Box and Fiddle Year 02 No 04
January 1979
Price 15p
8 pages
7 month subscription £1.75
Editor - Ian Smith, 50 Mount Vernon Road, Stranraer
Editorial
This has been a hectic time to get the paper to bed. Owing to the way the holiday period came in, it didn’t leave much time for the Printers. The only difficulty now is to get the copies transported over the holiday period.
There have now been a number of complaints to me about members of one Club not being admitted to another Club, even when showing their Membership Cards. I would refer readers to Box and Fiddle No 1, Page 8, Point No 1, also Front Page, same issue, Point No 1. It would seem from these Rules that Club Membership Cards do not make one eligible for entry to another Club. Instead, intending visitors should have Association Cards. Or does it? These two rules seem to cancel each other out. Therefore it must be up to the next A.G.M. to sort this one out, or is it?
Remember, it’s the Association’s Festival at Musselburgh on 3rd February. If last year was anything to go by, it should be quite a day.
Golden Fiddle Awards
Sir, - I am writing to invite your members to take part in a very enjoyable feast of music-making – the ‘Daily Record’ Golden Fiddle Awards 1979.
We have run the Awards for several years now, with great success, and it seems reasonable that the high standard of traditional playing in Box and Fiddle Clubs might lead some of your fiddlers to compete.
I would be grateful if you will pass on this invitation to your members. For full details write to – J.A. Dunn, Publicity Editor, Anderson Quay, Glasgow.
Obituary
Jack Caidenhead
The Perth Club were saddened to hear of the sudden death of Jack Caidenhead. Jack was one of the Club’s favourite fiddlers and his keenness and enthusiasm for traditional music was well-known. He will be long remembered for his feeling for the music. He was also a member of the Club Committee. One of these unsung heroes who work away quietly to see his Club runs as smoothly as possible.
Throbbing Thirties – Appeal of Accordion
by Alf Silk
YES! This was the ‘throbbing’ thirties ; The era of big band sophistication with nightly radio broadcasts from the bands of Jack Hylton, Debroy Summers, Roy Fox, Jack Payne, Harry Roy, Lew Stone, Bert Ambrose, Henry Hall, to mention but a few. I think that at this point it is worthy of mention that just around the corner from the Parakeet, the venue of the Galston Accordion Club in Hurlford, there lived a good friend of mine names Alan Ferguson who played with the Billy Mason band in Café de Paris in London. Alan was ranked with the top rhythm guitarists of the world, and was almost invariably included in the groups picked to back visiting stars like Louis Armstrong, The Dorsey Brothers, Fats Waller, etc., on tour.
Jazz Tidal Wave
Despite this tidal wave of jazz which submerged our more traditional forms of music the accordion not only survived, but actually made headway. And strangely enough it was from England that the big push came. To our more recent generations of Scots this may sound incredible in a part of the country now so overwhelmingly rich in accordion talent. But perusal of back-dated musical journals such as the ‘Melody Maker’ and ‘Rhythm’ bears this out.
Accordion clubs, like Croydon and Leicester, sprang up all over England. These clubs were different from our present day associations. Then they consisted of accordionists who met and played together, more or less as a band, under the guidance of some knowledgeable person who also provided tuition on the instrument.
The London College of Accordionists and the N.A.O. (National Accordion Organisation) whose counterpart in Europe is the Confederation de Accordionistes, did so much in alleviating the prejudices of accepting the accordion as a serious musical instrument in the UK.
Unfortunately, such prejudices still exist, but to a very much lesser degree, the accordion now being accepted by the Educational Authorities for O Level music examination. After all, it does seem rather ludicrous that one could take this test on a recorder or bagpipe but not an accordion. And although some of us may not be entirely in agreement with the choice of test music involved, the accordion is at least (and at last) now making real progress.
During the 30’s many professional accordion bands came into being and their records were very popular. We had ensembles like Lou Preager’s Serenaders ; Primo Scala’s Accordion Band ; Billy Reid’s London Band ; Lair Macari’s Serenaders and others.
Among the solo accordion stars of that period were performers like Peter Valerio (1935 Junior National champion) and Charles Magnante whose interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude (with Nola on the flip side) was a remarkable record indeed.
