RODDY HART has been championed by Kris Kristofferson, recorded with Ryan Adams and been given a helping hand by some of Scotland's music luminaries.

The Traschan Sinatras invited him on a five-week tour of America, Eddi Reader lent her sublime voice to his last album, Bookmarks, and tonight, the Glaswegian joins Rosanne Cash at the Royal Concert Hall for one of the showpiece gigs of this year's Celtic Connections.

Cash's Black Cadillac show tonight will encompass her family's Scottish history - which her father, country legend Johnny, traced back to King Malcolm IV and Fife - their emigration to the USA, and their musical transitions.

It is a huge thrill for Roddy to be supporting on this special showcase gig for Rosanne's album, which deals with the deaths of her father, her step-mother, June Carter Cash, and her own mother, Vivian, within just two years.

"When I was asked to do some shows at Celtic Connections, this was the one I really wanted to do," says Roddy.

"Rosanne's Black Cadillac material was really great. I saw her on Jools Holland last year and she was really powerful. She has the same power as her dad to hold an audience.

"She will be playing some of Johnny's material as well, which is an added incentive. But she is a great artist in her own right."

Roddy says the festival embracing music from across the Atlantic this year is relevant to the Celtic tradition.

He adds: "Because Americana and folk seem to have a shared relevance for the audience it has been really successful.

"Everyone becomes part of the whole spirit of the festival. And the Festival Club is a brilliant idea, with so many artists going down to it as well.

"The other night at the Club I played piano with Eddi on a couple of Tom Waits songs, and Declan O'Rourke jumped up as well. There isgreat camaraderie. One night when I was there last week Seth Lakeman got up and performed."

Roddy has already played two shows at the festival, and is excited to be performing at the Royal Concert Hall again. "It's my favourite venue of all time - the sound is superb and there is such power in the room with everyone listening, it's amazing," he says.

Roddy has had an industrious two years since he self-released debut album Home Tapes.

The 26-year-old, who started his career with band The Dendrons before striking out as a solo artist, has toured with the Trashcan Sinatras, Kris Kristofferson, Eddi Reader and Ray LaMontagne; he has supported John Prine, Roddy Frame and Kelly Joe Phelps; headlined his own shows and played a residency at the Universal.

All of it has, he admits, been a fantastic learning process.

He says: "I've been really lucky to get some great supports, and it just happens that most of them have been really decent, supportive and open musicians.

"It's a bit surreal how things have moved on. Things have genuinely happened by accident!

"And when you're not on a major label, you need a bit of luck.

"Things like that can give you a story, give you a platform that lets more people hear your music."

Roddy also toured the UK for a month with Deacon Blue, and says: "It was great experience for me to get out on the road playing to these big audiences, and I learned a lot from them.

"They have great stage presence, the musicianship is amazing, and they know how to put on a good show."

And after landing an initial support slot with Kristofferson, the country music icon watched Roddy every night of the tour and offered to work with him on his second album, Bookmarks, which received rave reviews.

"I think working with Kris informed the album, it had quite a country slant, but that's not my entire style. It's a document of what was happening at that point.

"The new stuff I'm writing is more band-oriented, less country, more driving, a bit more E-Street Band - a bit more soul to it."

Bookmarks, which was recorded with support from the Scottish Arts Council, has recently been picked up by an American label, Compass - which is also home to Beth Nielsen Chapman, who played earlier at this year's Celtic Connections -and Roddy hopes to tour the US this year on the back of it.

He's already got a taste of touring US-style courtesy of the Trashcan Sinatras, who asked the multi-instrumentalist to play keyboards with the band and also support them on a five-week jaunt, including a show at the South By Southwest festival in Texas.

The Traschan Sinatras gave me a lot of confidence and were really supportive. They are brilliant guys and it was a total education.

"We did three gigs at Los Angeles' Troubadour venue. I'm a huge fan of Jackson Browne and Neil Young who played there in the 70s, so to start the tour doing something like that when I didn't have a deal was amazing."

He squirms at being described as a "songwriter's musician," and is modest when it comes to talking about working with Ryan Adams and his mates from The Endrick Brothers, but admits he was inspired by it.

The chance came after Roddy lent one of his electric guitars to Ryan, who is one of his heroes, for a Glasgow gig and handed him a copy of his album at the end.

"After the show he said thanks for the guitar, and suggested to the Endrick Brothers and me that we should write some songs, so we went to Park Lane studio to have a jam -it sounds totally pretentious!"

"We went along and started drinking, and had a mad idea to write and record an album of 10 songs from scratch! We only got two songs done, but when it started flowing you can see why he's so prolific, full of ideas."

So what does the future hold for the Glasgow boy who has been described as the heir to Bod Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Tim Finn?

Well, the follow-up to Bookmarks is taking shape, with around 20 songs that have, Roddy reckons, less of an American country-tinged vibe and more of an E-Street Band feel. That Ryan Adams track may even crop up.

He hopes to record demos in the spring, then see where his adventure takes him next.

"Things have been slowly but surely progressing. So many great things have happened as a matter of luck, and if something happens like that then great. It's all about exposing as many people as possible to the music right now.

"I'm confident enough in the stuff that I'm writing, it's getting better and better. I love the art of trying to write a song and I'm pushing myself to write a great song."

Having already picked up a few lessons in the art of songwriting from some of the greats, Roddy is well prepared. RODDY HART, with Rosanne Cash, tonight, Royal Concert Hall, doors 7.30pm, tickets £24.