Box and Fiddle
Year 03 No 08
April 1980
Price 15p
8 pages
8 month subscription £2
Editor – Ian Smith, 50 Mount Vernon Road, Stranraer Tele 4098
Treasurer – David Ross, 8 Manse Street, Kilmarnock Tel 28642
(Younger readers may find it hard to believe but back in 1980 Ian Smith, the Editor, packaged the B&Fs and delivered the parcels to the local Bus Depot from where they were distributed by bus all over Scotland to a Club’s local bus depot where the Secretary uplifted them. It certainly wasn’t the most reliable system in the world and tracing them if they didn’t arrive was practically impossible. There was also a constant argument about the publication date – should it be the start of the month or the middle of the month. In each case it suited the clubs which met just after that date best and the clubs who met furthest from that date least. For a time it actually changed every three years to give everyone a crack of the whip)
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
And so we come to the end of another season in which A&F Clubs took to the air and reached a larger audience and this can only be good. The phone-in on Radio also was a success and caused a lot of comment.
Despite the increases that have hit the Clubs they all managed to stay afloat. Some of the smaller Clubs must have geniuses for Treasurers.
Our thanks to all Club Secretaries for corresponding on a regular basis. To those who contributed articles and cartoons, a pat on the back and a special thank you to Derek Hamilton. Now, there’s a man for us, nothing is too much bother to him as long as it furthers our aims.
Lastly, I wish to thank our advertisers for giving us their custom and I trust we will see their adverts next season, which should start in September, Annual General Meeting permitting.
The Stanley Ceilidh
by Bill Black
They came from Inverness, Nairn, Keith, Aberdeen, Banchory, Dundee, Kirriemuir, Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Borders, some to play and some just to listen to one of the best night’s music I’ve heard in a long time. The venue was the Tayside Hotel in Stanley and I must extend a big thank you to the Management and Staff there for the excellent service of both food and the odd dram now and again.
No matter what your taste in music it was there that night, from big band sounds to massed fiddle sounds, also solo players and duets and even the pipes and a couple of singers as well.
Jim Webster from Hillocks of Clunie farm was the compere and he kept the night going with a swing. Those taking part were
Graeme Mitchell
Gordon Pattullo
Colin & Gary Donaldson
Hamish Reid
Gary Mair
George Carmichael
John Allan
Mary Milne
Ian Cameron
Neil Caul
Sandy Paterson
Robert & Duncan Black all on piano accordion.
On button box we had
Bill Powrie
Sandy Coghill
Peter Stewart and myself.
On fiddle we had
Bill Smith
Jane Smith
Maureen Rutherford
Judith Davidson
Julie Fyfe
Ella Forbes
Stewart Archibald
Brian Cruickshanks and Alex Garden, all members of the Banchory S&R Society and there was bandleader Bill Douglas as well.
To accompany all the artistes we had a big rhythm section to choose from.
On piano were
Pam Wilkie
Maureen Rutherford
Bill Hendry
Bill Lockhart
Kirsty Allen
And Anne Black.
On drums there were
Ally Wilkie
Jimmy Spiers
Atholl Donaldson and Ally Paterson.
On bass were
Ally Wilkie
Bill Morgan and Neil McMillan who also went to the piano when needed.
The singers were Maureen Rutherford and Kathleen Black and finally we had Ian Dickson with his pipes.
As you can see, it was a real feast of music and a night to be remembered.
During the evening there was a small collection organized and as a result I have £50 to give to Cancer Research.
A similar night has been arranged for next year in the same hotel and the date is 10th October so get it in your diary.
Once again, thank you one and all.
POEM
They seek him here, they seek him ther,
That damned elusive fiddler player
Is he a spirit or is he human?
Where are you now Yehudi MacEwan?
The Reel Radio
by Derek Hamilton
Let me start this month by thanking Ian Greenlaw of Aberdeen for the letter he sent. Ian refers to a mention I made of ‘The Tartan Terror Show’ in an earlier edition.
It seems he entered Gerry MacKenzie’s Mystery Band Contest on the telephone and guessed the band correctly.
The BBC sent him a copy of an LP by some obscure Country & Western artist which seemed to be completely out of context for the Scottish show.
When Ian queried the Beeb about it he was fobbed off with the excuse that most people ring in just to get a chat with Gerry MacKenzie.
Ian wonders if Gerry Ford or Noel Cannon gives away Scottish dance music records.
Radio Forth New Tune Competition
Robin Brock has sent me a circular giving details of the competition, open to all musicians, young or old, professional or amateur, which they are running in conjunction with ‘Accordion 80’.
The letter appears below :
Sir – Radio Forth is sponsoring a new tune competition for both fiddle and accordion.
