Dave Barclay
by Tom Clark
For most people who have been involved in the Dance Band scene over the years, the name of Dave Barclay has always been synonymous with all that is best in bass playing. Dave is another of that fine breed of musicians who was around in the early days and is still very much involved today, being heard regularly with various bands. Dave, of course, was a regular member of the famous Powrie sound, but his musical experience and training spans a very broad coverage of most types and styles of music. Dave is a very busy man but I eventually managed to track him down.
“A native of Brechin, I began violin lessons at the age of ten with the visiting school’ music instructor and progressed to private tuition while at Brechin high School. On leaving school to work in a local accountant’s office I traveled to Dundee two evenings a week to study harmony and counterpoint with Henry Kerby L.T.C.L., A.R.C.M., who had his studios above Methven Simpson’s Music Shop in Reform Street.
Around this time in the early fifties I laid aside the fiddle and began playing double bass, initially being self-taught on bass technique due to the lack of instructors at the time.
I began working with local modern bands in and around Brechin and meantime my brother Raymond turned professional on piano, first with Dave Phin at Dunblane Hydro and then at The Empress Ballroom, Dundee. This resident band at The Empress had two very good bass players during his stay and I had regular tuition from both on bass technique, with special emphasis on bowing. The owners of The Empress had a policy of booking the big name bands frequently and it was an education to go and hear some of the finest bass players in the country with the bands of Dankworth, Ted Heath, Jack Parnell, etc. My introduction to the Scottish music scene was really unintentional – having been asked by Lindsay Ross to play on his second BBC broadcast. This led to several years’ playing on the dance circuit with Lindsay and a nine month period in 1955 with Jack Forsyth’s Band.
In 1957 I left the Scottish music business and joined the resident band in The Locarno Ballroom, Montrose – playing four or five nights a week. The proprietor, Mr Fortunato, a fine vocalist and alto saxophone player, kept really up to date with his music – always giving the band the current hit tunes as well as some of the great standards. I spent a very enjoyable and educational two years with this band – the sight-reading proved to be invaluable in the years to come. Incidentally, this band had two very fine drummers during my stay – Stan Gorman, who later joined the BBC Midland Orchestra, and Bobby Kerr, who was for many years percussionist with the SNO and now owns The Drum Shop in Glasgow. In 1959 I rejoined Lindsay’s Band and moved to Friockheim, having just married Lindsay’s sister, Marjorie, who was on piano with the band.
In early ’61 I was asked by Ian Powrie to join his band – they having just started doing The White Heather Club television shows, thus beginning an association with Andy Stewart leading to a very heavy work schedule for the band including two long seasons in the Glasgow Empire, Scottish tours, television and radio, plus two tours of Australia and New Zealand as well as the band’s commitments on the dance circuit.
When Ian disbanded in the mid-sixties to leave for Australia, Jimmy Blue carried on with the band retaining most of the original members including myself, and still continuing the busy schedule with Andy Stewart, which included several series of Scotch Corner for Scottish Television and successful summer seasons in H.M. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr and Blackpool.
These long sessions of stage shows were gratifying for me as I did the pit orchestra work as well as the Scottish Band spot on stage.
I found this orchestra work good experience, playing under such musical directors as George Michie, Pat McCann, Arthur Blake and Alex Sutherland.
When Jimmy Blue gave up playing professionally in the seventies I continued to play for Andy Stewart on a freelance basis. This period of the 70s and early 80s was a prolific time for musical television shows. As well as Scotch Corner I was involved at Scottish Television in a series of Dateline, The Melody Lingers On and Showcase with Arthur Blake, Hear Hear with Mark Simpson and Sounds Gaelic and Shindig with John Carmichael.
At Grampian Television there were two series of At Home with Kenneth McKellar with MD Alex Sutherland, six series of 13 shows of Welcome to the Ceilidh with Hebbie Gray’s Band, and a few series of Andy’s Party with Andy Stewart.
The main feature of a career in the music business has been a long and happy association with Andy Stewart – first with Ian Powrie, then Jimmy Blue, and from the mid-70s as a freelance musician until Andy curtailed his workload in 1983. Among the highlights of these many engagements with Andy would certainly be four very enjoyable tours of Australia and New Zealand.
Current trends seem to favour not using bass players at dance gigs, relying on amplified keyboards and accordion left hand for a bass sound. This is no doubt due to economic necessity but is very unfortunate for the young bass players who, in spite of having good tuition nowadays, don’t have the opportunity to go ‘on the road’ with a band – an experience which I and my contemporaries wouldn’t have missed for anything.”
I think that most bandsmen would echo Dave’s sentiments as far as a bass player is concerned.
In the old days every band carried a bass player regularly, in the halls as well as for broadcasting. Transport always included accommodation for the bass. Electronic keyboards and accordion left land don’t really substitute adequately for the double bass, but perhaps things may change again at some point in the future.
