Box and Fiddle
Year 42 No 08
April 2019
Price £3.00
56 Page Magazine
12 month subscription £33.60 + p&p £15.85 (UK)
Billy Craib
by Pia Walker
On a fine February day, I motored to Edinburgh to meet with bass player Billy Craib, one of our 2019 Guests of Honour.
So who is he? I couldn’t find much online, which is a pity, because Billy has played bass with many of the greatest bands during the past 50+ years.
Billy hails from Kirriemuir. He grew up on a farm as his dad was a farm labourer for 40 years. There were tow other brothers, Brian and Arthur, with Billy being the youngest. His dad, Jim, played fiddle and his mother Gladys sang; they were obviously a musical family as brother Brian is a retired music teacher and a composer who also played double bass with the Scottish National Orchestra. Billy’s niece is a professional viola player in Germany. As Billy says, there is a lot of musical discussion when the family gets together; however, Billy is the only one who branched into Scottish music.
Billy only got into music after he finished school as a 15-year-old, when he got hold of a 6-string guitar and joined a rock band – and yes, at that time he had long hair! He is self-taught. At that time he was working locally in a jute mill and I got the impression that it wasn’t a labour of love. Later he changed to double bass and also became a singer in the band.
He identifies Davie Stewart, who also hails from Kirrie, as the one who got him into Scottish dance band music. It was through Stark’s Snack Bar, owned by Davie’s stepfather, and the juke-box in residence there that they got to know each other, and he was invited to join Davie’s band in 1966.
His first gig was in Edzell, with the rock band, and he admits he got hooked and felt this was what life was al about, partly because the band was asked to judge in the ‘most beautiful knees’ competition. What an opportunity!
At that time her was working in the said jute mill as a tenter, which meant he was in charge of keeping the looms going. It entailed a 9-hour working day split over 3 shifts and scary work. The looms were large and noisy and so were the women who worked them – especially if the looms stopped working. The women were on bonus work and couldn’t earn if their looms were quiet. Although most communication was via sign language because of the noise, they could sure shout if anything was wrong!
Billy was sent to the Bell Street Tech in Dundee one day a week to update his knowledge of looms, and it was while at College that he turned professional. At college one day he received a phone call from Jim Johnstone who had heard him play and as a result wanted him to join his band, the band that toured with The White Heather Club. When he heard that the wage was 4 times better than the jute mill, he gave in his notice and a week later traveled to Edinburgh. “This was the first time I crossed the Forth Road Bridge,” he says.
Thus began a life on the road, starting with 10 weeks in 10 cities with a week in ever theatre. The first one was Wolverhampton and the next Eastbourne, and this entailed a criss-crossing throughout the land. “I felt like a fish out of water, and it took me a while to settle. It was daunting, but Jim Johnstone’s work ethics suited me. He was a hard taskmaster, but we were all well rehearsed. He expected you to turn up on time and to turn up sober – which happened most of the time!”
This was when he met Billy Thom. It was at a rehearsal for the dancers in a church hall in Glasgow. “Billy came up to me to ask what I had done, to which I answered “nothing”. He asked me if I knew the tune Macleod of Mull to which I said yes, having decided that I should say yea to everything in the beginning. Afterwards Billy came over and told me, “I have never seen nor heard of you, but that was some note with a big dig.” And thus started a 40+ year friendship with the ‘big man’. Every year Billy attends the NAAFC Golf Day, which was started in memory of Billy Thom, acting as a caddy because he doesn’t play golf and can be seen enjoying a tune afterwards in the Club House.
I asked him how long he had had his double bass, which was lying on the floor in the dining room. He told me it was his second as his first was broken 45 years ago. Apart from working three bands (Jim Johnstone’s, Alex MacArthur’s and John Carmichael’s) he also worked as a driver. He was working on an Aberdeen run and his pal asked him to go with him to play at Aberdeen A&F Club where the bass skidded, slipped out of his hands on to the floor and ended up with a broken neck. “I just stood there stunned, looking at the wreckage.” My friend’s consoling words were; “Well, there are consolations – it will now fit better into the car.” This was a bit of a disaster for a musician, but his brother came to the rescue. He had a double bass for sale, so they made a deal and this double bass has been with him ever since. “I couldn’t sell it, it would be a total betrayal.” Similarly he has on old Fender Precision which he will not sell, despite having had many offers over the years, including one after a show 20 years ago when an American tourist offered him $4,000 for it. “I thought about it for under a nano-second and replied, it is not for sale pal!”