The idea of the competition will be to encourage musicians to submit their compositions which will be judged by a panel comprising Robin Brock, Angus Cameron and Jim Johnstone.
Radio Forth, through its regular programme ‘Pure Scotch’ with Steve Jack and Robin Brock on Fridays, and ‘Fair Flummoxed’ on Mondays – is trying to promote Scottish music and musicians. With this in mind, we would ask you to make known to your Club members the details of the competition.
There is no qualification placed on any person willing to enter. The competition is open to professional and amateur players alike. A new tune will be required for either accordion or fiddle of your choice. The composition can be of any nature as long as it is in the traditional idiom. Please indicate clearly for which instrument your tune is intended. A trophy, which will be engraved, and a cheque for £50 will be awarded to the two respective winners.
The prizes will be awarded during the evening of the Radio Forth annual traditional concert ‘Accordion 80’ in November.
All entries must be in by 30th September. Each entrant can submit as many compositions as he or she likes.
The piece must have a title preferably associated with the area covered by Radio Forth. It is also preferable, but not essential, that a harmony line accompany your composition.
Please state your name and address clearly and submit your entries to Robin Brock, New Tune Competition, Radio forth, PO Box 194, Edinburgh”.
It’s a pity the announcement of this has come so late in the Accordion Club calendar but I dod hope that entries will flow in, making Forth’s efforts worthwhile.
Take the Floor
Kenny Thomson and the Wardlaw Band have certainly created an impression on the Scottish music scene with their first broadcast.
Many people in the know have been excited by the band’s superb performance on Radio Scotland’s ‘Take the Floor’.
Their arrangements are excellent with Kenny providing chord sequences which are exciting but pleasant on the ear.
Young Ian Muir, who took over lead box from Ronnie Easton, has certainly moulded into the front line beautifully. He is also showing as a fine composer too, having two reels included in the programme.
Gordon Simpson’s fiddle solo was just great. He really is a real asset to the band.
The bank line of Colin Finlayson (piano), Neil McMillan (bass) and Duncan Burns (drums) really make the band swing along. The overall sound smacks greatly of Powrie at its very best and while this must be taken as a compliment I would have preferred that they stamp their own distinctive mark on the scene rather than copy.
Perhaps, of course, it just happens that way anyway. Kenny himself is such an ardent Powrie fan that some of it must rub off.
The band is very well drilled and sounds meticulous over the air. I hope they can maintain this standard for a long time to come.
The Beeb engineers must be congratulated on the recording. Only one word for it – impeccable.
You’re setting new standards of excellence lads – keep it up.
It’s a wee while since Ian Holmes has been on, but his recent broadcast was lively and very much in the ‘Holmes’ mould. I was a wee bit disappointed in his choice of sets as there really was nothing (except his own choice) that he hasn’t done before. The session was well played and recorded.
I know Ian took Bobby MacNeillie’s untimely death very severely. Bobby had been with the band for a long time and was a difficult man to replace.
Jack Delaney stepped in and gave the band an excellent sound, but then Jack is probably the top second box player in the country.
Despite what David Findlay said it was actually Kenny Wilson (not Thomson) on fiddle, with the rest of the band being Ian’s usual line-up, Stan Saunders (bass), Bill Hendry (piano) and Gus Millar (drums).
The Norwegian music seems to be popular amongst the bandleaders these days. Not only did Ian Holmes choose some for his bandleaders choice, but so did Iain MacPhail a couple of weeks earlier.
The MacPhail broadcast disappointed me a little. The band didn’t have the tightness normally associated with it. This was perhaps due partly to the balance by the engineer.
The sets were lively enough though and it was good to hear Iain putting together tunes which he hasn’t broadcast before.
I know one young lad who was particularly delighted – Bobby Stewart of Galston who wrote ‘Valley Gold’ a reel Iain included in one of his sets. It’s a pity the overall sound didn’t get the usual MacPhail magic across.
The Max Houliston feature was first class. Max is one of the foremost musicians on the scene and I’m delighted the BBC recognised this by giving over air-time to this interview.
Mac has some very pertinent views on music in general and he was certainly given the opportunity by Robbie Shepherd to air them.
His comments about the lack of broadcast time given to all types of accordion music should be noted in the highest circles of the programme planning department. I realise, of course, the Beeb has its difficulties especially where money is concerned but with the recent clampdowns on what is known in the trade as ‘needle time’ (the time allowed to play records) it should be an opportunity for replacing this allocated time with sessions by some of the people that Max talked about.
The ‘Music while You Work’ programme used to provide us with a great selection of groups featuring the accordion. Henry Klein, Gerald Crossman and Jack Emblow, to name but a few.
