Box and Fiddle Year 02 No 07
April 1979
Price 15p
8 pages
7 month subscription £1.75
Editor - Ian Smith, 50 Mount Vernon Road, Stranraer
Editorial
Here we are at the end of our second season and our thanks are expressed to all those club Secretaries and those who sent in articles. Thanks, too, to Derek and his Record Review.
The Annual General Meeting, as you will no doubt observe, is at Dunblane this year and at night is the Presentation Dinner for Jimmy Shand.
At the AGM I will be proposing that the publication date and the deadline date be reversed. As it is at the moment it is quite unsatisfactory, especially at the Christmas period.
The Secretary of the Forres Club has now got the phone in, Mr Ray McKenzie, Forres 74002.
The Wallochmore Band have a new address, Freeland Barbour, 44 Merchiston Avenue, Edinburgh, EH10 4NZ. Tel 031-229-1099 or 031-226-3153 Day.
This second season of ours has been one of consolidation and one or two things have a need to be adjusted. I would be obliged if Secretaries, next time they write to me, give me the name of the depot where papers have to be collected from. For various reasons some have gone missing, weather, industrial action etc.
(Younger readers may find it hard to believe but back Ian Smith the Editor packaged the B&Fs and delivered the parcels to the local Bus Depot from where they were distributed by bus all over Scotland to a Club’s local depot where the Secretary uplifted them. It certainly wasn’t the most reliable system in the world and tracing them if they didn’t arrive was practically impossible. There was also a constant argument about the publication date – should it be the start of the month or the middle of the month. In each case it suited the clubs which met just after that date best and the clubs who met furthest from that date least. For a time it actually changed every three years to give everyone a crack of the whip)
‘The Strings of Scotland’
Ayr & Prestwick Strathspey & Reel Society
The Orchestra was created in the Spring on 1972 and the first members were the present Conductor, Mr John Mason of Troon, its Leader, Mr William S. Dunlop of Prestwick, and its Secretary, Mrs E.M. Dunlop. The orchestra gradually increased its numbers until it was of sufficient size to undertake the ‘Fiddlers’ Rally’ held in conjunction with the Mod in Ayr in October, 1973.
The Orchestra organised and was the nucleus of the large orchestra which took part in the Rally which was held in the Dam Park Hall under the baton of Mr Mason. The show was televised and excerpts shown on a considerable number of occasions by BBC Scotland. A record under the title ‘Strings of Scotland’ was published by Phillips International, reproducing the highlights of the rally and this record has been an outstanding commercial success.
In March, 1975, the orchestra was asked by Lord Elgin to organise a Fiddler’ Rally to be held in City Hall, Perth, as a highlight of the Air Canada Silver Broom World Curling championship held in Perth. The music from the Rally was used as background music of the Air Canada Film of the Championship for 1975. An LP of the concert was also issued.
Since then the orchestra has gone from strength to strength and has played all over Scotland for various charities, mainly Cancer Research and the RNLI. In conjunction with Cancer Research we had the honour of organising a Fiddlers’ Rally in the Royal Albert Hall, London ; the orchestra consisted of 205 players from the Orkneys to the Borders and was a great success.
In the future we have bookings up to 1981 including concerts in Perth, Paisley, Greenock, Lanark, Motherwell, Largs, Lamlash, Carluke, East Kilbride and Castle Douglas.
Our Annual Concert in conjunction with Cancer Research is being held in the Dam Park Hall on Saturday, 5th May, 1979, and another Rally for Gastro Intestinal Digestive Research is being held in the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow on 15th September, 1979.
Any further information can be had from Mrs E.M. Dunlop Phone 79043.
Club Demise – Straiton
It is sad to relate the demise of another member Club, even more so when that Club is a founder member of the Association. Straiton Club was the third one to get going and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. The Association has grown to some 44 clubs now stretching from the Shetlands to Co. Durham.
Rising costs of guest artistes, etc has forced Straiton out of business. The Club is, was, run by John Loch, one of the most ardent supporters of traditional accordion music. He is still as enthusiastic as ever and reckons he weill be able to get round even more. No one can put a value on John’s worth to the Association. No matter the distance, state of, the weather, or financial cost, John was the first to do his bit. He was instrumental in helping Beith, Galston, Cumnock and Stranraer Clubs to get off the ground. There will be a void in this part of the country, but somehow, somewhere, like the Phoenix, another Club will rise up.
Friendly Rip Off at Fintry
Yehudie MacEwan (aka Jimmy Yeaman)
It was a dreadful winter’s night on Monday, 26th February, with sleet and rain coming off the Sampsie Hills and chilling the bone to the marrow. It was therefore an incredible night to see a full house at the Fintry Accordion Club. In fact, due to the set-up there it was a wonder they ever get any audience at all.
First of all let us look at the venue. The meeting takes place in the ‘Barn’ which is just a few yards from Culcreuch Castle. The barn is a large stone building, the inside of which resembles a medieval banqueting hall devoid of drapes and soft furnishings with the grey cold stonework as the main feature. It has a high roof and its and its dimensions seem to be five yards wide x 500 yards long. The writer arrived late and had to stand at the back. It was like looking down a telescope – from the wrong end. The wall behind the stage has a large ‘Galbraith’ sign and the first impression was that this was a new branch of a well-known supermarket. It turns out, however, that Culcreuch is the seat of the Clan Galbraith and that the area has strong historical interest well worth a visit.
Man in Charge
So much for the place, now for the man in charge – Alec Fitzsimmons. Big Alec books the guest artistes, sets up the amplifiers, cleans out the toilets, comperes the meeting in an autocratic way with a tendency to intimidate fiddle players usually about half his size. He is a member of the Fintry Ceilidh Band which consists of four players – three row button box, organ, drums and Alec drives the getaway car. Alec does a musician and magician act at the same time. With his right hand he plays the box and with his left he does a vanishing act with as many whiskies as anyone will set up for him.
