Bert Murray, M.B.E.
by Grant Crawford
How many of you, like myself, scanned the New Years Honours List last Hogmanay looking to see if you recognised anyone’s name? One recipient listed was a Herbert Murray of Aberdeen. At the time the name did not register with me but when I later read the report more carefully I noticed the said Mr Murray was to receive an MBE for ‘Service to Scottish Music’. It was then that it suddenly dawned on me that many others and I know this gentleman simply as Bert.
Bert was born in Ferryhill, Aberdeen on 26th January 1913. His grandfather Alex (Sandy) Murray from Banchory was an excellent fiddler who played in a dance band with his brother on cornet and cousin on double bass and was an early influence on the young Bert. Bert recalls tales of them having to walk 40 miles to play at a dance and then sometimes walk home again to be home for their work in the morning. Bert also recalls the story of James Scott Skinner, a great friend of his grandfather, “Coming to visit and the children being put below the bed while the men folk had a tune and a dram. Scott skinner would pass tobacco under the bed to the children and one night the bed nearly caught fire”.
Bert first held a fiddle at the age on 9 and recalls, “One of my older brothers was learning to play the violin. I watched and listened thinking one day I would like to try that. Each day he was told to practice for one hour but always cut this short so he could go out and join his chums”.
“As soon as he had gone I opened the case, took out the violin and before long I was able to play some simple little tunes. My mother, in the next room and aware of what was going on kept quiet until some weeks had passed. I always had to watch the time and make sure I had returned the violin safely to its case before my father returned home from work as I thought he would probably be annoyed with me for playing my brother’s instruments.
“However, unknown to me, my father arrived home early one day and remarked, “Gordon (my brother) is making progress at last”, to which my mother replied “that is Bert playing.
“Watching the time I returned the violin to it’s case and went through to the kitchen where to my horror I discovered Dad had come home early. “I’m not annoyed laddie, I want you to carry on playing he told me.
Needless to say my brother was delighted that he no longer had to play as he hated his tuition but unfortunately the instrument had to be returned to the Education Authority. The following Saturday Dad took me around a few second hand shops till we secured the purchase of a violin for 35/-“.
Bert found a teacher in nearby Ferryhill Terrace and before long was reading music and making steady progress with his playing. Unfortunately not long after this Bert’s father had to give up work due to illness but his mother took a job in the kitchen of the Atheneum, Castle Street in order that Bert’s musical education could continue. Alas after just a year his tutor had to cease teaching (also due to ill health), but such was his enthusiasm that Bert decided to carry on and teach himself.
Having become a reasonable player he joined the Aberdeen S&R Society at the age of 13, attending the weekly practice nights. These were held in a large downstairs room at Paterson, Son and Marr Wood, Union Street, one of the many music shops in Aberdeen. Bert recalls there were a number of music shops in Aberdeen remembering Craig’s and Bruce Millar’s in George Street, Neil’s of Queen Street, Bowman’s of Bridge Street and Alex Strachan’s in Lower Skene Street behind H.M. Theatre.
Some months after joining the Society he took part in the annual concert held in the Music Hall, Union Street, and Bert still treasures a photograph taken on that occasion. Some of the names he recalls include conductor, Alex Sim, pianist Mrs Shand, Sandy Diack, Tom and George Johnstone, Leslie Davidson and a left handed player George Taylor. Also in the photo are two fellow ‘teenagers’ – Sandy Runcie and Bill Hardie.
A couple of years after joining, Alex Sim invited Bert to accompany him and some other members of the Society to a fiddle competition to be held at Bleaton Hall, Spittal of Glenshee. It was here that Bert was to meet a fellow competitor and strike up a friendship that was to last until the passing of this fellow fiddler. Bert recalls that “This loon could fair play and produced such a strong tone and possessed a distinguishing style and sound”. This young las went on to become the legend we knew as Angus Fitchet. No silverware was to make the long journey back to Aberdeen on that first occasion but Bert returned home in 1931 and 1932 with two fine silver cups which still adorn his display cabinet along with many other trophies and mementos he has collected over the years.
On leaving school at the age of 14, Bert “cast aff the short breeks and donned a pair o’ langers” in the hope of gaining employment. Before long he was to find work as a pageboy at the Palais D’Danse in diamond Street and this was to be the start of a new episode in his life. He recalls “Beautifully dressed, elegant ladies and gentlemen, the interior richly decorated, deep pile carpets surrounding the dance floor and the balcony and stairways being adorned with matching luxurious settees and armchairs”.