Perhaps this one-time institution should be revitalized in a different form.
If the BBC are genuinely interested in promoting any type of music then the Radio 4 type medium, like Radio Scotland, is the ideal forum. Max Houliston, as always, made a lot of sensible comments in his interview and he is a man who knows the business.
He is also a businessman who is commercially minded. Perhaps he’d make an ideal host for an additional programme featuring the accordion and all its variety.
I missed two of the shows this month because of other commitments. Lindsay Ross and Bobby Crowe appeared when I was in foreign parts and as yet I haven’t been able to hear tapes of the broadcasts.
In some ways it’s a pity the ‘Box and Fiddle’ closes its doors for the summer season. I’m sure that a lot more good things will transpire during the coming months and only a cursory mention will be made when we come back to print in October.
I shall endeavour to keep track of all that’s happening during the summer and look forward to the new season.
In the meantime keep listening and enjoy your holidays wherever you’re going. And don’t forget – take the trannie with you.
Advert
NAAFC Annual General Meeting Salutation Hotel, Perth Sunday, 29th June 1980 at 1.30pm
Record Review
by Derek Hamilton
I did make mention some time ago of the new Alexander Brothers double album. I’ve now had the chance to listen right through this excellent LP set. On the Pye label, it’s entitles ‘The Words and Music of the Alexander Brothers’.
Record 1 comprises Jack singing his way through selections of the Brothers’ most popular songs.
Record 2 is much more interesting from my point of view because it displays the musical (as opposed to singing) talents of Tom and Jack.
Tom, on accordion, gets the lion’s share of the LP time and plays his way through some of the finest box playing you’ll ever come across.
The choice of music ranges from the light to the heavy and all are played with flair and dexterity that only an expert can show. My favourite is the ‘Dance of the Comedians’. This is Tom Alexander as very few people have heard him.
The album I believe, is long overdue. It completely dispels the myth that he is only capable of ‘The Flying Scotsman’ and ‘The High Level’.
Tom Alexander is one of the country’s finest exponents of the accordion and it shows all the way through this album.
Jack is also a fine pianist and displays his talent to the full on a couple of tracks.
All-in-all the LP will open a lot of folk’s eyes and I’m sure will leave us wanting more.
The complete album set was issued to celebrate 21 years in show-business by the two Lanarkshire brothers. That in itself is no mean achievement. I hope this LP paves the way for another 21 years of success.
Freedon for Fiddlers
by Yehudi McEwan (i.e. Jimmy Yeaman)
Who composed that scathing and scurrilous attack in last months ‘John Knox and Diddle’?
It has all the hallmarks of a three row button box player who has more blaw than sook in his lungs. This then, is War!
I propose to form a Fintry Fiddling Freedom Fighting Force (to be known as the EFF’s because it is difficult to say if you are wearing a friend’s false teeth). There is at present a similar undercover movement in operation – known as a Strathspey & Reel Society – with cells all over the country.
The campaign objective is for the protection of fiddle players against the menacing growth of accordionists. The aim is for equal rights, and throw in sex equality while we are at it. Women should be banned from playing the fiddle anyway as they don’t really have the legs for it.
Donations should be addressed to me, c/o the Balloch Club, or send potted hough to the Editor as his kids are starving because nobody ever puts any money in his tin at the street corner. Speculation is rife as to my true identity. Some people think I am Ron Gonella, heavily disguised. Others think I am Angus Fitchet who cheats when playing the fiddle. He has at least six fingers on his left hand and is obviously using two bows at the same time. Then there are those who believe that, due to great advances in recording techniques, trick camera work and mass hypnosis, I am all of Jimmy Moir’s 350-piece Golden Fiddle Orchestra rolled into one. However, the identity has to remain a secret as I intend to carry out spot checks on Clubs next season in the guise of Guest Artiste (Club Secretaries please note phone number Alexandria 52115, repeat 52115 and reverse the charges if you have to). My terms are reasonable, a bottle of whisky, plus a cuddle from the Committee’s wives, plus the opportunity to put the boot into any Hohner Morinos that happen to be lying around. In my experience the average Club allots at least 75% of its instrumental playing time to the squeeze box and this balance has to be redressed.
Therefore, Fiddlers, let us stand up, rally and unite in the struggle. The battle cry is ‘Electronics to you!’
Whenever the nearest box players start to form figure eights with their bellows arms in an effort to drown you out, stick your bow up their Bussilachios and this will bring on a sharp attack of crippling, creeping chromatics.