One pleasant aspect of the Club is that players are now allowed in free of charge. After a short period of time, however, quite a number of them were at the door volunteering to pay to be allowed out again.
Guest artistes for the evening were Irene Kelso and Silvia Gilmour – the Barmaids. Without their magnificent efforts to satisfy the unquenchable thirst of the audience, the night would have been a disaster.
Tremendous Form
In the middle of their act, lo and behold – in walked the Iain MacPhail Band from Edinburgh. The lads were in tremendous form as usual. Debonair Iain doesn’t say an awful lot. Perhaps his whiskers, which stretch from ear to ear, in a semi-circle via his mouth, are a prevention. Or could it be he is under doctors orders, after his recent hernia operation, not to move his lips? The ‘Glenmorangie’ managed to filter through anyway.
Main spokesman for the group is fiddle and character Allan Johnstone. Allan has that handsome, rugged look of a man who has lived 40 good summers – and 60 hard winters – and his voice sounds as if he gargles frequently with anti-freeze. He holds his fiddle in a most unusual way. The blunt end disappears in his large left ear and one can’t help looking for it to re-appear from his right ear. The sharp end is aimed directly at the audience and in the dim light it looked as if he was about to fire from a single-barreled sawn-off shotgun.
However, there is no doubting his ability to play the fiddle. His rendering of his own composition, a slow air, brought the house down. (Thanks for the dram Allan).
His best performance, however, was when he presented the raffle prizes. Each female winner was subjected to a stranglehold embrace that would have made Mick McManus green with envy.
Second box player Brian Griffin didn’t get the credit he deserved. Unlike the Balloch audience, the one thing that Fintry folk can’t stand is TALENT! Don’t worry Brian, treat it as a compliment.
Drummer George Darling, from the North-East of England, sounds as if he has just come from that TV series – ‘When the Boat Comes In’. I’m sure he is the guy who blew up the ancient building in the programme and caused all the trouble. George still has that war wounds and shell-shock look – a legacy from his years with the Great Andrew Rankine Band.
Best looking man in the band is bachelor and keyboard player Dave Flockhart. Dave’s cheery smile and eye contact with the audience enhanced the band’s presentation. Because of this, however, he was half-way through the first performance before he discovered the machine wasn’t plugged in.
One of the Best
The Iain MacPhail Band is without doubt one of the best on the go, and part of the reason for their popularity is that the full team of broadcasting and recording players appear at their various engagements all over the country. Entertainment for the rest of the evening was provided by fiddle players, other musicians, and accordion players. Adding culture and class to the night were fiddlers Andrew Kettles, Denis McLaughlin and Jimmy Yeaman with Duncan Burns on drums. On piano Jim Muir, Colin Finlayson and that one-armed bandit bass player Neil McMillan. Rattling his bones was Jim McLaren. Playing the squeeze box were Gordon Young (EK), Alan Roy, Kirsty Bisset, Ricki Franci, Bill Black, John Kettles, Ailsa McKinnon and Wilson Rough.
If you haven’t been to Fintry Club you haven’t lived!
After you’ve been to Fintry Club you’ll wish you hadn’t lived.
P.S. The above mentioned characters are all fictitious. Any resemblance between them and real musicians is purely coincidental.
At ‘Sixties and ‘Seventies and Bon Accord
by Alf Silk
It’s a far cry from the days of the old spoon-bass melodeon to the sophisticated accordion of today. But each decade had produced its fair share of talented performers on the instruments available at the time from, let’s say, the lilting melodies of Peter and Daniel Wyper of the 1900’s, to the subtle artistry of Jack Emblow, and the precision and balance of our Scottish Dance Bands of the 1960’s and 70’s.
Gone are the days of the simple vamping accompaniment. Our traditional music is now enhanced by proper harmonic shading. And in Scotland today there is such a wealth of talent that for me to designate bands or individuals would be superfluous.
As the showman at the fairground would say, ‘You takes your choice’.
Significant Events
I can best remember the ‘sixties for two significant events affecting me personally. In the first instance, it was the one serious illness of life which landed me in hospital for a month. The second one was my impending retirement.
During my stay in hospital I had time to ponder on the past – please don’t think I was wishing I’d led a better life, or anything like that – but I decided to take things a lot easier if not actually give up playing and teaching altogether. (That was, of course, if I survived this setback).
I had only been in hospital a few days and was under the drip (blood transfusion) when who should breeze in but Peter White, the well-known bandleader from Cumnock. He was a member of the hospital outside staff and had heard of me being admitted as a patient.
As he left me that day Peter told me I would be having another surprise visitor. And sure enough, shortly after, there appeared at my bedside an accordionist I hadn’t seen since the war, Grant Muir from Auchinleck.
Needless to say these chats proved to be marvelous therapy. It must have been a good six months before I was prevailed upon to resume playing and teaching. This I did on a much reduced scale.
Pinch of Salt
All my colleagues took my ‘threats’ of retirement with a pinch of salt, but when the time came I really meant it. And to prove it I gave away my dinner dance library of music, and got rid of my instruments, including an electric harpsichord.
I did not mean to become involved again. I intended devoting my time and energies entirely to other interests. So for about a year I did little playing at all. In fact, I’d done no serious playing for a long time before this.
However, we all know what Burns said about the ‘best laid schemes o’ mice and men…..’
It was towards the end of 1969 when Davie Ross paid me a visit and invited me to participate in the opening of Galston Accordion and Fiddle Club. This was the first intimation I’d had of the Clubs in Scotland and just shows you how much I was out of touch with topical accordion gossip at the time.
