Gus Millar
by Karin Ingram
This year the NAAFC is honouring 5 guests at the AGM in June. They are – Gus Millar, Jimmy Yeaman, David Cunningham Snr, Dave Barclay and John Crawford. Here is a little bit about that popular and talented drummer Gus Millar.
Gus lives in Fife and is widely regarded as one of the foremost drummers in the world of Scottish dance music, having played with many of the leading bands.
His parents weren’t musical, but Gus was great pals with John Drysdale – for many years on of the country’s foremost pipe band drummers – while they were both in the Boys Brigade in Alloa. Gus liked John’s style of drumming, and it encouraged him to have a go himself. Another much-admired figure in the world of Scottish dance band drumming was Arthur Easson who played with Ian Powrie. Gus worked hard to develop a style of his own, while incorporating what he learned from hearing others play.
As a young boy in the late fifties and early sixties he played with The Clachan Ceilidh, at that time led by Jack Delaney. His time with them included tours of Germany and Sweden. Over the years the Clachan were to include such names as Neil McMillan, Forbes McFarlane and Bert Fullerton.
In 1964 Gus joined Hamish Menzies’ 6-piece Broadcasting Band which, when Hamish retired, was taken over by Jack Delaney. The early seventies saw Gus playing in George Fleming’s Country Dance Band (from Crosshouse, Ayrshire) which included Archie Brown on fiddle, Dave Waters on bass, Archie McHarg on second box and Janie Barr on piano.
In 1977 Neil McMillan asked Gus to join The Wallochmor Ceilidh Band with whom he then played all over the world. When The Wallochs scaled down their playing but to button-box player Sandy Coghill’s move to Skye Gus joined The Occasionals, with whom he plays regularly today.
Over the years Gus has recorded and broadcast with many well-known dance players such as Lex Keith, The Ochil Players, Colin Dewar, Colin Finlayson, Ian Holmes, Andrew Rankine and Ronnie Easton to name but a few.
Box and Fiddle
March 2002
Gus lives in Fife and is widely regarded as one of the foremost drummers in the world of Scottish dance music, having played with many of the leading bands.
His parents weren’t musical, but Gus was great pals with John Drysdale – for many years on of the country’s foremost pipe band drummers – while they were both in the Boys Brigade in Alloa. Gus liked John’s style of drumming, and it encouraged him to have a go himself. Another much-admired figure in the world of Scottish dance band drumming was Arthur Easson who played with Ian Powrie. Gus worked hard to develop a style of his own, while incorporating what he learned from hearing others play.
As a young boy in the late fifties and early sixties he played with The Clachan Ceilidh, at that time led by Jack Delaney. His time with them included tours of Germany and Sweden. Over the years the Clachan were to include such names as Neil McMillan, Forbes McFarlane and Bert Fullerton.
In 1964 Gus joined Hamish Menzies’ 6-piece Broadcasting Band which, when Hamish retired, was taken over by Jack Delaney. The early seventies saw Gus playing in George Fleming’s Country Dance Band (from Crosshouse, Ayrshire) which included Archie Brown on fiddle, Dave Waters on bass, Archie McHarg on second box and Janie Barr on piano.
In 1977 Neil McMillan asked Gus to join The Wallochmor Ceilidh Band with whom he then played all over the world. When The Wallochs scaled down their playing but to button-box player Sandy Coghill’s move to Skye Gus joined The Occasionals, with whom he plays regularly today.
Over the years Gus has recorded and broadcast with many well-known dance players such as Lex Keith, The Ochil Players, Colin Dewar, Colin Finlayson, Ian Holmes, Andrew Rankine and Ronnie Easton to name but a few.
Box and Fiddle
March 2002