Remember then lads, down with Domino Keyboard and Type-writer Musicians and more strength to your right elbow – for both reasons. Meantime, during the close season I propose to relax making guest appearances closing down supermarkets, staring at women and public house gantries, and perhaps encamp in the Fintry Inn with all the others who hope to get a glimpse of accordionist big Alex Fitzsimmons buying someone a drink. There has to be a first time for everything!
Advert
Accordion Cases by Alan Clark
On 03587 369
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Queen’s Hotel) – 29th Apr 80 Sandy MacArthus SDB
Alnwick (Nag’s Head) – members only
Balloch (Loch Lomond Hotel) – 18th May 80 John Carmichael TV Band
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) –
Banff (Royal Oak Hotel) – 24th Apr 80 George Bell
Beith (Anderson Hotel) –
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) – 25th Apr 80 Dance Sandy MacArthur SDB
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel) –
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel)
Cumbria (Huntsman Inn – Penton) – 21st May 80 Social Evening with Jock Loch Band
Cumnock (Tup Inn) –
Derwentside (Royal British Legion, Consett) closed till March 80
Dumfries (Oughton’s)
Dunblane (Hydro) – 13th May 80 Currie Brothers
Dundee (Royal Central Hotel) – 1st May 80 Ian Horsburgh & Carol Farquhar
Dunfermline (Kinema Ballroom) – 6th May 80 Willie Simpson Trio
Falkirk (Park Hotel) –
Forres (Brig Motel) – 14th May 80 John Ellis and his Highland Country Band
Galston (Parakeet, Hurlford)
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler) – members only
Highland/ Inverness (Drumossie Hotel)
Kelso (Cross Key’s Hotel) – 30th Apr 80 Grace McCleaver and Lochearn SDB
Kintore (Crown Hotel) – 21st May 80 Currie Bros, 18th June 80 Bill Douglas SDB, 16th July 80 Keith Collins & Charlie McKerrin (Elgin)
Langholm (Crown Hotel)
Livingston (Cameron Ironworks Social Club)
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) – 29th Apr 80 Marian Wilson (Berwick)
M.A.F.I.A. (Black Bull, Milngavie) – 1st May 80 Wallochmore Ceilidh Band
Monklands (Georgian Hotel, Coatbridge) – 5th May 80 Morag Robertson & Tommy Donnelly
New Cumnock (Crown Hotel) –
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) – 29th Sept 80 Maureen Rutherford & David Morrice
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel)
North East (Seafield Arms, Keith) – 6th May 80 Moray Players, 3rd June 80 AGM
Oban (McTavish’s Kitchen) – 1st May 80 Dance to Billy Anderson Trio + Bobby MacLeod
Perth (Salutation Hotel) – 20yj May 80 Sandy MacArthur SDB
Renfrew (Glynhill Hotel)
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Shetland (venue?)
Stranraer (Buck’s Head Hotel) –
Torthorwald (Torr House Hotel)
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) –
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Alnwick
2. Balloch
3. Banff & District
4. Biggar
5. Cumnock & District
6. Derwentside
7. Dingwall & District
8. Dunblane & District
9. Forres
10. Galston
11. Kelso
12. Langholm
13. Lockerbie
14. M.A.F.I.A.
15. Monklands
16. New Cumnock
17. Newtongrange
18. North East
19. Oban
20. Perth
21. Stranraer
CLUB DIRECTORY (Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Sept 1976)
3. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1971)
4. Banchory A&F Club (1978)
5. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973)
6. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1971)
7. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974)
8. Buchan A&F Club
9. Coquetdale
10. Coupar Angus A&F Club
11. Cumnock A&F Club
12. Derwentside A&F Club
13. Dingwall & District (Aug 1979)
14. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughton’s) (April 1965)
15. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
16. Dundee & District A&F Club
17. Dunfermline & District A&F Club
18. Falkirk A&F Club
19. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
20. Galston A&F Club
21. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
22. Greenhead Accordion Club (Hexham)
23. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
24. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
25. Kintore A&F Club
26. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
27. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973)
28. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
29. M.A.F.I.A.
30. Monklands A&F Club
31. Newcastleton Accordion Club
32. New Cumnock A&F Club
33. Newtongrange A&F Club (Oct 1977)
34. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club
35. North Cumbria
36. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
37. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975)
38. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
39. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
40. Rothbury Accordion Club (Feb 1974)
41. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
42. Stranraer & District Accordion Club
43. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
44. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
45. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
46. Club Accord
47. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
48. Fintry A&F Club
49. Gretna (June 1966)
50. Renfrew A&F Club
51. Straiton Accordion Club (opened? 3rd club to open – closed March 1979)
52. Wellbank A&F Club
Advertising rates
Full Page - £60
Half Page - £30
Quarter Page - £15
Treasurer – David Ross, 8 Manse Street, Kilmarnock Tel 28642
(Younger readers may find it hard to believe but back in 1980 Ian Smith, the Editor, packaged the B&Fs and delivered the parcels to the local Bus Depot from where they were distributed by bus all over Scotland to a Club’s local bus depot where the Secretary uplifted them. It certainly wasn’t the most reliable system in the world and tracing them if they didn’t arrive was practically impossible. There was also a constant argument about the publication date – should it be the start of the month or the middle of the month. In each case it suited the clubs which met just after that date best and the clubs who met furthest from that date least. For a time it actually changed every three years to give everyone a crack of the whip)
The main features in the above issue were as follows (this is not a comprehensive detail of all it contained. The Club reports, in particular, are too time consuming at this stage to retype).