Anyway, the only abrasive for rusty reflexes is practice. So after Davie’s visit, with an old instrument I’d now acquired, I worked on these same reflexes to bring them in to some semblance of their former state.
I ‘exhumed’ some of my old stage solos and had the humbling experience of learning (or trying to learn) them all over again. It was hard to believe that I once played such numbers with reasonable facility. Such is the price of a long lay-off accompanied by ageing co-ordination – and all this just to do a wee turn at the Club.
However, it’s been great fun! And after all, accordion and fiddle playing does not have to be all serious. It can be a real fun game to anyone with a yearning to make his or her own music, and the Accordion and Fiddle Club is a platform for our self-expression.
Since the first Club in Scotland – organized by Max Houliston in the mid sixties – the whole country is now well catered for by this media, which is now a thriving Association with its own periodical – the Box and Fiddle.
The work entailed in founding and nurturing this fraternity is tremendous, and it’s thanks to the unsung heroes – those willing enthusiasts who give so generously of their time and talents – that this promotion has proved so successful.
All too often we take the good things of life for granted, so let’s all spare a thought for the stalwarts behind the scenes whenever we avail ourselves of this pleasurable get-together.
Note by the Ed:
Alf has done a marvelous job for the ‘Box and Fiddle’, taking us from 1912 to the present. A glimpse into the past is always fascinating and we are grateful to Alf for taking the trouble to write to us. Now that Alf has shown what can be done, who is next to tell us their experiences over the years. Thanks again Alf.
Dumfries Festival
The Dumfries Music Festival was held at Oughton’s Restaurant on Tuesday night, 27th March. There was a very good turnout of both audience and competitors. This is just a small Festival, nevertheless the standard is as high as Musselburgh.
The adjudicators were Derek Hamilton and Bobby Stewart. Derek said they had three criteria to guide them – content, accuracy and interpretation, and the following were the results that they awarded :
Ian Holmes Trophy & Shield – Under 15
1. William Currie (Milngavie)
2. David Helm (Port William)
3. Carol Jardine (Dunragit)
Max Houliston Trophy and Shield – Over 15
1. Gary Blair (Glasgow) 2nd Year
2. William Currie (Milngavie)
3. Ernie Currie (Dumfries)
The evening was under the control of Tony Dalton and the best of order kept. During the evening whilst waiting the results we were entertained, and when I say entertained I mean it in the highest sense because the entertainers were the two big brothers of William Currie. Versatile, very professional and musically perfect. We could have listened to them all night. Thanks lads, you were great.
A good idea at the end was a cup of tea and sandwiches for those who had traveled some distance. This also gave a chance for a crack and a blether. The Committee and Mrs Dalton are to be congratulated.
Unfortunate Incident After Dance
by Helen McWhirter
As most people will know John Loch and the Blackthorne Dance Band had an unfortunate incident after playing at the dance at Penton.
An incorrect report of this has been published in the ‘Box and Fiddle’ and I have been asked to give the correct story of what happened to John.
After entertaining at Penton, John and the Band set off for home about 2.15am. They had only traveled a short distance when the car broke down on the A74. They parked in a lay-by and the police came along and placed warning cones round the car (a Cortina which had served the band for 250,000 miles).
After spending the night in the car John and his drummer Jim Caddis walked four miles to a garage to get some petrol and got a lift back in a lorry. As they were approaching the car a truck veered off the road, hit their parked car and drove on. The truck hit the car on the driver’s side and tore off the doors and roof. Fortunately, Robbie Gilmour (pianist) and Stuart Thomson (accordionist) were shaken but unhurt.
The vehicle is a write-off and it must have been a sight the band will never forget, as the musical instruments were strewn all over the road. The amplification equipment was also ruined.
Such is the great bond of friendship between the Accordion Clubs that last Saturday night at the concert following the Championships, three Club Secretaries, David Ross, Galston Club, Kenny Thomson, Cumnock Club and Willie Wilson, Beith Club, took the stage to announce that they are running a ceilidh dance in the Bellisle some time in April to help raise funds to supply new amplification equipment for use at Straiton Club.
A great thought on the part of these folks and one which is very much appreciated. It is hoped to have a good turnout at this night out. Meanwhile through the kindness of their many friends John and his Band are able to carry out all their engagements for which they had been booked and Norrie McClintock of Culrpy has loaned a vehicle to enable them to travel to jobs. John and the Band say a very big thank you to everyone.
Record Review
By Derek Hamilton
Homecoming ; Tommy Darky – Shona SHCS7006
The Man from Tobermory ; Bobby MacLeod - Emerald Gem GES1200
Travellin’ Scots Country Hops ; with the Billy Anderson Band – Beltona SBE194
George Stirrat and his Accordion – Thistle BSLP1345
Take Two ; The Currie Brothers – Lismor LILP5094
I cannot let my column pass without a quick mention about my trip in January to Majorca with George Fleming’s Scottish Dance Band. George, in conjunction with Blue Skies Holidays and Thistle Records, organized a holiday trip to the holiday isle’s town on El Arenal and for seven nights the Hotel Limor was jumping to the sound of Scottish Dance Music. The bulk of the 100 or so passengers on the Blue Skies flight were there for the dancing and a great time was had by all.
For the formal evening occasions the band lined up with :
George Fleming on lead accordion
Archie McHarg (complete with licensed picnic basket!) on second accordion
Archie Brown on fiddle
Janie Barr on piano
Dave Watters on bass
And myself on the drums.
On less formal occasions McHard and I would don accordions and Dave Watters would play piano with big Archie Brown on drums and we had some right old ceilidhs!
A great week, with everybody looking forward to the next time.
