Scottish Country Dance Bands 2
The First ‘Gie’ Gordons Were Sic Young Laddies
Back in 1949 Lamont Forbes, Lyall Duncan, Jack Lindsay and Fred Collins were members of the 29th Company (Bonnethill) Boys’ Brigade, Dundee.
One Friday night in February of that year, talk among these four turned to the possibility of forming a Country Dance Band.
Lamont played accordion, Lyall and Jack violins and Fred drums.
Parents to the Rescue
But Fred had no drum kit, although he was the lead drummer in the BB Pipe Band. This problem was solved when he was able to persuade his parents to buy him a drum kit that same week.
A start had been made. After a search a Morgan Academy schoolboy, Bobby Moffat, was engaged as pianist and practices were held regularly.
The Scottish country Dance boom was on in Dundee, the number of clubs holding classes was increasing, and bookings began to roll in for the new band. “Sic young laddies, tae!” was a remark which frequently accompanied any praise which came their way.
The next target for the boys of the ‘Gie’ Gordons Country Dance Band was to play “on the wireless”. Their audition at Coldside Studio was successful, and they broadcast for the first time less than a year after forming. Their average age was 15 years, and two of the members were still in shorts.
The spelling – and pronunciation – of the band’s name has been the cause of some amusement and even indignation among audiences.
Their Outfits
Members are frequently asked the origin and meaning of the ‘Gie’ (which rhymes with ‘pie’.
This was unforeseen when, 11 years ago, four youngsters decided to call themselves after the title of a record in circulation at the time.
But now, despite having been billed as, ‘Gay’, ‘Gey’ and ‘Gee’, the band are convinced the ‘Gie’ is a good gimmick.
At first, all money received for playing was put into a common fund. For there were many things to buy such as microphones, amplifiers and dress.
Many people in Dundee and round about may remember the band in their white shirts and Gordon kilts. These were replaced by Dress Gordon kilts and green doublets which have, in turn, been replaced by Dress Gordon dinner jackets and black evening trousers with an alternative set of jackets.
Careers and National Service were to have a considerable effect on a band whose players were so young.
Lamont turned for a time to a professional stage career. Fred and Bobby both emigrated to Canada, and Jack and Lyall, who were step-brothers, were eventually called to National Service.
These changes came in stages and there have been none in the last four years apart from the recent resignation of pianist David Burness. Some former players with the ‘Gie’ Gordons are now with other well-known bands.
Favourite Places
The present line-up is
Kenneth Stewart (accordion) who is a salesman.
Jack Lindsay (violin) costing clerk.
David Glass (drums) clerk
Mick Graham (piano) journalist
Lyall Duncan (bass) project engineer
The band find they are most popular in Inverness-shire, but among their favourite places for dances are the Rosemount Rooms, Montrose and the Village Hall, Letham, Angus.
They have travelled as far as Golspie for a one-night stand (205 miles) and have also played in Skye and the Western highlands on one-week tours during 1959 and 1960.
Among the highlights of the band’s engagements was a trip to Paris in 1952 with the Greenfield Dancers to play at an open-air Festival. They also appeared on French television.
Bagpipe Tunes
Fiddle-player Jack Lindsay has composed one or two tunes which are played frequently, but it is the old music of Gow, MacIntosh etc, upon which they concentrate with a preference for the old bagpipe tunes.
They find they must be able to play all the up-to-date compositions of the Scots musicians and both Jack and Ken are always on the look-out for new material. Between them they have a comprehensive collection of the old and new music.
A feature of the band’s broadcasts in the last three years has been that in 15 consecutive programmes they have played 120 dances. This represents roughly 360 tunes. They take a pride in not repeating a tune.
One night in February, 1958, the band had been playing at a hall in Inverness and were returning to Dundee.
New music stands, which had been quite expensive as music stands go, had been in use for the first time.
In Snowdrift
In bitter weather the van, a Bedford Dormobile, approached Drumochter Pass between Dalwhinnie and Blair Atholl. At 2am the van stuck in a snowdrift and the snow began to pile higher up the sides.
The music stands were grabbed, the wooden flaps torn off and improvised as spades. After half and hour as shovelling and scraping with these, the bodies of the stands were also used to clear the wheels.
By 3am the wheels were clear enough to try to move the van, but the back wheels kept spinning on the hard packed snow. So the canvas music stand covers – also new – were sacrificed under the back wheels.
The players arrived, eventually, in Dundee at 9 o’clock in the morning, safely, but with the new music stands in dire need of repair.
The band plays frequently in Dundee and this season has been mainly responsible for record crowds at Dundee & District Railwaymen’s Country Dance Club in Guthrie Street.