Al Leslie conducted the dance orchestra at that time and professional dance teachers were employed to teach Bert and his fellow pageboys demonstration dances such as The Charleston, Frisco and Black Bottom, to be performed on the nights when there was no cabaret. However, Friday night was Bert’s favourite as the dance hall remained opened till the early hours of the morning and the dance card included Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Eightsome Reel and Lancers and Bert, now known for his prowess on the fiddle, was invited to join the orchestra for these evenings.
It was also from these Friday night spots that Bert was to get his first big break. His boss at the Palais introduced him to a gentleman by the name of Neil MacLean, a well known Gaelic Tenor who was also a manager with BBC in Belmont Street. This introduction led to the first, at the age of 15, of three appearances on Children’s Hour.
During the war years Bert served as a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery being posted as far south as Exeter before returning home for a spell in the Gordon Highlanders. He managed to continue his playing by joining various bands set up by his comrades to play at camp dances and concerts.
On leaving the army Bert joined the busy Annie Shand Scott Band in 1949 and played with her for 6 years before leaving to join the bands of Bill Slessor and Johnny Walker before moving on again to join Alastair hunter’s Band, making several TV appearances on programmes such as ‘Scotch Corner’.
Bert retired from work and playing in 1977 in order that he could devote more time to caring for his wife Isobel whose health was failing. Music was completely forgotten about and Bert did not know of his good friend Robbie Shepherd’s programme ‘Take the Floor’, as the radio was not even turned on. Sadly, Isobel passed away in 1984 and then in 1985, “someone threw a switch again” as Bert puts it and Bert returned to playing and composing. Amazingly when Bert took the fiddle “oot frae un’er the bed” it was still in perfect tune after 8 years.
Bert has written over 750 tunes, and although he says he has now stopped composing, he had just completed a waltz to mark the wedding of a friend’s daughter a few hours before I spoke to him regarding this article (Aug 2000). One of Bert’s friends, Les Wheeler, set about the enormous task of storing all of his tunes in written form to computer and indeed 17 volumes of Bert’s tunes and arrangements have been published to date as well as a new compilation album recently published by Taigh na Teud Publications. Bert first had some of his tunes, including the popular strathspey, ‘Mrs B. Jolly’ and the Reel ‘Oor Willie’, published in The Thistle Collection, by Kerr’s Music. In 1986, at the tender age of 73, Bert was invited by Gibson Ross to make an album of his favourite tunes, along with Esme Shepherd on piano and Brian Cruickshanks on bass, entitled ‘Bert Murray on the Fiddle’ (CWGR091). Since then Bert has also committed all of his composition to tape thus ensuring a fine record of compositions be preserved. His tunes can often be heard on broadcasts and many have been recorded by numerous artistes both at home and abroad. Looking through the volumes it is clear that Bert possesses a quirky sense of humour when naming tunes.
Of all his compositions Sean Maguire’s Reel is perhaps the best known and Bert explains the background, “In 1955 Dr ?Kevin McCann, who made many written contributions to the B&F some years ago, (these are all on file in the Archive) was invited by John Junnor to come over from Ireland to the North East to meet a few fiddlers, including myself. Kevin brought along a fellow player by the name of Sean Maguire. Sean spent the night playing with John at the piano and had all present enthralled with his playing. I was so overwhelmed by this virtuoso performance I decided to compose a tune for this genius of a fiddler. Within a few days I had composed a tune for both Sean and Kevin and posted them copies. Imagine my surprise when, a few years later (1957), Kevin sent me a copy of the LP ‘The Four Star Quartet’ featuring my tune played by the great man himself. The ultimate compliment”.
Bert has, over the years, undertaken several trips to Canada and America both as an adjudicator and for his own pleasure and indeed used one such trip as recuperation after a heart scare a few years ago. Bert is proud of the many friendships he has nurtured during his trips abroad.
Ask Bert what the highlights of his life are and in a positive tone he’ll tell you there are many but, so far, Sean Maguire recording his tune, having so many musical friends throughout the world and the fact that some of them have dedicated compositions to him, (the best known perhaps being Billy McGuire’s tune ‘The Auld Fiddler’, as played by Ally Bain and Phil Cunningham and published in one of Iain Peterson’s books) and, of course, his meeting with H. M. The Queen at the Palace of Holyrood House on Wed, 5th July 2000 for his investiture as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Of the future, Bert is looking forward to taking up an invitation to perform some of his compositions at ‘Fiddle 2000’ in November and is honoured at ‘being the only living composer’ to have his tunes used in the fiddle competitions at the 2001 Musselburgh Festival. Just to help ensure he is around for the occasion he takes the odd nip of his favourite dark rum. Here’s to the power of Captain Morgan and the gentleman who signs himself The Auld Fiddler.