All thanks to G.F. for organizing the whole affair.
ADVERT
NAAFC Annual General Meeting
Dunblane Hydro hotel
On Sunday 24th June 1979 at 1pm prompt
A large turnout of Delegates requested.
PRESENTATION DINNER
In the Dunblane Hydro Hotel
Sunday, 24th June at 7.30pm
Guest of Hoonour
Jimmy Shand
Guest Speaker
Andy Stewart
ADVERT
J.T. FORBES of DUNDEE
Scotland’s Top Seller
The Baile Clansman
(Dear-oh-dear - surely this can't be true!!)
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Queen’s Hotel) 24th Apr 79 Ronnie Easton SDB
Alnwick (Nag’s Head)
Balloch (Balloch Hotel) 15th Apr 79 Robert Whitehead and Ian Wilson (drums), 4th May 79 Dance Wallachmore Ceilidh Band, 20th May 79 Norman McLean, Neil Sinclair, Billy Ford and Willie Low
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) 26th Apr 79 tbc
Banff (Royal Oak Hotel)
Beith (Anderson Hotel) 16th Apr 79 Robert Whitehead
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) 9th Apr 79 Robert Whitehead, 27th Apr 79 Dance Iain MacPhail SDB
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel) 11th Apr 79 Kintore A&F Club
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel)
Cumnock (Tup Inn)
Derwentside (Royal British Legion, Consett)
Dumfries (Oughton’s)
Dundee (Royal Central Hotel) 5th Apr 79 Paddy Neary, 28th Apr 79 Coffee Morning
Dunfermline (Kinema Ballroom) 11th Apr 79 Jim Halcrow and his Shetland Band, 1st May 79 Dundee A&F Club
Falkirk (Park Hotel) 9th Apr 79 Currie Brothers
Forres (Brig Motel) 11th Apr 79 ron Gonella 25th Apr 79 Special, Gordon Pattullo
Galston (Parakeet, Hurlford)
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler)
Highland/ Inverness (Drumossie Hotel) 16th Apr 79 Angus Fitchet
Kelso (Queen’s Head Hotel) 25th Apr 79 Ron Gonella, 30th May 79 Jim Johnstone SDB
Kintore (Crown Hotel)
Langholm (Crown Hotel)
Livingston (Cameron Ironworks Social Club)
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) 24th Apr 79 Peter Bruce
M.A.F.I.A. (Black Bull) 5th Apr 79 Alan Clark Duo, 3rd May 79 Iain MacPhail SDB
Monklands (Kennilworth Hotel, Airdrie) 2nd Apr 79 Malcolm McLean (acc) Frank Henery (guitar)
New Cumnock (Crown Hotel) 3rd Apr 79 Dave Scott Trio
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel) 10th Apr 79 Jim Halcrow and his Shetland Band
North Cumbria (Huntsman Inn - Penton) 18th Apr 79 Bob Christie & Lex Keith
North East (Seafield Arms) 3rd Apr 79 Tain Broadcasting Band, 20th Apr 79 Dinner Dance George Bell SDB
Oban (Park Hotel)
Perth (Salutation Hotel) 17th Apr 79 Bobby Crowe Trio, 15th May 79 Alistair Hunter and the Lorne Band
Renfrew (Glynhill Hotel)
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Shetland (venue?) 12th Apr 79 Ron Gonella, 19th April Orkney A&F Club
Straiton (Bellisle Hotel, Ayr)
Stranraer (North West Castle Hotel) 2nd Apr 79 Melody Hour and Dance Billy Anderson Trio
Torthorwald (Torr House Hotel)
Wellbank (venue?)
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) 17th Apr 79 Angus Fitchet, 15th May 79 Stuart Anderson
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Alnwick
3. Balloch
4. Banchory
5. Banff
6. Beith
7. Biggar
8. Buchan
9. Coupar Angus
10. Cumnock
11. Derwentside
12. Dunblane
13. Dundee
14. Dunfermline
15. Falkirk
16. Forres
17. Highland
18. Kelso
19. Kintore
20. Lockerbie
21. M.A.F.I.A.
22. Monklands
23. Newton St Boswells
24. North Cumbria
25. North East
26. Shetland
27. Straiton
28. Stranraer
29. Wick
BASED ON THE ABOVE THE FULL CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT APR 1979 BECOMES (This is a record of all the Clubs who have ever been members of the Association. I will add in opening, and where appropriate, closing dates if and when I come across them) :-
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Sept 1976)
3. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1971)
4. Banchory A&F Club (1978)
5. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973)
6. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1971)
7. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974)
8. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
9. Buchan A&F Club
10. Club Accord
11. Coquetdale (?)
12. Coupar Angus A&F Club
13. Cumbria (or North Cumbria) Accordion Club
14. Cumnock A&F Club
15. Derwentside A&F Club
16. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughton’s) (April 1965)
17. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
18. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
19. Dundee & District A&F Club
20. Dunfermline & District A&F Club
21. Falkirk A&F Club
22. Fintry A&F Club
23. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
24. Galston A&F Club
25. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
26. Gretna (June 1966)
27. Greenhead Accordion Club (Hexham)
28. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
29. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
30. Kintore A&F Club
31. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
32. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973)
33. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
34. M.A.F.I.A.
35. Newcastleton Accordion Club
36. Monklands A&F Club
37. New Cumnock A&F Club
38. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club
39. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
40. Oban A&F Club (1975)
41. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
42. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
43. Renfrew A&F Club
44. Rothbury Accordion Club (1974)
45. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
46. Straiton Accordion Club (opened? 3rd club to open – closed March 1979)
47. Stranraer & District Accordion Club
48. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
49. Wellbank A&F Club
50. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)
Here we are at the end of our second season and our thanks are expressed to all those club Secretaries and those who sent in articles. Thanks, too, to Derek and his Record Review.