Through the show work, Billy has worked as a pit band musician for many acts: ventriloquists, contortionists and performing dogs (not at the same time though). He has done a wide variety of gigs, even compering a funeral by linking several musical interludes during the service. He had me giggling over a story about how a member of the band once bought dog food and fed some hungry performing dogs, so that when they come on stage they completely ignored their handler and just looked down into the pit, wagging their tails. The musician received a telling off from Jim Johnstone (well, Billy called it something else) and a warning. However, everyone could see the funny side.
Billy has a wide musical knowledge and experience and he is a man of many talents. He has played with Jack Emblow, who “really brought out the music in you.” He has played jazz duets with George Chisholm OBE. He sings A Windmill in Old Amsterdam as he can still remember working with Ronnie Hiltonin the 80s. He appeared with Ian Bain on a CD with ‘funky waulking songs’. He plays in sessions in Edinburgh where you can find him in the Captains Bar and the Royal Oak, and he has even played Jimmy Hendrix music on double bass with Alan Grant who regularly appears in Sandy Bells. An early nickname was Bill ‘Bo Bass’ Craib, named after Bo Diddly the US R&B artist. He also told me that he would die a happy man as he had seen Ella Fitzgerald and her husband Rae Brown appear live at the Playhouse in Edinburgh in the early 80s. “Even when I was a lad and although I was teased about the type of music I listened to, her voice did something to me.”
Over the years, Billy has played with the greats; Jim Johnstone and his band members were mentioned several times. He has played with Calum Kennedy both in shows and on a recording, and with “so many who are no longer with us.” He has played with the Cape Breton Fiddlers and says that “playing with fiddlers really opens up one’s music.” He has also played with Gordon Pattullo and in many other radio recording bands. He told me that he loves strathspeys, especially one by Nan Main, Provost Skene’s House, which he feels is one of the best constructed modern tunes as it moves from minor to major key.
Does he still Scottish? Yes, although now he plays more ceilidh than SDB. For the last ten years he has played in Singapore with Neil Barron, but he also works with many of the younger musicians. So, although double bass players are an endangered species, he is still kept busy. 6-piece bands are now a rare occurrence with electronics used as replacements. He admits that there are ups and downs to working as a professional musician, but that the good times far outweighs the bad.
What changes can he see in Scottish music today? He admits that musicians today are talented and with great technique. He is not keen on hearing music played at break-neck speed with all the pyrotechnics for dancing, as he feels it loses its meaning. “I have been called boring, and so be it, but you can’t beat a steady beat. The syncopation you hear today is too rehearsed; syncopation should be spontaneous.”
I’m sure you will agree with me that Billy is indeed worthy of being a guest of honour.
From Max Ketchin
“I first came across Billy in the early 70s when I began attending A&F Clubs in and around the Lothians and Saturday ceilidh dances in the Woodside Hotel in Musselburgh and the Chase in Bonnyrigg. He always had time to chat to me, although he hardly knew me. Billy encouraged me along whenever I was fortunate to play with him at A&F Clubs.
When I joined the Jim johnstone Band in late 1976 it was a great thrill and Billy being an ‘auld hand’ was an immense help to me. Billy coached and advised me and showed me all the tricks and tips to help me in those early days. To me he never seemed to get flustered and was always very level headed and dependable.
One of his most outstanding talents, apart from his playing ability, was his memory. Billy had an almost photographic memory for names, faces and places. He was the forerunner to the sat nav. Billy could guide you to any venue with pinpoint accuracy and was seldom wrong.
I owe Billy a great debt for his help during those early days of my dance music career and can think of no-one more fitting to be honoured by the NAAFC.”