And music arrangers who greatly helped to promote the instrument were T.W. (Tommy) Thurban and George Scott Wood, who also compiled a very comprehensive tutor which is still much in use today. Incidentally, George was a very able accordionist as well as a most brilliant pianist.
It is not generally known that around this time Larry Adler, the harmonica virtuoso, was also an excellent accordionist.
The image of the stage accordionist then was different, being rather gaucho or Continental, which was only to be expected since the instrument was of foreign origin. I would say that the kilted accordionist was virtually unknown until the time of Mackenzie Reid, and since then the instrument has become, as it were, correlated to Highland attire and music. And talking of music, great credit must surely go to Willie Hannah and Jimmy Shand who did so much to preserve, if not actually resuscitate, our Scottish traditional music. Not only did they help keep it alive, but their regular radio broadcasts helped greatly to widen its appeal. And now through a succession of other fine performers, this appeal has reached unprecedented dimensions.
During the early thirties big accordion sales drives got under way all over the country. I well remember in 1933 an accordion demonstration sponsored by the Hohner Company being held in Paterson’s Music Emporium, Kilmarnock, where dozens of instruments were on display. The piano salon was cleared and opened to the public all day Saturday with Nicki and Bobby Haggerty and myself demonstrating the instruments.
Instruments
At that time one could purchase a 120 bass instrument for as little as £18 or could spand around £50 on a decent professional model.
1930 / 40 was for men a ‘crowded’ decade, so full of incident – good and bad. It was an era of precariousness, popular music and poverty.
I played in Variety Halls, Dance Bands, on Pleasure Boats and, on occasions, ‘busked’ on the streets of distant towns. Lack of space prohibits any detailed account at this juncture.
But although it was indeed the ‘thrifty thirties’ I have no regrets at being ‘part and parcel’ of this eventful era.
Therefore, it is rather refreshing to discover that amidst all the sophistication of the times the simple country life could still go on unspoiled almost on the doorstep of a city like Glasgow. This was at a farm on Hareshaw Moor where, with a fiddler from that area, I played at old-fashioned parties and barn dances. I think the fiddler’s name was Bert Fingland. The last ‘do’ at this farm was a double wedding just before the outbreak of the Second World War, and that celebration was a two-day marathon.
Just before the end of the decade the UK became involved in war and the career of the accordion, like many other things, came to a halt as National Service, both military and civil, took over in the common struggle against Nazism.
Record Review
by Derek Hamilton
Come Scottish Country Dancing – Robert Whitehead and his Band NRSCDS 103
Unfortunately, this month has been a difficult one for me in finding time available to obtain and review many records. However, I thought perhaps I might use the space to air my views on the events of the last month with regard to the BBC’s changes in broadcasting.
I can remember as a wee lad (before anyone else says it – I have a long memory) listening to the Home Service inn Scotland to three, yes, three programmes of Scottish Dance music every week. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and what’s more, most of them in those days were live shows. The BBC, on occasions, used to invite a team of dancers into the studio and the band of the night played for the dancers.
Names to conjure with like Tim Wright, Annie Shand Scott, Adam Rennie, The Scotia Players, John Johnstone, Alan Williams and winnifred Bird Matthews, were all broadcasting in these days. And of course notables like Jimmy Shand and Ian Powrie too.
There is always a tendency to look back and think how much better it was in those days – but is this really true? I like to give myself a jerk now and then by digging up some old broadcasts and records of the day.
For example, one of my favourite bands of the 50’s was John Johnstone. Remembering back, I think it was because the front line emphasised the accordions rather than the fiddle. The fiddle complimented the boxes and, of course, the second box was playing thick chords. I suppose what I’m really saying is that this was a modern Scottish Dance Band. The bass was another dominant feature. That’s how I remember the John Johnstone Band. Now comes the crunch – 25 years later when I listen to what I thought was a real tight modern band, what I hear is a loose, old-fashioned, uninteresting sound. Why I ask myself? Obviously I have come to expect something different. Something more progressive, more exciting.
The music has evolved, as have the techniques of reproducing that music. The players are nowadays not stifled by bow tied and black jacketed producers who demand that the dots must be strictly as in Kerr’s First (for the uninitiated that is the Bible of SCD music and includes such standards as Mrs MacLeod of Raasay and the Fairy Dance).