The Annual General Meeting, as you will no doubt observe, is at Dunblane this year and at night is the Presentation Dinner for Jimmy Shand.
At the AGM I will be proposing that the publication date and the deadline date be reversed. As it is at the moment it is quite unsatisfactory, especially at the Christmas period.
The Secretary of the Forres Club has now got the phone in, Mr Ray McKenzie, Forres 74002.
The Wallochmore Band have a new address, Freeland Barbour, 44 Merchiston Avenue, Edinburgh, EH10 4NZ. Tel 031-229-1099 or 031-226-3153 Day.
This second season of ours has been one of consolidation and one or two things have a need to be adjusted. I would be obliged if Secretaries, next time they write to me, give me the name of the depot where papers have to be collected from. For various reasons some have gone missing, weather, industrial action etc.
(Younger readers may find it hard to believe but back Ian Smith the Editor packaged the B&Fs and delivered the parcels to the local Bus Depot from where they were distributed by bus all over Scotland to a Club’s local depot where the Secretary uplifted them. It certainly wasn’t the most reliable system in the world and tracing them if they didn’t arrive was practically impossible. There was also a constant argument about the publication date – should it be the start of the month or the middle of the month. In each case it suited the clubs which met just after that date best and the clubs who met furthest from that date least. For a time it actually changed every three years to give everyone a crack of the whip)
‘The Strings of Scotland’
Ayr & Prestwick Strathspey & Reel Society
The Orchestra was created in the Spring on 1972 and the first members were the present Conductor, Mr John Mason of Troon, its Leader, Mr William S. Dunlop of Prestwick, and its Secretary, Mrs E.M. Dunlop. The orchestra gradually increased its numbers until it was of sufficient size to undertake the ‘Fiddlers’ Rally’ held in conjunction with the Mod in Ayr in October, 1973.
The Orchestra organised and was the nucleus of the large orchestra which took part in the Rally which was held in the Dam Park Hall under the baton of Mr Mason. The show was televised and excerpts shown on a considerable number of occasions by BBC Scotland. A record under the title ‘Strings of Scotland’ was published by Phillips International, reproducing the highlights of the rally and this record has been an outstanding commercial success.
In March, 1975, the orchestra was asked by Lord Elgin to organise a Fiddler’ Rally to be held in City Hall, Perth, as a highlight of the Air Canada Silver Broom World Curling championship held in Perth. The music from the Rally was used as background music of the Air Canada Film of the Championship for 1975. An LP of the concert was also issued.
Since then the orchestra has gone from strength to strength and has played all over Scotland for various charities, mainly Cancer Research and the RNLI. In conjunction with Cancer Research we had the honour of organising a Fiddlers’ Rally in the Royal Albert Hall, London ; the orchestra consisted of 205 players from the Orkneys to the Borders and was a great success.
In the future we have bookings up to 1981 including concerts in Perth, Paisley, Greenock, Lanark, Motherwell, Largs, Lamlash, Carluke, East Kilbride and Castle Douglas.
Our Annual Concert in conjunction with Cancer Research is being held in the Dam Park Hall on Saturday, 5th May, 1979, and another Rally for Gastro Intestinal Digestive Research is being held in the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow on 15th September, 1979.
Any further information can be had from Mrs E.M. Dunlop Phone 79043.
Club Demise – Straiton
It is sad to relate the demise of another member Club, even more so when that Club is a founder member of the Association. Straiton Club was the third one to get going and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. The Association has grown to some 44 clubs now stretching from the Shetlands to Co. Durham.
Rising costs of guest artistes, etc has forced Straiton out of business. The Club is, was, run by John Loch, one of the most ardent supporters of traditional accordion music. He is still as enthusiastic as ever and reckons he weill be able to get round even more. No one can put a value on John’s worth to the Association. No matter the distance, state of, the weather, or financial cost, John was the first to do his bit. He was instrumental in helping Beith, Galston, Cumnock and Stranraer Clubs to get off the ground. There will be a void in this part of the country, but somehow, somewhere, like the Phoenix, another Club will rise up.
Friendly Rip Off at Fintry
Yehudie MacEwan (aka Jimmy Yeaman)
It was a dreadful winter’s night on Monday, 26th February, with sleet and rain coming off the Sampsie Hills and chilling the bone to the marrow. It was therefore an incredible night to see a full house at the Fintry Accordion Club. In fact, due to the set-up there it was a wonder they ever get any audience at all.
First of all let us look at the venue. The meeting takes place in the ‘Barn’ which is just a few yards from Culcreuch Castle. The barn is a large stone building, the inside of which resembles a medieval banqueting hall devoid of drapes and soft furnishings with the grey cold stonework as the main feature. It has a high roof and its and its dimensions seem to be five yards wide x 500 yards long. The writer arrived late and had to stand at the back. It was like looking down a telescope – from the wrong end. The wall behind the stage has a large ‘Galbraith’ sign and the first impression was that this was a new branch of a well-known supermarket. It turns out, however, that Culcreuch is the seat of the Clan Galbraith and that the area has strong historical interest well worth a visit.
Man in Charge
So much for the place, now for the man in charge – Alec Fitzsimmons. Big Alec books the guest artistes, sets up the amplifiers, cleans out the toilets, comperes the meeting in an autocratic way with a tendency to intimidate fiddle players usually about half his size. He is a member of the Fintry Ceilidh Band which consists of four players – three row button box, organ, drums and Alec drives the getaway car. Alec does a musician and magician act at the same time. With his right hand he plays the box and with his left he does a vanishing act with as many whiskies as anyone will set up for him.