The First ‘Gie’ Gordons Were Sic Young Laddies
Back in 1949 Lamont Forbes, Lyall Duncan, Jack Lindsay and Fred Collins were members of the 29th Company (Bonnethill) Boys’ Brigade, Dundee.
One Friday night in February of that year, talk among these four turned to the possibility of forming a Country Dance Band.
Lamont played accordion, Lyall and Jack violins and Fred drums.
Parents to the Rescue
But Fred had no drum kit, although he was the lead drummer in the BB Pipe Band. This problem was solved when he was able to persuade his parents to buy him a drum kit that same week.
A start had been made. After a search a Morgan Academy schoolboy, Bobby Moffat, was engaged as pianist and practices were held regularly.
The Scottish country Dance boom was on in Dundee, the number of clubs holding classes was increasing, and bookings began to roll in for the new band. “Sic young laddies, tae!” was a remark which frequently accompanied any praise which came their way.
The next target for the boys of the ‘Gie’ Gordons Country Dance Band was to play “on the wireless”. Their audition at Coldside Studio was successful, and they broadcast for the first time less than a year after forming. Their average age was 15 years, and two of the members were still in shorts.
The spelling – and pronunciation – of the band’s name has been the cause of some amusement and even indignation among audiences.
Their Outfits
Members are frequently asked the origin and meaning of the ‘Gie’ (which rhymes with ‘pie’.
This was unforeseen when, 11 years ago, four youngsters decided to call themselves after the title of a record in circulation at the time.
But now, despite having been billed as, ‘Gay’, ‘Gey’ and ‘Gee’, the band are convinced the ‘Gie’ is a good gimmick.
At first, all money received for playing was put into a common fund. For there were many things to buy such as microphones, amplifiers and dress.
Many people in Dundee and round about may remember the band in their white shirts and Gordon kilts. These were replaced by Dress Gordon kilts and green doublets which have, in turn, been replaced by Dress Gordon dinner jackets and black evening trousers with an alternative set of jackets.
Careers and National Service were to have a considerable effect on a band whose players were so young.
Lamont turned for a time to a professional stage career. Fred and Bobby both emigrated to Canada, and Jack and Lyall, who were step-brothers, were eventually called to National Service.
These changes came in stages and there have been none in the last four years apart from the recent resignation of pianist David Burness. Some former players with the ‘Gie’ Gordons are now with other well-known bands.
Favourite Places
The present line-up is
Kenneth Stewart (accordion) who is a salesman.
Jack Lindsay (violin) costing clerk.
David Glass (drums) clerk
Mick Graham (piano) journalist
Lyall Duncan (bass) project engineer
The band find they are most popular in Inverness-shire, but among their favourite places for dances are the Rosemount Rooms, Montrose and the Village Hall, Letham, Angus.
They have travelled as far as Golspie for a one-night stand (205 miles) and have also played in Skye and the Western highlands on one-week tours during 1959 and 1960.
Among the highlights of the band’s engagements was a trip to Paris in 1952 with the Greenfield Dancers to play at an open-air Festival. They also appeared on French television.
Bagpipe Tunes
Fiddle-player Jack Lindsay has composed one or two tunes which are played frequently, but it is the old music of Gow, MacIntosh etc, upon which they concentrate with a preference for the old bagpipe tunes.
They find they must be able to play all the up-to-date compositions of the Scots musicians and both Jack and Ken are always on the look-out for new material. Between them they have a comprehensive collection of the old and new music.
A feature of the band’s broadcasts in the last three years has been that in 15 consecutive programmes they have played 120 dances. This represents roughly 360 tunes. They take a pride in not repeating a tune.
One night in February, 1958, the band had been playing at a hall in Inverness and were returning to Dundee.
New music stands, which had been quite expensive as music stands go, had been in use for the first time.
In Snowdrift
In bitter weather the van, a Bedford Dormobile, approached Drumochter Pass between Dalwhinnie and Blair Atholl. At 2am the van stuck in a snowdrift and the snow began to pile higher up the sides.
The music stands were grabbed, the wooden flaps torn off and improvised as spades. After half and hour as shovelling and scraping with these, the bodies of the stands were also used to clear the wheels.
By 3am the wheels were clear enough to try to move the van, but the back wheels kept spinning on the hard packed snow. So the canvas music stand covers – also new – were sacrificed under the back wheels.
The players arrived, eventually, in Dundee at 9 o’clock in the morning, safely, but with the new music stands in dire need of repair.
The band plays frequently in Dundee and this season has been mainly responsible for record crowds at Dundee & District Railwaymen’s Country Dance Club in Guthrie Street.