| The McKinlay Sisters | |
| Origin: | Little France, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Alias: | The McKinlay Sisters (Germany) |
| Genre: | British pop/rock |
| Years Active: | – |
| Label: | Columbia, Parlophone, Fontana (Germany) |
| Past Members: | Sheila McKinlay Jeanette McKinlay |
The McKinlay Sisters were a Scottish pop duo comprising sisters Sheila (born 12 December 1941, Little France, Edinburgh, Scotland – 16 December 2012, Bournemouth, England) and Jeanette McKinlay (1 September 1948, Little France, Edinburgh, Scotland). The sisters recorded pop singles such as "Sweet and Tender Romance", which they sang on the TV pop show Ready Steady Go!. They also performed on the same bill with such groups as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Hollies.
Following the release of their fourth single in 1965, the sisters moved to Germany where they toured as The McKinlay Sisters. Jeanette later became one-half of a vocal duo called Die Windows, scoring a #1 hit in 1972 with a German language cover of the Mouth & MacNeal song "How Do You Do". Both sisters also provided backing vocals for Paice Ashton Lord's 1977 album Malice in Wonderland. Sheila sang on Ringo Starr's Stop and Smell the Roses and Das erste Mal by Marius Müller-Westernhagen.
Both women eventually returned to the UK, Sheila settling down in Bournemouth with her husband Howie Casey, (saxophonist for Paul McCartney and Wings and band leader of Howie Casey and the Seniors), where they still performed music on a regular basis. Jeanette meanwhile returned to Edinburgh, settling down and marrying a local man, going on to have 4 children.
On 16th December 2012, Sheila passed after battling cancer, aged 71.[1] [2]
In 2024, the McKinlay sisters were featured prominently in the documentary film "Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands",[3] which features an interview with Jeanette recounting her music career with her sister. This went on to win "Best Scottish Film" in The List Festival Awards.