From Davie Stewart
“What can I say? Bill is a total enthusiast and always willing to have a go.”
by Pia Walker
On a fine February day, I motored to Edinburgh to meet with bass player Billy Craib, one of our 2019 Guests of Honour.
So who is he? I couldn’t find much online, which is a pity, because Billy has played bass with many of the greatest bands during the past 50+ years.
Billy hails from Kirriemuir. He grew up on a farm as his dad was a farm labourer for 40 years. There were tow other brothers, Brian and Arthur, with Billy being the youngest. His dad, Jim, played fiddle and his mother Gladys sang; they were obviously a musical family as brother Brian is a retired music teacher and a composer who also played double bass with the Scottish National Orchestra. Billy’s niece is a professional viola player in Germany. As Billy says, there is a lot of musical discussion when the family gets together; however, Billy is the only one who branched into Scottish music.
Billy only got into music after he finished school as a 15-year-old, when he got hold of a 6-string guitar and joined a rock band – and yes, at that time he had long hair! He is self-taught. At that time he was working locally in a jute mill and I got the impression that it wasn’t a labour of love. Later he changed to double bass and also became a singer in the band.
He identifies Davie Stewart, who also hails from Kirrie, as the one who got him into Scottish dance band music. It was through Stark’s Snack Bar, owned by Davie’s stepfather, and the juke-box in residence there that they got to know each other, and he was invited to join Davie’s band in 1966.
His first gig was in Edzell, with the rock band, and he admits he got hooked and felt this was what life was al about, partly because the band was asked to judge in the ‘most beautiful knees’ competition. What an opportunity!
At that time her was working in the said jute mill as a tenter, which meant he was in charge of keeping the looms going. It entailed a 9-hour working day split over 3 shifts and scary work. The looms were large and noisy and so were the women who worked them – especially if the looms stopped working. The women were on bonus work and couldn’t earn if their looms were quiet. Although most communication was via sign language because of the noise, they could sure shout if anything was wrong!
Billy was sent to the Bell Street Tech in Dundee one day a week to update his knowledge of looms, and it was while at College that he turned professional. At college one day he received a phone call from Jim Johnstone who had heard him play and as a result wanted him to join his band, the band that toured with The White Heather Club. When he heard that the wage was 4 times better than the jute mill, he gave in his notice and a week later traveled to Edinburgh. “This was the first time I crossed the Forth Road Bridge,” he says.
Thus began a life on the road, starting with 10 weeks in 10 cities with a week in ever theatre. The first one was Wolverhampton and the next Eastbourne, and this entailed a criss-crossing throughout the land. “I felt like a fish out of water, and it took me a while to settle. It was daunting, but Jim Johnstone’s work ethics suited me. He was a hard taskmaster, but we were all well rehearsed. He expected you to turn up on time and to turn up sober – which happened most of the time!”
This was when he met Billy Thom. It was at a rehearsal for the dancers in a church hall in Glasgow. “Billy came up to me to ask what I had done, to which I answered “nothing”. He asked me if I knew the tune Macleod of Mull to which I said yes, having decided that I should say yea to everything in the beginning. Afterwards Billy came over and told me, “I have never seen nor heard of you, but that was some note with a big dig.” And thus started a 40+ year friendship with the ‘big man’. Every year Billy attends the NAAFC Golf Day, which was started in memory of Billy Thom, acting as a caddy because he doesn’t play golf and can be seen enjoying a tune afterwards in the Club House.
I asked him how long he had had his double bass, which was lying on the floor in the dining room. He told me it was his second as his first was broken 45 years ago. Apart from working three bands (Jim Johnstone’s, Alex MacArthur’s and John Carmichael’s) he also worked as a driver. He was working on an Aberdeen run and his pal asked him to go with him to play at Aberdeen A&F Club where the bass skidded, slipped out of his hands on to the floor and ended up with a broken neck. “I just stood there stunned, looking at the wreckage.” My friend’s consoling words were; “Well, there are consolations – it will now fit better into the car.” This was a bit of a disaster for a musician, but his brother came to the rescue. He had a double bass for sale, so they made a deal and this double bass has been with him ever since. “I couldn’t sell it, it would be a total betrayal.” Similarly he has on old Fender Precision which he will not sell, despite having had many offers over the years, including one after a show 20 years ago when an American tourist offered him $4,000 for it. “I thought about it for under a nano-second and replied, it is not for sale pal!”