Editorial
And so we come to the end of another season in which A&F Clubs took to the air and reached a larger audience and this can only be good. The phone-in on Radio also was a success and caused a lot of comment.
Despite the increases that have hit the Clubs they all managed to stay afloat. Some of the smaller Clubs must have geniuses for Treasurers.
Our thanks to all Club Secretaries for corresponding on a regular basis. To those who contributed articles and cartoons, a pat on the back and a special thank you to Derek Hamilton. Now, there’s a man for us, nothing is too much bother to him as long as it furthers our aims.
Lastly, I wish to thank our advertisers for giving us their custom and I trust we will see their adverts next season, which should start in September, Annual General Meeting permitting.
The Stanley Ceilidh
by Bill Black
They came from Inverness, Nairn, Keith, Aberdeen, Banchory, Dundee, Kirriemuir, Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Borders, some to play and some just to listen to one of the best night’s music I’ve heard in a long time. The venue was the Tayside Hotel in Stanley and I must extend a big thank you to the Management and Staff there for the excellent service of both food and the odd dram now and again.
No matter what your taste in music it was there that night, from big band sounds to massed fiddle sounds, also solo players and duets and even the pipes and a couple of singers as well.
Jim Webster from Hillocks of Clunie farm was the compere and he kept the night going with a swing. Those taking part were
Graeme Mitchell
Gordon Pattullo
Colin & Gary Donaldson
Hamish Reid
Gary Mair
George Carmichael
John Allan
Mary Milne
Ian Cameron
Neil Caul
Sandy Paterson
Robert & Duncan Black all on piano accordion.
On button box we had
Bill Powrie
Sandy Coghill
Peter Stewart and myself.
On fiddle we had
Bill Smith
Jane Smith
Maureen Rutherford
Judith Davidson
Julie Fyfe
Ella Forbes
Stewart Archibald
Brian Cruickshanks and Alex Garden, all members of the Banchory S&R Society and there was bandleader Bill Douglas as well.
To accompany all the artistes we had a big rhythm section to choose from.
On piano were
Pam Wilkie
Maureen Rutherford
Bill Hendry
Bill Lockhart
Kirsty Allen
And Anne Black.
On drums there were
Ally Wilkie
Jimmy Spiers
Atholl Donaldson and Ally Paterson.
On bass were
Ally Wilkie
Bill Morgan and Neil McMillan who also went to the piano when needed.
The singers were Maureen Rutherford and Kathleen Black and finally we had Ian Dickson with his pipes.
As you can see, it was a real feast of music and a night to be remembered.
During the evening there was a small collection organized and as a result I have £50 to give to Cancer Research.
A similar night has been arranged for next year in the same hotel and the date is 10th October so get it in your diary.
Once again, thank you one and all.
POEM
They seek him here, they seek him ther,
That damned elusive fiddler player
Is he a spirit or is he human?
Where are you now Yehudi MacEwan?
The Reel Radio
by Derek Hamilton
Let me start this month by thanking Ian Greenlaw of Aberdeen for the letter he sent. Ian refers to a mention I made of ‘The Tartan Terror Show’ in an earlier edition.
It seems he entered Gerry MacKenzie’s Mystery Band Contest on the telephone and guessed the band correctly.
The BBC sent him a copy of an LP by some obscure Country & Western artist which seemed to be completely out of context for the Scottish show.
When Ian queried the Beeb about it he was fobbed off with the excuse that most people ring in just to get a chat with Gerry MacKenzie.
Ian wonders if Gerry Ford or Noel Cannon gives away Scottish dance music records.
Radio Forth New Tune Competition
Robin Brock has sent me a circular giving details of the competition, open to all musicians, young or old, professional or amateur, which they are running in conjunction with ‘Accordion 80’.
The letter appears below :
Sir – Radio Forth is sponsoring a new tune competition for both fiddle and accordion.
The idea of the competition will be to encourage musicians to submit their compositions which will be judged by a panel comprising Robin Brock, Angus Cameron and Jim Johnstone.
