverse, Festival Teatro Napoli co-production; Tam O'Shanter Perth Rep; Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Little Snow White, Carnegie Hall Dunfermline; The Celts in Seville Pavilion Theatre; The Water Babies and The Selfish Giant Arches Theatre Company; Gobbo NTS Ensemble tour.

2009 Red Light Means Go - A Band Called Quinn
2009 Popstardombeckons - Aly Macrae
2008 Accidental Death of An Accordionist - Sandy Brechin,
.... Annie Grace & The Macrazy Vaudeville Orchestra
2006 Leithed EP - Aly Macrae
2004 Take Me Out Drinking Tonight - Annie Grace
2000 Never Mind the Bannocks - The Oatcakes

2007 Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland
.... Best Use of Music/Sound: Subway presented to Vanishing Point

2007 Burnsong - Leithed (original by Aly Macrae)

2006 Best Original Song Newcastleton Folk Festival
.... - A New Tune to Dance