Bill Wilkie M.B.E.
(05/01/22 – 01/05/17)
by Joan Blue
Bill Wilkie, legendary accordion tutor, impresario, dance band leader, raconteur – yes, Bill was all of these but, up until a few months before his death, he drove to Dunkeld every Sunday and walked up to the Hermitage, often on his own. In earlier days, he liked nothing better than having his accordion orchestra set out for Little Glenshee for picnics – and fun. Bill was good at having fun and making others enjoy themselves.
Bill started the accordion orchestra in 1948 and having performed at a festival in Dundee, he was impressed with the aspirations and dedication of the competitors so when the National Accordion Organisation asked if he would organise a festival in Perth, he was keen to do so. The first one was in 1950 and as well as some classical music classes, he held an open solo class for Scottish country dance music. Eventually this became the popular Scottish Championship. The Perth City Hall became the focus of countless wee lassies and laddies congregating with proud, nervous parents as well as accordionists of all ages and capabilities meeting and greeting each other.
I became the first pianist in the orchestra in 1949 until 1955 and I learned so much from Bill. He taught me how to vamp; Mickie Ainsworth, who was lead accordion, taught me how to play chords and, of course, through him I met my future husband, Jimmy Blue. Band practices were held on Sunday afternoons and veered between serious – Bill was a perfectionist and knew exactly when a mistake was made – AND who had made it! We played such a variety of music and many classics – “Vienna, City of Dreams”, music from the operas, “La Traviata” and “Cavalleria Rusticana” and with such beautiful arrangements. On the lighter side, when I began with the orchestra in 1949, there was still food rationing. Some of the band who lived in the country would bring in eggs for Bill to take home. Invariably, he would take one out and suddenly, looking at one of us, shout “Catch” and throw the egg! This sometimes got out of hand with the egg being thrown back and quite often there were more than a few eggs on the floor! Occasionally things would go wrong in concerts. At one Festival Concert, comedian Jimmy McNab, dressed as a policeman, came walking from the back of the City Hall through the audience announcing “Ah’m the Buchan bobby”. Unfortunately, many in the audience didn’t realise he was saying BUCHAN!!! There were quite a number of complaints. Abernethy – I was accompanying soprano, Sheena Lindsay, singing an Ivor Novello song when I realised the stage extension was slowly moving away from the main stage. I quickly hooked my leg round the piano stool and made sure I was on the stable part. Bill loved parties and party games. He liked nothing better than having his “boys and girls” (as he called us) enjoying themselves after working hard towards perfection at concerts.
There should have been a book written about Bill’s life. His wartime experiences alone, having joined the R.A.F. in 1940, would run to two volumes. After ‘passing out’, on his first day he was ordered to paint a circle of big stones white. He refused and when the sergeant came back, Bill hadn’t even opened the tin. He was taken before the Warrant Officer but that didn’t worry Bill who laid into him – “I can run a concert party, play for dances, form a dance band, and you want me to paint stones?” Not bad for an 18-year-old! And it worked. Next day he started as the W.O.’s clerk and soon got right into the Forces entertainment circuit, which eventually led him to Ralph Reader and his famous Gang Show. Just before a tour of entertaining the troops in India, Bill took some leave and married his girlfriend, Ena Groundwater, whose father was minister in Coupar Angus. He then set off to entertain the troops from Karachi to Calcutta, West and East Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon, often suffering from heat and exhaustion. Peter Sellars was drummer in the band with the Gang Show and he and Bill had many “adventures” together and remained friends after the war.
As well as his teaching academy. Bill started a dance band which played for many of the society balls and dances in and around Perth. The band were all good friends and, as with anything Bill did, they had fun – and adventures! Every time I pass Balbeggie, I see the hedge that pianist, Tommy Duncan, went through while racing Bill Wilkie home after a dance! In 1959, he opened a music shop which eventually was extended and became “Wilkie’s Music House”. It was always a pleasure to go into the shop because you were welcomed and offered a coffee and there was great conversation and, always, laughter. Bill’s wonderful wife, Ena, was the mainstay of the business. As well as the shop, she did all the organisation for the annual festival, went home each day to make lunch for her family and anyone else who hadn’t made plans to eat. Nobody ever went home hungry from the Wilkie home.
Bill Wilkie was small in stature, but huge in his talent for producing wonderful shows and for introducing accordion maestros as guest stars in his festival concerts. The handsome Toralf Tollefsen wowed us on two occasions, Pearl Fawcett, Jack Emblow – and I shall never forget, after one festival, watching and listening to Gervasio Marcosignori sitting on the kitchen table in the Wilkie House playing his accordion for us, while the party went on upstairs.
Bill was quite amazing and I am so glad that I had the privilege of not only playing in the accordion orchestra but on many occasions with his dance band. At one hotel which had held popular dinner dances, the clientele was dropping off. I played there two Saturdays with another band and it was quite depressing as the bandleader could not get the small numbers enticed onto the dance floor. The third Saturday, I played with Bill’s band. There were only twelve “customers” but, boy, did we have fun. Bill made it a party with his enthusiasm and determination. I admired him so much for that. I was also delighted to be, for some years, the “official pianist” at the after-festival parties in King Street which were a joy. I would get a lift in from one of my grandchildren for 11.00pm start and Bill would lay on a taxi to take me home any time from 3.00am onwards! No wonder I am not one for going to bed early!!!