Radio Forth, through its regular programme ‘Pure Scotch’ with Steve Jack and Robin Brock on Fridays, and ‘Fair Flummoxed’ on Mondays – is trying to promote Scottish music and musicians. With this in mind, we would ask you to make known to your Club members the details of the competition.
There is no qualification placed on any person willing to enter. The competition is open to professional and amateur players alike. A new tune will be required for either accordion or fiddle of your choice. The composition can be of any nature as long as it is in the traditional idiom. Please indicate clearly for which instrument your tune is intended. A trophy, which will be engraved, and a cheque for £50 will be awarded to the two respective winners.
The prizes will be awarded during the evening of the Radio Forth annual traditional concert ‘Accordion 80’ in November.
All entries must be in by 30th September. Each entrant can submit as many compositions as he or she likes.
The piece must have a title preferably associated with the area covered by Radio Forth. It is also preferable, but not essential, that a harmony line accompany your composition.
Please state your name and address clearly and submit your entries to Robin Brock, New Tune Competition, Radio forth, PO Box 194, Edinburgh”.
It’s a pity the announcement of this has come so late in the Accordion Club calendar but I dod hope that entries will flow in, making Forth’s efforts worthwhile.
Take the Floor
Kenny Thomson and the Wardlaw Band have certainly created an impression on the Scottish music scene with their first broadcast.
Many people in the know have been excited by the band’s superb performance on Radio Scotland’s ‘Take the Floor’.
Their arrangements are excellent with Kenny providing chord sequences which are exciting but pleasant on the ear.
Young Ian Muir, who took over lead box from Ronnie Easton, has certainly moulded into the front line beautifully. He is also showing as a fine composer too, having two reels included in the programme.
Gordon Simpson’s fiddle solo was just great. He really is a real asset to the band.
The bank line of Colin Finlayson (piano), Neil McMillan (bass) and Duncan Burns (drums) really make the band swing along. The overall sound smacks greatly of Powrie at its very best and while this must be taken as a compliment I would have preferred that they stamp their own distinctive mark on the scene rather than copy.
Perhaps, of course, it just happens that way anyway. Kenny himself is such an ardent Powrie fan that some of it must rub off.
The band is very well drilled and sounds meticulous over the air. I hope they can maintain this standard for a long time to come.
The Beeb engineers must be congratulated on the recording. Only one word for it – impeccable.
You’re setting new standards of excellence lads – keep it up.
It’s a wee while since Ian Holmes has been on, but his recent broadcast was lively and very much in the ‘Holmes’ mould. I was a wee bit disappointed in his choice of sets as there really was nothing (except his own choice) that he hasn’t done before. The session was well played and recorded.
I know Ian took Bobby MacNeillie’s untimely death very severely. Bobby had been with the band for a long time and was a difficult man to replace.
Jack Delaney stepped in and gave the band an excellent sound, but then Jack is probably the top second box player in the country.
Despite what David Findlay said it was actually Kenny Wilson (not Thomson) on fiddle, with the rest of the band being Ian’s usual line-up, Stan Saunders (bass), Bill Hendry (piano) and Gus Millar (drums).
The Norwegian music seems to be popular amongst the bandleaders these days. Not only did Ian Holmes choose some for his bandleaders choice, but so did Iain MacPhail a couple of weeks earlier.
The MacPhail broadcast disappointed me a little. The band didn’t have the tightness normally associated with it. This was perhaps due partly to the balance by the engineer.
The sets were lively enough though and it was good to hear Iain putting together tunes which he hasn’t broadcast before.
I know one young lad who was particularly delighted – Bobby Stewart of Galston who wrote ‘Valley Gold’ a reel Iain included in one of his sets. It’s a pity the overall sound didn’t get the usual MacPhail magic across.
The Max Houliston feature was first class. Max is one of the foremost musicians on the scene and I’m delighted the BBC recognised this by giving over air-time to this interview.
Mac has some very pertinent views on music in general and he was certainly given the opportunity by Robbie Shepherd to air them.
His comments about the lack of broadcast time given to all types of accordion music should be noted in the highest circles of the programme planning department. I realise, of course, the Beeb has its difficulties especially where money is concerned but with the recent clampdowns on what is known in the trade as ‘needle time’ (the time allowed to play records) it should be an opportunity for replacing this allocated time with sessions by some of the people that Max talked about.
The ‘Music while You Work’ programme used to provide us with a great selection of groups featuring the accordion. Henry Klein, Gerald Crossman and Jack Emblow, to name but a few.
Perhaps this one-time institution should be revitalized in a different form.