Through the show work, Billy has worked as a pit band musician for many acts: ventriloquists, contortionists and performing dogs (not at the same time though). He has done a wide variety of gigs, even compering a funeral by linking several musical interludes during the service. He had me giggling over a story about how a member of the band once bought dog food and fed some hungry performing dogs, so that when they come on stage they completely ignored their handler and just looked down into the pit, wagging their tails. The musician received a telling off from Jim Johnstone (well, Billy called it something else) and a warning. However, everyone could see the funny side.
Billy has a wide musical knowledge and experience and he is a man of many talents. He has played with Jack Emblow, who “really brought out the music in you.” He has played jazz duets with George Chisholm OBE. He sings A Windmill in Old Amsterdam as he can still remember working with Ronnie Hiltonin the 80s. He appeared with Ian Bain on a CD with ‘funky waulking songs’. He plays in sessions in Edinburgh where you can find him in the Captains Bar and the Royal Oak, and he has even played Jimmy Hendrix music on double bass with Alan Grant who regularly appears in Sandy Bells. An early nickname was Bill ‘Bo Bass’ Craib, named after Bo Diddly the US R&B artist. He also told me that he would die a happy man as he had seen Ella Fitzgerald and her husband Rae Brown appear live at the Playhouse in Edinburgh in the early 80s. “Even when I was a lad and although I was teased about the type of music I listened to, her voice did something to me.”
Over the years, Billy has played with the greats; Jim Johnstone and his band members were mentioned several times. He has played with Calum Kennedy both in shows and on a recording, and with “so many who are no longer with us.” He has played with the Cape Breton Fiddlers and says that “playing with fiddlers really opens up one’s music.” He has also played with Gordon Pattullo and in many other radio recording bands. He told me that he loves strathspeys, especially one by Nan Main, Provost Skene’s House, which he feels is one of the best constructed modern tunes as it moves from minor to major key.
Does he still Scottish? Yes, although now he plays more ceilidh than SDB. For the last ten years he has played in Singapore with Neil Barron, but he also works with many of the younger musicians. So, although double bass players are an endangered species, he is still kept busy. 6-piece bands are now a rare occurrence with electronics used as replacements. He admits that there are ups and downs to working as a professional musician, but that the good times far outweighs the bad.
What changes can he see in Scottish music today? He admits that musicians today are talented and with great technique. He is not keen on hearing music played at break-neck speed with all the pyrotechnics for dancing, as he feels it loses its meaning. “I have been called boring, and so be it, but you can’t beat a steady beat. The syncopation you hear today is too rehearsed; syncopation should be spontaneous.”
I’m sure you will agree with me that Billy is indeed worthy of being a guest of honour.
From Max Ketchin
“I first came across Billy in the early 70s when I began attending A&F Clubs in and around the Lothians and Saturday ceilidh dances in the Woodside Hotel in Musselburgh and the Chase in Bonnyrigg. He always had time to chat to me, although he hardly knew me. Billy encouraged me along whenever I was fortunate to play with him at A&F Clubs.
When I joined the Jim johnstone Band in late 1976 it was a great thrill and Billy being an ‘auld hand’ was an immense help to me. Billy coached and advised me and showed me all the tricks and tips to help me in those early days. To me he never seemed to get flustered and was always very level headed and dependable.
One of his most outstanding talents, apart from his playing ability, was his memory. Billy had an almost photographic memory for names, faces and places. He was the forerunner to the sat nav. Billy could guide you to any venue with pinpoint accuracy and was seldom wrong.
I owe Billy a great debt for his help during those early days of my dance music career and can think of no-one more fitting to be honoured by the NAAFC.”
From Davie Stewart
“What can I say? Bill is a total enthusiast and always willing to have a go.”