Roy started his career in music with Matt McGinn, where he learned many of his performing arts skills. At the time he mainly played banjo, but as time went on with the Tannahill Weavers, he mainly started playing guitar with the band. As lead singer, Roy has always been a songwriter. One of his first was 'Bilbo', composed many years before the Lord of the Rings films were conceived. The Tannahills recorded many of his songs, and he still writes them, but he also just wrote a book! His autobiography is now available. He has also recorded two non-Tannahill albums, a solo project called 'Not Only But Also' and one as part of the duo Gullane & De Jong called 'Jink and Diddle'.