My life would have been very different if I had not met Bill and, in recent years, I have loved spending time with him, listening to stories of his life and reminiscing about events and people we have known through music. Since his death, everywhere I have been people have been coming to me with their own stories about Bill Wilkie and what he meant to them and how he affected their lives. He certainly set me on my musical career and I am very happy to be close to his lovely daughter, Di, and her husband, Billy.
Box and Fiddle
June 2017
Bill started the accordion orchestra in 1948 and having performed at a festival in Dundee, he was impressed with the aspirations and dedication of the competitors so when the National Accordion Organisation asked if he would organise a festival in Perth, he was keen to do so. The first one was in 1950 and as well as some classical music classes, he held an open solo class for Scottish country dance music. Eventually this became the popular Scottish Championship. The Perth City Hall became the focus of countless wee lassies and laddies congregating with proud, nervous parents as well as accordionists of all ages and capabilities meeting and greeting each other.
I became the first pianist in the orchestra in 1949 until 1955 and I learned so much from Bill. He taught me how to vamp; Mickie Ainsworth, who was lead accordion, taught me how to play chords and, of course, through him I met my future husband, Jimmy Blue. Band practices were held on Sunday afternoons and veered between serious – Bill was a perfectionist and knew exactly when a mistake was made – AND who had made it! We played such a variety of music and many classics – “Vienna, City of Dreams”, music from the operas, “La Traviata” and “Cavalleria Rusticana” and with such beautiful arrangements. On the lighter side, when I began with the orchestra in 1949, there was still food rationing. Some of the band who lived in the country would bring in eggs for Bill to take home. Invariably, he would take one out and suddenly, looking at one of us, shout “Catch” and throw the egg! This sometimes got out of hand with the egg being thrown back and quite often there were more than a few eggs on the floor! Occasionally things would go wrong in concerts. At one Festival Concert, comedian Jimmy McNab, dressed as a policeman, came walking from the back of the City Hall through the audience announcing “Ah’m the Buchan bobby”. Unfortunately, many in the audience didn’t realise he was saying BUCHAN!!! There were quite a number of complaints. Abernethy – I was accompanying soprano, Sheena Lindsay, singing an Ivor Novello song when I realised the stage extension was slowly moving away from the main stage. I quickly hooked my leg round the piano stool and made sure I was on the stable part. Bill loved parties and party games. He liked nothing better than having his “boys and girls” (as he called us) enjoying themselves after working hard towards perfection at concerts.
There should have been a book written about Bill’s life. His wartime experiences alone, having joined the R.A.F. in 1940, would run to two volumes. After ‘passing out’, on his first day he was ordered to paint a circle of big stones white. He refused and when the sergeant came back, Bill hadn’t even opened the tin. He was taken before the Warrant Officer but that didn’t worry Bill who laid into him – “I can run a concert party, play for dances, form a dance band, and you want me to paint stones?” Not bad for an 18-year-old! And it worked. Next day he started as the W.O.’s clerk and soon got right into the Forces entertainment circuit, which eventually led him to Ralph Reader and his famous Gang Show. Just before a tour of entertaining the troops in India, Bill took some leave and married his girlfriend, Ena Groundwater, whose father was minister in Coupar Angus. He then set off to entertain the troops from Karachi to Calcutta, West and East Pakistan, Burma, Ceylon, often suffering from heat and exhaustion. Peter Sellars was drummer in the band with the Gang Show and he and Bill had many “adventures” together and remained friends after the war.
As well as his teaching academy. Bill started a dance band which played for many of the society balls and dances in and around Perth. The band were all good friends and, as with anything Bill did, they had fun – and adventures! Every time I pass Balbeggie, I see the hedge that pianist, Tommy Duncan, went through while racing Bill Wilkie home after a dance! In 1959, he opened a music shop which eventually was extended and became “Wilkie’s Music House”. It was always a pleasure to go into the shop because you were welcomed and offered a coffee and there was great conversation and, always, laughter. Bill’s wonderful wife, Ena, was the mainstay of the business. As well as the shop, she did all the organisation for the annual festival, went home each day to make lunch for her family and anyone else who hadn’t made plans to eat. Nobody ever went home hungry from the Wilkie home.
Bill Wilkie was small in stature, but huge in his talent for producing wonderful shows and for introducing accordion maestros as guest stars in his festival concerts. The handsome Toralf Tollefsen wowed us on two occasions, Pearl Fawcett, Jack Emblow – and I shall never forget, after one festival, watching and listening to Gervasio Marcosignori sitting on the kitchen table in the Wilkie House playing his accordion for us, while the party went on upstairs.
Bill was quite amazing and I am so glad that I had the privilege of not only playing in the accordion orchestra but on many occasions with his dance band. At one hotel which had held popular dinner dances, the clientele was dropping off. I played there two Saturdays with another band and it was quite depressing as the bandleader could not get the small numbers enticed onto the dance floor. The third Saturday, I played with Bill’s band. There were only twelve “customers” but, boy, did we have fun. Bill made it a party with his enthusiasm and determination. I admired him so much for that. I was also delighted to be, for some years, the “official pianist” at the after-festival parties in King Street which were a joy. I would get a lift in from one of my grandchildren for 11.00pm start and Bill would lay on a taxi to take me home any time from 3.00am onwards! No wonder I am not one for going to bed early!!!
My life would have been very different if I had not met Bill and, in recent years, I have loved spending time with him, listening to stories of his life and reminiscing about events and people we have known through music. Since his death, everywhere I have been people have been coming to me with their own stories about Bill Wilkie and what he meant to them and how he affected their lives. He certainly set me on my musical career and I am very happy to be close to his lovely daughter, Di, and her husband, Billy.
Box and Fiddle
June 2017