If the BBC are genuinely interested in promoting any type of music then the Radio 4 type medium, like Radio Scotland, is the ideal forum. Max Houliston, as always, made a lot of sensible comments in his interview and he is a man who knows the business.
He is also a businessman who is commercially minded. Perhaps he’d make an ideal host for an additional programme featuring the accordion and all its variety.
I missed two of the shows this month because of other commitments. Lindsay Ross and Bobby Crowe appeared when I was in foreign parts and as yet I haven’t been able to hear tapes of the broadcasts.
In some ways it’s a pity the ‘Box and Fiddle’ closes its doors for the summer season. I’m sure that a lot more good things will transpire during the coming months and only a cursory mention will be made when we come back to print in October.
I shall endeavour to keep track of all that’s happening during the summer and look forward to the new season.
In the meantime keep listening and enjoy your holidays wherever you’re going. And don’t forget – take the trannie with you.
Advert
NAAFC Annual General Meeting Salutation Hotel, Perth Sunday, 29th June 1980 at 1.30pm
Record Review
by Derek Hamilton
I did make mention some time ago of the new Alexander Brothers double album. I’ve now had the chance to listen right through this excellent LP set. On the Pye label, it’s entitles ‘The Words and Music of the Alexander Brothers’.
Record 1 comprises Jack singing his way through selections of the Brothers’ most popular songs.
Record 2 is much more interesting from my point of view because it displays the musical (as opposed to singing) talents of Tom and Jack.
Tom, on accordion, gets the lion’s share of the LP time and plays his way through some of the finest box playing you’ll ever come across.
The choice of music ranges from the light to the heavy and all are played with flair and dexterity that only an expert can show. My favourite is the ‘Dance of the Comedians’. This is Tom Alexander as very few people have heard him.
The album I believe, is long overdue. It completely dispels the myth that he is only capable of ‘The Flying Scotsman’ and ‘The High Level’.
Tom Alexander is one of the country’s finest exponents of the accordion and it shows all the way through this album.
Jack is also a fine pianist and displays his talent to the full on a couple of tracks.
All-in-all the LP will open a lot of folk’s eyes and I’m sure will leave us wanting more.
The complete album set was issued to celebrate 21 years in show-business by the two Lanarkshire brothers. That in itself is no mean achievement. I hope this LP paves the way for another 21 years of success.
Freedon for Fiddlers
by Yehudi McEwan (i.e. Jimmy Yeaman)
Who composed that scathing and scurrilous attack in last months ‘John Knox and Diddle’?
It has all the hallmarks of a three row button box player who has more blaw than sook in his lungs. This then, is War!
I propose to form a Fintry Fiddling Freedom Fighting Force (to be known as the EFF’s because it is difficult to say if you are wearing a friend’s false teeth). There is at present a similar undercover movement in operation – known as a Strathspey & Reel Society – with cells all over the country.
The campaign objective is for the protection of fiddle players against the menacing growth of accordionists. The aim is for equal rights, and throw in sex equality while we are at it. Women should be banned from playing the fiddle anyway as they don’t really have the legs for it.
Donations should be addressed to me, c/o the Balloch Club, or send potted hough to the Editor as his kids are starving because nobody ever puts any money in his tin at the street corner. Speculation is rife as to my true identity. Some people think I am Ron Gonella, heavily disguised. Others think I am Angus Fitchet who cheats when playing the fiddle. He has at least six fingers on his left hand and is obviously using two bows at the same time. Then there are those who believe that, due to great advances in recording techniques, trick camera work and mass hypnosis, I am all of Jimmy Moir’s 350-piece Golden Fiddle Orchestra rolled into one. However, the identity has to remain a secret as I intend to carry out spot checks on Clubs next season in the guise of Guest Artiste (Club Secretaries please note phone number Alexandria 52115, repeat 52115 and reverse the charges if you have to). My terms are reasonable, a bottle of whisky, plus a cuddle from the Committee’s wives, plus the opportunity to put the boot into any Hohner Morinos that happen to be lying around. In my experience the average Club allots at least 75% of its instrumental playing time to the squeeze box and this balance has to be redressed.
Therefore, Fiddlers, let us stand up, rally and unite in the struggle. The battle cry is ‘Electronics to you!’
Whenever the nearest box players start to form figure eights with their bellows arms in an effort to drown you out, stick your bow up their Bussilachios and this will bring on a sharp attack of crippling, creeping chromatics.
Remember then lads, down with Domino Keyboard and Type-writer Musicians and more strength to your right elbow – for both reasons. Meantime, during the close season I propose to relax making guest appearances closing down supermarkets, staring at women and public house gantries, and perhaps encamp in the Fintry Inn with all the others who hope to get a glimpse of accordionist big Alex Fitzsimmons buying someone a drink. There has to be a first time for everything!