Box and Fiddle
September 2000
Bert was born in Ferryhill, Aberdeen on 26th January 1913. His grandfather Alex (Sandy) Murray from Banchory was an excellent fiddler who played in a dance band with his brother on cornet and cousin on double bass and was an early influence on the young Bert. Bert recalls tales of them having to walk 40 miles to play at a dance and then sometimes walk home again to be home for their work in the morning. Bert also recalls the story of James Scott Skinner, a great friend of his grandfather, “Coming to visit and the children being put below the bed while the men folk had a tune and a dram. Scott skinner would pass tobacco under the bed to the children and one night the bed nearly caught fire”.
Bert first held a fiddle at the age on 9 and recalls, “One of my older brothers was learning to play the violin. I watched and listened thinking one day I would like to try that. Each day he was told to practice for one hour but always cut this short so he could go out and join his chums”.
“As soon as he had gone I opened the case, took out the violin and before long I was able to play some simple little tunes. My mother, in the next room and aware of what was going on kept quiet until some weeks had passed. I always had to watch the time and make sure I had returned the violin safely to its case before my father returned home from work as I thought he would probably be annoyed with me for playing my brother’s instruments.
“However, unknown to me, my father arrived home early one day and remarked, “Gordon (my brother) is making progress at last”, to which my mother replied “that is Bert playing.
“Watching the time I returned the violin to it’s case and went through to the kitchen where to my horror I discovered Dad had come home early. “I’m not annoyed laddie, I want you to carry on playing he told me.
Needless to say my brother was delighted that he no longer had to play as he hated his tuition but unfortunately the instrument had to be returned to the Education Authority. The following Saturday Dad took me around a few second hand shops till we secured the purchase of a violin for 35/-“.
Bert found a teacher in nearby Ferryhill Terrace and before long was reading music and making steady progress with his playing. Unfortunately not long after this Bert’s father had to give up work due to illness but his mother took a job in the kitchen of the Atheneum, Castle Street in order that Bert’s musical education could continue. Alas after just a year his tutor had to cease teaching (also due to ill health), but such was his enthusiasm that Bert decided to carry on and teach himself.
Having become a reasonable player he joined the Aberdeen S&R Society at the age of 13, attending the weekly practice nights. These were held in a large downstairs room at Paterson, Son and Marr Wood, Union Street, one of the many music shops in Aberdeen. Bert recalls there were a number of music shops in Aberdeen remembering Craig’s and Bruce Millar’s in George Street, Neil’s of Queen Street, Bowman’s of Bridge Street and Alex Strachan’s in Lower Skene Street behind H.M. Theatre.
Some months after joining the Society he took part in the annual concert held in the Music Hall, Union Street, and Bert still treasures a photograph taken on that occasion. Some of the names he recalls include conductor, Alex Sim, pianist Mrs Shand, Sandy Diack, Tom and George Johnstone, Leslie Davidson and a left handed player George Taylor. Also in the photo are two fellow ‘teenagers’ – Sandy Runcie and Bill Hardie.
A couple of years after joining, Alex Sim invited Bert to accompany him and some other members of the Society to a fiddle competition to be held at Bleaton Hall, Spittal of Glenshee. It was here that Bert was to meet a fellow competitor and strike up a friendship that was to last until the passing of this fellow fiddler. Bert recalls that “This loon could fair play and produced such a strong tone and possessed a distinguishing style and sound”. This young las went on to become the legend we knew as Angus Fitchet. No silverware was to make the long journey back to Aberdeen on that first occasion but Bert returned home in 1931 and 1932 with two fine silver cups which still adorn his display cabinet along with many other trophies and mementos he has collected over the years.
On leaving school at the age of 14, Bert “cast aff the short breeks and donned a pair o’ langers” in the hope of gaining employment. Before long he was to find work as a pageboy at the Palais D’Danse in diamond Street and this was to be the start of a new episode in his life. He recalls “Beautifully dressed, elegant ladies and gentlemen, the interior richly decorated, deep pile carpets surrounding the dance floor and the balcony and stairways being adorned with matching luxurious settees and armchairs”.
Al Leslie conducted the dance orchestra at that time and professional dance teachers were employed to teach Bert and his fellow pageboys demonstration dances such as The Charleston, Frisco and Black Bottom, to be performed on the nights when there was no cabaret. However, Friday night was Bert’s favourite as the dance hall remained opened till the early hours of the morning and the dance card included Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Eightsome Reel and Lancers and Bert, now known for his prowess on the fiddle, was invited to join the orchestra for these evenings.
