Owen McCabe
From David Phillips book ‘Jimmy Shand’
Page 46
There was a Shand Band playing fairly regularly by 1940.
Part-time personnel ; Fiddler Jim Cameron, Lemonade man from Kirriemuir, and his daughter May who played accordion ; Alan Reid and Dave Donaldson.
Due to the exigencies of war there was no guarantee they could always be free to play at the same time. Substitutes often had to be located at very short notice.
But at the end of February 1941 it was a lightening attack of flu that knocked a drummer out of the combination.
“How’s it goin’ Jim?” Jerry McCafferty happened to ask in the Fire Station that afternoon when Jim looked more than unusually morose……Then when told of a gap in the ‘dunt’ section – “So ye need a drummer? Cheer up – that’s nae bother! Wee Owney McCabe – he’s yer man! We’ll get him at the sawmill at Lochee.”
Alan Dunsmore describes the meeting (People’s Journal 1/11/56) –
Owney was fetched from the workshop….It was some time before Shand could open his mouth to explain his errand. The man he hoped would play his drums that night stood no higher than his bottom jacket button.
At last Shand announced to the little man ; “Want a job the nicht? I’ve a band playing’ at Alyth an’ we’re needin’ a drummer.”
McCabe went home in great glee to his wife that night.
“I’ve got a job wi’ the drums!” he said excitedly. “Chap called Shand. Never seen him before. But another few bob will come in handy.”
Yet when he set out for Alyth that night his last ounce of confidence took some holding.
“I’ll be all right once I get started,” he thought. But no one had told him that the nervous Shand had a habit of turning his head to the side every time he felt an audience attacking him with their eyes.
Great was Owney’s despondency when he got back home.
“How’d you get on?” his wife asked.
“No’ very braw,” said Owney. “He kept turnin’ round an gie’n’ me dirty looks!”
Thus began a partnership that was to last for more than twenty years.
There was a Shand Band playing fairly regularly by 1940.
Part-time personnel ; Fiddler Jim Cameron, Lemonade man from Kirriemuir, and his daughter May who played accordion ; Alan Reid and Dave Donaldson.
Due to the exigencies of war there was no guarantee they could always be free to play at the same time. Substitutes often had to be located at very short notice.
But at the end of February 1941 it was a lightening attack of flu that knocked a drummer out of the combination.
“How’s it goin’ Jim?” Jerry McCafferty happened to ask in the Fire Station that afternoon when Jim looked more than unusually morose……Then when told of a gap in the ‘dunt’ section – “So ye need a drummer? Cheer up – that’s nae bother! Wee Owney McCabe – he’s yer man! We’ll get him at the sawmill at Lochee.”
Alan Dunsmore describes the meeting (People’s Journal 1/11/56) –
Owney was fetched from the workshop….It was some time before Shand could open his mouth to explain his errand. The man he hoped would play his drums that night stood no higher than his bottom jacket button.
At last Shand announced to the little man ; “Want a job the nicht? I’ve a band playing’ at Alyth an’ we’re needin’ a drummer.”
McCabe went home in great glee to his wife that night.
“I’ve got a job wi’ the drums!” he said excitedly. “Chap called Shand. Never seen him before. But another few bob will come in handy.”
Yet when he set out for Alyth that night his last ounce of confidence took some holding.
“I’ll be all right once I get started,” he thought. But no one had told him that the nervous Shand had a habit of turning his head to the side every time he felt an audience attacking him with their eyes.
Great was Owney’s despondency when he got back home.
“How’d you get on?” his wife asked.
“No’ very braw,” said Owney. “He kept turnin’ round an gie’n’ me dirty looks!”
Thus began a partnership that was to last for more than twenty years.