One pleasant aspect of the Club is that players are now allowed in free of charge. After a short period of time, however, quite a number of them were at the door volunteering to pay to be allowed out again.
Guest artistes for the evening were Irene Kelso and Silvia Gilmour – the Barmaids. Without their magnificent efforts to satisfy the unquenchable thirst of the audience, the night would have been a disaster.
Tremendous Form
In the middle of their act, lo and behold – in walked the Iain MacPhail Band from Edinburgh. The lads were in tremendous form as usual. Debonair Iain doesn’t say an awful lot. Perhaps his whiskers, which stretch from ear to ear, in a semi-circle via his mouth, are a prevention. Or could it be he is under doctors orders, after his recent hernia operation, not to move his lips? The ‘Glenmorangie’ managed to filter through anyway.
Main spokesman for the group is fiddle and character Allan Johnstone. Allan has that handsome, rugged look of a man who has lived 40 good summers – and 60 hard winters – and his voice sounds as if he gargles frequently with anti-freeze. He holds his fiddle in a most unusual way. The blunt end disappears in his large left ear and one can’t help looking for it to re-appear from his right ear. The sharp end is aimed directly at the audience and in the dim light it looked as if he was about to fire from a single-barreled sawn-off shotgun.
However, there is no doubting his ability to play the fiddle. His rendering of his own composition, a slow air, brought the house down. (Thanks for the dram Allan).
His best performance, however, was when he presented the raffle prizes. Each female winner was subjected to a stranglehold embrace that would have made Mick McManus green with envy.
Second box player Brian Griffin didn’t get the credit he deserved. Unlike the Balloch audience, the one thing that Fintry folk can’t stand is TALENT! Don’t worry Brian, treat it as a compliment.
Drummer George Darling, from the North-East of England, sounds as if he has just come from that TV series – ‘When the Boat Comes In’. I’m sure he is the guy who blew up the ancient building in the programme and caused all the trouble. George still has that war wounds and shell-shock look – a legacy from his years with the Great Andrew Rankine Band.
Best looking man in the band is bachelor and keyboard player Dave Flockhart. Dave’s cheery smile and eye contact with the audience enhanced the band’s presentation. Because of this, however, he was half-way through the first performance before he discovered the machine wasn’t plugged in.
One of the Best
The Iain MacPhail Band is without doubt one of the best on the go, and part of the reason for their popularity is that the full team of broadcasting and recording players appear at their various engagements all over the country. Entertainment for the rest of the evening was provided by fiddle players, other musicians, and accordion players. Adding culture and class to the night were fiddlers Andrew Kettles, Denis McLaughlin and Jimmy Yeaman with Duncan Burns on drums. On piano Jim Muir, Colin Finlayson and that one-armed bandit bass player Neil McMillan. Rattling his bones was Jim McLaren. Playing the squeeze box were Gordon Young (EK), Alan Roy, Kirsty Bisset, Ricki Franci, Bill Black, John Kettles, Ailsa McKinnon and Wilson Rough.
If you haven’t been to Fintry Club you haven’t lived!
After you’ve been to Fintry Club you’ll wish you hadn’t lived.
P.S. The above mentioned characters are all fictitious. Any resemblance between them and real musicians is purely coincidental.
At ‘Sixties and ‘Seventies and Bon Accord
by Alf Silk
It’s a far cry from the days of the old spoon-bass melodeon to the sophisticated accordion of today. But each decade had produced its fair share of talented performers on the instruments available at the time from, let’s say, the lilting melodies of Peter and Daniel Wyper of the 1900’s, to the subtle artistry of Jack Emblow, and the precision and balance of our Scottish Dance Bands of the 1960’s and 70’s.
Gone are the days of the simple vamping accompaniment. Our traditional music is now enhanced by proper harmonic shading. And in Scotland today there is such a wealth of talent that for me to designate bands or individuals would be superfluous.
As the showman at the fairground would say, ‘You takes your choice’.
Significant Events
I can best remember the ‘sixties for two significant events affecting me personally. In the first instance, it was the one serious illness of life which landed me in hospital for a month. The second one was my impending retirement.
During my stay in hospital I had time to ponder on the past – please don’t think I was wishing I’d led a better life, or anything like that – but I decided to take things a lot easier if not actually give up playing and teaching altogether. (That was, of course, if I survived this setback).
I had only been in hospital a few days and was under the drip (blood transfusion) when who should breeze in but Peter White, the well-known bandleader from Cumnock. He was a member of the hospital outside staff and had heard of me being admitted as a patient.
As he left me that day Peter told me I would be having another surprise visitor. And sure enough, shortly after, there appeared at my bedside an accordionist I hadn’t seen since the war, Grant Muir from Auchinleck.
Needless to say these chats proved to be marvelous therapy. It must have been a good six months before I was prevailed upon to resume playing and teaching. This I did on a much reduced scale.
Pinch of Salt
All my colleagues took my ‘threats’ of retirement with a pinch of salt, but when the time came I really meant it. And to prove it I gave away my dinner dance library of music, and got rid of my instruments, including an electric harpsichord.
I did not mean to become involved again. I intended devoting my time and energies entirely to other interests. So for about a year I did little playing at all. In fact, I’d done no serious playing for a long time before this.
However, we all know what Burns said about the ‘best laid schemes o’ mice and men…..’
It was towards the end of 1969 when Davie Ross paid me a visit and invited me to participate in the opening of Galston Accordion and Fiddle Club. This was the first intimation I’d had of the Clubs in Scotland and just shows you how much I was out of touch with topical accordion gossip at the time.
Anyway, the only abrasive for rusty reflexes is practice. So after Davie’s visit, with an old instrument I’d now acquired, I worked on these same reflexes to bring them in to some semblance of their former state.
