Year 23 No 3 - November 1999
Formed at the end of 1988 Newmill Box and fiddle Club raised the curtain on its new season at Newmill Country Inn, near Hawick, on Wednesday, 6th October. Although most of the Borders towns support an active Accordion Club, Hawick has lagged behind the others in this respect and it is hoped that this Club will be given every encouragement to continue. The organisers are to be congratulated on their choice of guest artiste when they invited from Berwickshire fiddling farmer Judith Linton and her talented female trio to entertain the appreciative audience. Judith must have felt at home when she saw the large number of familiar faces many of whom are members and stalwarts of other Accordion Clubs in the Border area. Despite the gloom on the farming she was not dismayed and her couthy humour soon had the audience in stitches and her fiddle playing was again of the highest order especially her rendering of ‘Leaving Lerwick Harbour’ – an absolute classic. In the early part of the evening the visiting players were slow to appear and compere Jim Jackson must have breathed a sigh of relief as gradually the local faces began to appear and provide their contribution to the evening’s entertainment.
Early performers included Freeland Barbour on accordion with excellent drumming from Drew Dalgleish and Stewart Anderson on keyboard. The same backing group remained on stage to support ‘The Hawick Buskers’ – Archie Kerr on fiddle and Bill Turnbull on button box. Stewart Anderson then abandoned the keyboard to show her versatility on accordion. He also supplied backing for Border sheep farmer David Anderson, a popular fiddle player.
The visiting players were now arriving thick and fast and some high quality playing was guaranteed from accordionists from around the area including Roger Dobson, Eric Goodfellow, Stuart Adamson, Tom Herdman and drummer Tommy Heard.
If it maintains its present support the Club will go from strength to strength and it is hoped that visiting players will not only perform willingly but will enter into the spirit of the Club by remaining in the audience and listening to others perform rather than disappearing to the bar until they are rounded up to play in the final stramash.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, 3rd November when the guest artiste, Jim Johnstone, should guarantee a full house.
Archie Kerr
Formed at the end of 1988 Newmill Box and fiddle Club raised the curtain on its new season at Newmill Country Inn, near Hawick, on Wednesday, 6th October. Although most of the Borders towns support an active Accordion Club, Hawick has lagged behind the others in this respect and it is hoped that this Club will be given every encouragement to continue. The organisers are to be congratulated on their choice of guest artiste when they invited from Berwickshire fiddling farmer Judith Linton and her talented female trio to entertain the appreciative audience. Judith must have felt at home when she saw the large number of familiar faces many of whom are members and stalwarts of other Accordion Clubs in the Border area. Despite the gloom on the farming she was not dismayed and her couthy humour soon had the audience in stitches and her fiddle playing was again of the highest order especially her rendering of ‘Leaving Lerwick Harbour’ – an absolute classic. In the early part of the evening the visiting players were slow to appear and compere Jim Jackson must have breathed a sigh of relief as gradually the local faces began to appear and provide their contribution to the evening’s entertainment.
Early performers included Freeland Barbour on accordion with excellent drumming from Drew Dalgleish and Stewart Anderson on keyboard. The same backing group remained on stage to support ‘The Hawick Buskers’ – Archie Kerr on fiddle and Bill Turnbull on button box. Stewart Anderson then abandoned the keyboard to show her versatility on accordion. He also supplied backing for Border sheep farmer David Anderson, a popular fiddle player.
The visiting players were now arriving thick and fast and some high quality playing was guaranteed from accordionists from around the area including Roger Dobson, Eric Goodfellow, Stuart Adamson, Tom Herdman and drummer Tommy Heard.
If it maintains its present support the Club will go from strength to strength and it is hoped that visiting players will not only perform willingly but will enter into the spirit of the Club by remaining in the audience and listening to others perform rather than disappearing to the bar until they are rounded up to play in the final stramash.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday, 3rd November when the guest artiste, Jim Johnstone, should guarantee a full house.
Archie Kerr