Don Paterson was born in Dundee in 1963. He left school to pursue a career in music, spending four years in Dundee playing the top twenty hits of the era with club bands, while moonlighting with local jazz acts. He moved to London in 1984, where he worked with Ken Hyder's Talisker, and a number of short-lived free improv bands. Around this time he also began writing verse.

He moved to Brighton in '89, and lived there until '93, when he left to work as writer-in residence at the University of Dundee. He returned to London in '95, and took up the post of Poetry Editor at Picador, a position he still holds. He returned to Scotland in '98 for a confused period in Edinburgh, during which he wrote a great deal of journalism, including an arts column for The Scotland on Sunday and a computer games column with the poet Jo Shapcott for the Times.

In his music career, he began to concentrate on the classical and twelve-string instruments in the late 80s, and formed the unashamedly tune-driven 'Lammas' with saxophonist and Chick Corea sideman Tim Garland. Lammas have toured extensively in Europe and Asia, and recorded five albums, featuring regulars such as (vocalist) Christine Tobin, (drummer) Mark Fletcher and (accordionist) Karen Street, as well a number of jazz luminaries, amongst them Kenny Wheeler and Jason Rebello. He has also written incidental music for his plays, and his compositions for the classical instrument have been recorded and performed by the Scottish virtuoso Allan Neave. He is currently working with the pianist Steve Hamilton (Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Tommy Smith) in a new project, 'Smiling School'.

He has also written a number of plays for radio and theatre, including the Radio 4 series Kailyard Blues and the melodrama The Land of Cakes for Dundee Rep, the latter a collaboration with leading Scottish composer Gordon McPherson.

Don Paterson lives in Kirriemuir, that hymn to red sandstone nestled in the foothills of the Angus glens - self-styled 'Flu Capital of Scotland' - with his partner and their numerous offspring.