It was also from these Friday night spots that Bert was to get his first big break. His boss at the Palais introduced him to a gentleman by the name of Neil MacLean, a well known Gaelic Tenor who was also a manager with BBC in Belmont Street. This introduction led to the first, at the age of 15, of three appearances on Children’s Hour.
During the war years Bert served as a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery being posted as far south as Exeter before returning home for a spell in the Gordon Highlanders. He managed to continue his playing by joining various bands set up by his comrades to play at camp dances and concerts.
On leaving the army Bert joined the busy Annie Shand Scott Band in 1949 and played with her for 6 years before leaving to join the bands of Bill Slessor and Johnny Walker before moving on again to join Alastair hunter’s Band, making several TV appearances on programmes such as ‘Scotch Corner’.
Bert retired from work and playing in 1977 in order that he could devote more time to caring for his wife Isobel whose health was failing. Music was completely forgotten about and Bert did not know of his good friend Robbie Shepherd’s programme ‘Take the Floor’, as the radio was not even turned on. Sadly, Isobel passed away in 1984 and then in 1985, “someone threw a switch again” as Bert puts it and Bert returned to playing and composing. Amazingly when Bert took the fiddle “oot frae un’er the bed” it was still in perfect tune after 8 years.
Bert has written over 750 tunes, and although he says he has now stopped composing, he had just completed a waltz to mark the wedding of a friend’s daughter a few hours before I spoke to him regarding this article (Aug 2000). One of Bert’s friends, Les Wheeler, set about the enormous task of storing all of his tunes in written form to computer and indeed 17 volumes of Bert’s tunes and arrangements have been published to date as well as a new compilation album recently published by Taigh na Teud Publications. Bert first had some of his tunes, including the popular strathspey, ‘Mrs B. Jolly’ and the Reel ‘Oor Willie’, published in The Thistle Collection, by Kerr’s Music. In 1986, at the tender age of 73, Bert was invited by Gibson Ross to make an album of his favourite tunes, along with Esme Shepherd on piano and Brian Cruickshanks on bass, entitled ‘Bert Murray on the Fiddle’ (CWGR091). Since then Bert has also committed all of his composition to tape thus ensuring a fine record of compositions be preserved. His tunes can often be heard on broadcasts and many have been recorded by numerous artistes both at home and abroad. Looking through the volumes it is clear that Bert possesses a quirky sense of humour when naming tunes.
Of all his compositions Sean Maguire’s Reel is perhaps the best known and Bert explains the background, “In 1955 Dr ?Kevin McCann, who made many written contributions to the B&F some years ago, (these are all on file in the Archive) was invited by John Junnor to come over from Ireland to the North East to meet a few fiddlers, including myself. Kevin brought along a fellow player by the name of Sean Maguire. Sean spent the night playing with John at the piano and had all present enthralled with his playing. I was so overwhelmed by this virtuoso performance I decided to compose a tune for this genius of a fiddler. Within a few days I had composed a tune for both Sean and Kevin and posted them copies. Imagine my surprise when, a few years later (1957), Kevin sent me a copy of the LP ‘The Four Star Quartet’ featuring my tune played by the great man himself. The ultimate compliment”.
Bert has, over the years, undertaken several trips to Canada and America both as an adjudicator and for his own pleasure and indeed used one such trip as recuperation after a heart scare a few years ago. Bert is proud of the many friendships he has nurtured during his trips abroad.
Ask Bert what the highlights of his life are and in a positive tone he’ll tell you there are many but, so far, Sean Maguire recording his tune, having so many musical friends throughout the world and the fact that some of them have dedicated compositions to him, (the best known perhaps being Billy McGuire’s tune ‘The Auld Fiddler’, as played by Ally Bain and Phil Cunningham and published in one of Iain Peterson’s books) and, of course, his meeting with H. M. The Queen at the Palace of Holyrood House on Wed, 5th July 2000 for his investiture as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Of the future, Bert is looking forward to taking up an invitation to perform some of his compositions at ‘Fiddle 2000’ in November and is honoured at ‘being the only living composer’ to have his tunes used in the fiddle competitions at the 2001 Musselburgh Festival. Just to help ensure he is around for the occasion he takes the odd nip of his favourite dark rum. Here’s to the power of Captain Morgan and the gentleman who signs himself The Auld Fiddler.
Box and Fiddle
September 2000