I ‘exhumed’ some of my old stage solos and had the humbling experience of learning (or trying to learn) them all over again. It was hard to believe that I once played such numbers with reasonable facility. Such is the price of a long lay-off accompanied by ageing co-ordination – and all this just to do a wee turn at the Club.
However, it’s been great fun! And after all, accordion and fiddle playing does not have to be all serious. It can be a real fun game to anyone with a yearning to make his or her own music, and the Accordion and Fiddle Club is a platform for our self-expression.
Since the first Club in Scotland – organized by Max Houliston in the mid sixties – the whole country is now well catered for by this media, which is now a thriving Association with its own periodical – the Box and Fiddle.
The work entailed in founding and nurturing this fraternity is tremendous, and it’s thanks to the unsung heroes – those willing enthusiasts who give so generously of their time and talents – that this promotion has proved so successful.
All too often we take the good things of life for granted, so let’s all spare a thought for the stalwarts behind the scenes whenever we avail ourselves of this pleasurable get-together.
Note by the Ed:
Alf has done a marvelous job for the ‘Box and Fiddle’, taking us from 1912 to the present. A glimpse into the past is always fascinating and we are grateful to Alf for taking the trouble to write to us. Now that Alf has shown what can be done, who is next to tell us their experiences over the years. Thanks again Alf.
Dumfries Festival
The Dumfries Music Festival was held at Oughton’s Restaurant on Tuesday night, 27th March. There was a very good turnout of both audience and competitors. This is just a small Festival, nevertheless the standard is as high as Musselburgh.
The adjudicators were Derek Hamilton and Bobby Stewart. Derek said they had three criteria to guide them – content, accuracy and interpretation, and the following were the results that they awarded :
Ian Holmes Trophy & Shield – Under 15
1. William Currie (Milngavie)
2. David Helm (Port William)
3. Carol Jardine (Dunragit)
Max Houliston Trophy and Shield – Over 15
1. Gary Blair (Glasgow) 2nd Year
2. William Currie (Milngavie)
3. Ernie Currie (Dumfries)
The evening was under the control of Tony Dalton and the best of order kept. During the evening whilst waiting the results we were entertained, and when I say entertained I mean it in the highest sense because the entertainers were the two big brothers of William Currie. Versatile, very professional and musically perfect. We could have listened to them all night. Thanks lads, you were great.
A good idea at the end was a cup of tea and sandwiches for those who had traveled some distance. This also gave a chance for a crack and a blether. The Committee and Mrs Dalton are to be congratulated.
Unfortunate Incident After Dance
by Helen McWhirter
As most people will know John Loch and the Blackthorne Dance Band had an unfortunate incident after playing at the dance at Penton.
An incorrect report of this has been published in the ‘Box and Fiddle’ and I have been asked to give the correct story of what happened to John.
After entertaining at Penton, John and the Band set off for home about 2.15am. They had only traveled a short distance when the car broke down on the A74. They parked in a lay-by and the police came along and placed warning cones round the car (a Cortina which had served the band for 250,000 miles).
After spending the night in the car John and his drummer Jim Caddis walked four miles to a garage to get some petrol and got a lift back in a lorry. As they were approaching the car a truck veered off the road, hit their parked car and drove on. The truck hit the car on the driver’s side and tore off the doors and roof. Fortunately, Robbie Gilmour (pianist) and Stuart Thomson (accordionist) were shaken but unhurt.
The vehicle is a write-off and it must have been a sight the band will never forget, as the musical instruments were strewn all over the road. The amplification equipment was also ruined.
Such is the great bond of friendship between the Accordion Clubs that last Saturday night at the concert following the Championships, three Club Secretaries, David Ross, Galston Club, Kenny Thomson, Cumnock Club and Willie Wilson, Beith Club, took the stage to announce that they are running a ceilidh dance in the Bellisle some time in April to help raise funds to supply new amplification equipment for use at Straiton Club.
A great thought on the part of these folks and one which is very much appreciated. It is hoped to have a good turnout at this night out. Meanwhile through the kindness of their many friends John and his Band are able to carry out all their engagements for which they had been booked and Norrie McClintock of Culrpy has loaned a vehicle to enable them to travel to jobs. John and the Band say a very big thank you to everyone.
Record Review
By Derek Hamilton
Homecoming ; Tommy Darky – Shona SHCS7006
The Man from Tobermory ; Bobby MacLeod - Emerald Gem GES1200
Travellin’ Scots Country Hops ; with the Billy Anderson Band – Beltona SBE194
George Stirrat and his Accordion – Thistle BSLP1345
Take Two ; The Currie Brothers – Lismor LILP5094
I cannot let my column pass without a quick mention about my trip in January to Majorca with George Fleming’s Scottish Dance Band. George, in conjunction with Blue Skies Holidays and Thistle Records, organized a holiday trip to the holiday isle’s town on El Arenal and for seven nights the Hotel Limor was jumping to the sound of Scottish Dance Music. The bulk of the 100 or so passengers on the Blue Skies flight were there for the dancing and a great time was had by all.
For the formal evening occasions the band lined up with :
George Fleming on lead accordion
Archie McHarg (complete with licensed picnic basket!) on second accordion
Archie Brown on fiddle
Janie Barr on piano
Dave Watters on bass
And myself on the drums.
On less formal occasions McHard and I would don accordions and Dave Watters would play piano with big Archie Brown on drums and we had some right old ceilidhs!
A great week, with everybody looking forward to the next time.
All thanks to G.F. for organizing the whole affair.
ADVERT
NAAFC Annual General Meeting
Dunblane Hydro hotel
On Sunday 24th June 1979 at 1pm prompt
A large turnout of Delegates requested.