Meantime we have to be content with the sound of a double bass during broadcasts or at some clubs. Dave is still very much in demand and is also very busy running an antique business with his wife Marjorie in Friockheim.
Box and Fiddle
February 1988
“A native of Brechin, I began violin lessons at the age of ten with the visiting school’ music instructor and progressed to private tuition while at Brechin high School. On leaving school to work in a local accountant’s office I traveled to Dundee two evenings a week to study harmony and counterpoint with Henry Kerby L.T.C.L., A.R.C.M., who had his studios above Methven Simpson’s Music Shop in Reform Street.
Around this time in the early fifties I laid aside the fiddle and began playing double bass, initially being self-taught on bass technique due to the lack of instructors at the time.
I began working with local modern bands in and around Brechin and meantime my brother Raymond turned professional on piano, first with Dave Phin at Dunblane Hydro and then at The Empress Ballroom, Dundee. This resident band at The Empress had two very good bass players during his stay and I had regular tuition from both on bass technique, with special emphasis on bowing. The owners of The Empress had a policy of booking the big name bands frequently and it was an education to go and hear some of the finest bass players in the country with the bands of Dankworth, Ted Heath, Jack Parnell, etc. My introduction to the Scottish music scene was really unintentional – having been asked by Lindsay Ross to play on his second BBC broadcast. This led to several years’ playing on the dance circuit with Lindsay and a nine month period in 1955 with Jack Forsyth’s Band.
In 1957 I left the Scottish music business and joined the resident band in The Locarno Ballroom, Montrose – playing four or five nights a week. The proprietor, Mr Fortunato, a fine vocalist and alto saxophone player, kept really up to date with his music – always giving the band the current hit tunes as well as some of the great standards. I spent a very enjoyable and educational two years with this band – the sight-reading proved to be invaluable in the years to come. Incidentally, this band had two very fine drummers during my stay – Stan Gorman, who later joined the BBC Midland Orchestra, and Bobby Kerr, who was for many years percussionist with the SNO and now owns The Drum Shop in Glasgow. In 1959 I rejoined Lindsay’s Band and moved to Friockheim, having just married Lindsay’s sister, Marjorie, who was on piano with the band.
In early ’61 I was asked by Ian Powrie to join his band – they having just started doing The White Heather Club television shows, thus beginning an association with Andy Stewart leading to a very heavy work schedule for the band including two long seasons in the Glasgow Empire, Scottish tours, television and radio, plus two tours of Australia and New Zealand as well as the band’s commitments on the dance circuit.
When Ian disbanded in the mid-sixties to leave for Australia, Jimmy Blue carried on with the band retaining most of the original members including myself, and still continuing the busy schedule with Andy Stewart, which included several series of Scotch Corner for Scottish Television and successful summer seasons in H.M. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr and Blackpool.
These long sessions of stage shows were gratifying for me as I did the pit orchestra work as well as the Scottish Band spot on stage.
I found this orchestra work good experience, playing under such musical directors as George Michie, Pat McCann, Arthur Blake and Alex Sutherland.
When Jimmy Blue gave up playing professionally in the seventies I continued to play for Andy Stewart on a freelance basis. This period of the 70s and early 80s was a prolific time for musical television shows. As well as Scotch Corner I was involved at Scottish Television in a series of Dateline, The Melody Lingers On and Showcase with Arthur Blake, Hear Hear with Mark Simpson and Sounds Gaelic and Shindig with John Carmichael.
At Grampian Television there were two series of At Home with Kenneth McKellar with MD Alex Sutherland, six series of 13 shows of Welcome to the Ceilidh with Hebbie Gray’s Band, and a few series of Andy’s Party with Andy Stewart.
The main feature of a career in the music business has been a long and happy association with Andy Stewart – first with Ian Powrie, then Jimmy Blue, and from the mid-70s as a freelance musician until Andy curtailed his workload in 1983. Among the highlights of these many engagements with Andy would certainly be four very enjoyable tours of Australia and New Zealand.
Current trends seem to favour not using bass players at dance gigs, relying on amplified keyboards and accordion left hand for a bass sound. This is no doubt due to economic necessity but is very unfortunate for the young bass players who, in spite of having good tuition nowadays, don’t have the opportunity to go ‘on the road’ with a band – an experience which I and my contemporaries wouldn’t have missed for anything.”
I think that most bandsmen would echo Dave’s sentiments as far as a bass player is concerned.
In the old days every band carried a bass player regularly, in the halls as well as for broadcasting. Transport always included accommodation for the bass. Electronic keyboards and accordion left land don’t really substitute adequately for the double bass, but perhaps things may change again at some point in the future.
Meantime we have to be content with the sound of a double bass during broadcasts or at some clubs. Dave is still very much in demand and is also very busy running an antique business with his wife Marjorie in Friockheim.
Box and Fiddle
February 1988