Advert
Accordion Cases by Alan Clark
On 03587 369
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Queen’s Hotel) – 29th Apr 80 Sandy MacArthus SDB
Alnwick (Nag’s Head) – members only
Balloch (Loch Lomond Hotel) – 18th May 80 John Carmichael TV Band
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) –
Banff (Royal Oak Hotel) – 24th Apr 80 George Bell
Beith (Anderson Hotel) –
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) – 25th Apr 80 Dance Sandy MacArthur SDB
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel) –
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel)
Cumbria (Huntsman Inn – Penton) – 21st May 80 Social Evening with Jock Loch Band
Cumnock (Tup Inn) –
Derwentside (Royal British Legion, Consett) closed till March 80
Dumfries (Oughton’s)
Dunblane (Hydro) – 13th May 80 Currie Brothers
Dundee (Royal Central Hotel) – 1st May 80 Ian Horsburgh & Carol Farquhar
Dunfermline (Kinema Ballroom) – 6th May 80 Willie Simpson Trio
Falkirk (Park Hotel) –
Forres (Brig Motel) – 14th May 80 John Ellis and his Highland Country Band
Galston (Parakeet, Hurlford)
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler) – members only
Highland/ Inverness (Drumossie Hotel)
Kelso (Cross Key’s Hotel) – 30th Apr 80 Grace McCleaver and Lochearn SDB
Kintore (Crown Hotel) – 21st May 80 Currie Bros, 18th June 80 Bill Douglas SDB, 16th July 80 Keith Collins & Charlie McKerrin (Elgin)
Langholm (Crown Hotel)
Livingston (Cameron Ironworks Social Club)
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) – 29th Apr 80 Marian Wilson (Berwick)
M.A.F.I.A. (Black Bull, Milngavie) – 1st May 80 Wallochmore Ceilidh Band
Monklands (Georgian Hotel, Coatbridge) – 5th May 80 Morag Robertson & Tommy Donnelly
New Cumnock (Crown Hotel) –
Newtongrange (Dean Tavern) – 29th Sept 80 Maureen Rutherford & David Morrice
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel)
North East (Seafield Arms, Keith) – 6th May 80 Moray Players, 3rd June 80 AGM
Oban (McTavish’s Kitchen) – 1st May 80 Dance to Billy Anderson Trio + Bobby MacLeod
Perth (Salutation Hotel) – 20yj May 80 Sandy MacArthur SDB
Renfrew (Glynhill Hotel)
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Shetland (venue?)
Stranraer (Buck’s Head Hotel) –
Torthorwald (Torr House Hotel)
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) –
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Alnwick
2. Balloch
3. Banff & District
4. Biggar
5. Cumnock & District
6. Derwentside
7. Dingwall & District
8. Dunblane & District
9. Forres
10. Galston
11. Kelso
12. Langholm
13. Lockerbie
14. M.A.F.I.A.
15. Monklands
16. New Cumnock
17. Newtongrange
18. North East
19. Oban
20. Perth
21. Stranraer
CLUB DIRECTORY (Clubs didn’t necessarily notify the Assoc when they closed so the following may not be entirely correct. Only the clubs submitting the reports above were definitely open.)
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Sept 1976)
3. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1971)
4. Banchory A&F Club (1978)
5. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973)
6. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1971)
7. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974)
8. Buchan A&F Club
9. Coquetdale
10. Coupar Angus A&F Club
11. Cumnock A&F Club
12. Derwentside A&F Club
13. Dingwall & District (Aug 1979)
14. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughton’s) (April 1965)
15. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
16. Dundee & District A&F Club
17. Dunfermline & District A&F Club
18. Falkirk A&F Club
19. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
20. Galston A&F Club
21. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
22. Greenhead Accordion Club (Hexham)
23. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
24. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
25. Kintore A&F Club
26. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
27. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973)
28. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
29. M.A.F.I.A.
30. Monklands A&F Club
31. Newcastleton Accordion Club
32. New Cumnock A&F Club
33. Newtongrange A&F Club (Oct 1977)
34. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club
35. North Cumbria
36. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
37. Oban A&F Club (Nov 1975)
38. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
39. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
40. Rothbury Accordion Club (Feb 1974)
41. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
42. Stranraer & District Accordion Club
43. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
44. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)
Not on official list at the start of the season (closed, did not renew membership or omitted in error?)
45. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
46. Club Accord
47. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
48. Fintry A&F Club
49. Gretna (June 1966)
50. Renfrew A&F Club
51. Straiton Accordion Club (opened? 3rd club to open – closed March 1979)
52. Wellbank A&F Club
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