PRESENTATION DINNER
In the Dunblane Hydro Hotel
Sunday, 24th June at 7.30pm
Guest of Hoonour
Jimmy Shand
Guest Speaker
Andy Stewart
ADVERT
J.T. FORBES of DUNDEE
Scotland’s Top Seller
The Baile Clansman
(Dear-oh-dear - surely this can't be true!!)
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Queen’s Hotel) 24th Apr 79 Ronnie Easton SDB
Alnwick (Nag’s Head)
Balloch (Balloch Hotel) 15th Apr 79 Robert Whitehead and Ian Wilson (drums), 4th May 79 Dance Wallachmore Ceilidh Band, 20th May 79 Norman McLean, Neil Sinclair, Billy Ford and Willie Low
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) 26th Apr 79 tbc
Banff (Royal Oak Hotel)
Beith (Anderson Hotel) 16th Apr 79 Robert Whitehead
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) 9th Apr 79 Robert Whitehead, 27th Apr 79 Dance Iain MacPhail SDB
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel) 11th Apr 79 Kintore A&F Club
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel)
Cumnock (Tup Inn)
Derwentside (Royal British Legion, Consett)
Dumfries (Oughton’s)
Dundee (Royal Central Hotel) 5th Apr 79 Paddy Neary, 28th Apr 79 Coffee Morning
Dunfermline (Kinema Ballroom) 11th Apr 79 Jim Halcrow and his Shetland Band, 1st May 79 Dundee A&F Club
Falkirk (Park Hotel) 9th Apr 79 Currie Brothers
Forres (Brig Motel) 11th Apr 79 ron Gonella 25th Apr 79 Special, Gordon Pattullo
Galston (Parakeet, Hurlford)
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler)
Highland/ Inverness (Drumossie Hotel) 16th Apr 79 Angus Fitchet
Kelso (Queen’s Head Hotel) 25th Apr 79 Ron Gonella, 30th May 79 Jim Johnstone SDB
Kintore (Crown Hotel)
Langholm (Crown Hotel)
Livingston (Cameron Ironworks Social Club)
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) 24th Apr 79 Peter Bruce
M.A.F.I.A. (Black Bull) 5th Apr 79 Alan Clark Duo, 3rd May 79 Iain MacPhail SDB
Monklands (Kennilworth Hotel, Airdrie) 2nd Apr 79 Malcolm McLean (acc) Frank Henery (guitar)
New Cumnock (Crown Hotel) 3rd Apr 79 Dave Scott Trio
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel) 10th Apr 79 Jim Halcrow and his Shetland Band
North Cumbria (Huntsman Inn - Penton) 18th Apr 79 Bob Christie & Lex Keith
North East (Seafield Arms) 3rd Apr 79 Tain Broadcasting Band, 20th Apr 79 Dinner Dance George Bell SDB
Oban (Park Hotel)
Perth (Salutation Hotel) 17th Apr 79 Bobby Crowe Trio, 15th May 79 Alistair Hunter and the Lorne Band
Renfrew (Glynhill Hotel)
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Shetland (venue?) 12th Apr 79 Ron Gonella, 19th April Orkney A&F Club
Straiton (Bellisle Hotel, Ayr)
Stranraer (North West Castle Hotel) 2nd Apr 79 Melody Hour and Dance Billy Anderson Trio
Torthorwald (Torr House Hotel)
Wellbank (venue?)
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) 17th Apr 79 Angus Fitchet, 15th May 79 Stuart Anderson
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Alnwick
3. Balloch
4. Banchory
5. Banff
6. Beith
7. Biggar
8. Buchan
9. Coupar Angus
10. Cumnock
11. Derwentside
12. Dunblane
13. Dundee
14. Dunfermline
15. Falkirk
16. Forres
17. Highland
18. Kelso
19. Kintore
20. Lockerbie
21. M.A.F.I.A.
22. Monklands
23. Newton St Boswells
24. North Cumbria
25. North East
26. Shetland
27. Straiton
28. Stranraer
29. Wick
BASED ON THE ABOVE THE FULL CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT APR 1979 BECOMES (This is a record of all the Clubs who have ever been members of the Association. I will add in opening, and where appropriate, closing dates if and when I come across them) :-
1. Aberdeen A&F Club (1975)
2. Alnwick A&F Club (Sept 1976)
3. Balloch A&F Club (Sept 1971)
4. Banchory A&F Club (1978)
5. Banff & District A&F Club (Oct 1973)
6. Beith & District A&F Club (Sept 1971)
7. Biggar A&F Club (Oct 1974)
8. Bonchester Accordion Club (Closed?)
9. Buchan A&F Club
10. Club Accord
11. Coquetdale (?)
12. Coupar Angus A&F Club
13. Cumbria (or North Cumbria) Accordion Club
14. Cumnock A&F Club
15. Derwentside A&F Club
16. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughton’s) (April 1965)
17. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
18. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
19. Dundee & District A&F Club
20. Dunfermline & District A&F Club
21. Falkirk A&F Club
22. Fintry A&F Club
23. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
24. Galston A&F Club
25. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
26. Gretna (June 1966)
27. Greenhead Accordion Club (Hexham)
28. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
29. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
30. Kintore A&F Club
31. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
32. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973)
33. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
34. M.A.F.I.A.
35. Newcastleton Accordion Club
36. Monklands A&F Club
37. New Cumnock A&F Club
38. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club
39. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
40. Oban A&F Club (1975)
41. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
42. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
43. Renfrew A&F Club
44. Rothbury Accordion Club (1974)
45. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
46. Straiton Accordion Club (opened? 3rd club to open – closed March 1979)
47. Stranraer & District Accordion Club
48. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
49. Wellbank A&F Club
50. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)