In those days the producer actually took total command of the programme and if he didn’t like a particular chord that was played, he called for the copy and changed it. Now, this may be good for discipline but I find it very stifling. It meant that, for many years, bands did not play diminished chords or minor thirds or whatever. Strictly common progressions and sequences were the order of the day.
The producer even had the right to determine whether an accordion was tuned to his satisfaction! He could, and did on occasions, criticize bandleaders for having their accordions tuned with a wide Scottish tremolo (I bet Sandy Nixon breathes a sigh of relief that that particular producer is no longer in command of Scottish Dance music!)
Using the words ‘Scottish Dance Music’ remind me to get back to the subject I originally intended – air my views on the changes that have taken place in Scottish broadcasting in recent weeks.
Radio Scotland 370 officially came into being on 23rd November 1978 but didn’t, if you see what I mean. The massive changeover of international wavelengths went smoothly everywhere but here! Scotland had to make do with a fair amount of crackle and hiss but little else for the first few hours of broadcasting. No doubt a ‘technical fault outwith our control’ was the official explanation. The only snag was they couldn’t tell you that because of a technical fault!
Anyway, gremlins evicted (and Ben Lyons resplendent in Radio Scotland 370 T-shirt) programmes got under way. The first major change to affect me was the discovery that on Friday night at 7.00 that fugitive from Radio Forth – the Tartan Terror, Gerry MacKenzie, was on the air for almost two hours. For those who don’t know, Gerry was Radio Forth’s answer – no – carbon copy of Radio Clyde’s Jack MacLaughlan who moved from Radio Scotland when it was a pirate station anchored off Arran, Stranraer, Syke and anywhere else the polis couldn’t reach it! Small world – isn’t it!
If you can suffer the patter – which, incidentally, has yet to be ‘nationalised’ – it’s still a bit East Coastish – there’s a lot of good music in Gerry’s show. And, after all, it is an additional dose of Scottish music which we haven’t had before.
The next major change is Scottish Dance Music which has ceased to be but hasn’t, if you see what I mean (I’ve said that before – haven’t I?)
Kate Dalrymple has been buried – and I wasn’t even asked to the funeral! In place of this sweet young maid is ‘The De’il Among the Tailors’ (a sign of the times I suppose).
I had checked with ‘Radio times’ to ensure that 6.15pm was the allotted time; caught the news headlines; and sat back to enjoy ‘Ceilidhonia’. What did I get? Some psudo-Scottish music and then an announcer giving a run-down on the programmes for the rest of the night! That took about five minutes. Still they made it run five minutes longer at the end. Except to say that ‘De’il Among the Tailors’ lasts two times longer than ‘Kate Dalrymple’ and you get virtually it all at both start and finish of the programme.
Once the ‘De’il’ was over and David Findlay had completed his voice-over, the important bit began. First programme was by Max Houliston and I must say that this is the best I have heard his band play for a long time on the BBC. The tempos were much better and the over-all technical performance was excellent. In fact, there were no noticeable mistakes.
The new spot in the show called ‘Bandleader’s Choice’ is a great idea. It allows bands to show more than the normal reels, jigs and strathspeys. It also allows the audience to broaden their appreciation of accordion music.
Max chose to play a piece called ‘Miss Melanie’ which was delightful and for his second choice the theme from ‘Dr Finlay’s Casebook’.
There is still all the usual mixture as before with the addition of the ‘Bandleader’s Choice’.
I think producer Chris Worrel has made a wise move by not having an audience. This can only allow and indeed encourage bands to try more adventurous music. This was proved the following week when Iain MacPhail’s great band played a fantastic musette waltz and some high-class reels as well.
Week number three sported a new band ‘The Wallochmore Ceilidh Band’. I must say it’s unusual to hear the BBC do so many plugs for a record but I’m not complaining. I hope they do the same for other bands. This is, to my way of thinking, a much more positive way to sponsor and promote the music than the BBC has ever been involved in.
All in all, despite my initial cynicism, I must admit, the new show is good.
I’ve no doubt some of the more traditionalists will take a little longer to come around but I’m sure they will in the end.
After all – one good programme per week is better than nothing and come to think of it, when we had three one of them was devoted to the BBC Scottish Variety Orchestra. Ugh!!
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Queen’s Hotel) 31st Jan 79 Jimmy Lindsay
Alnwick (Nag’s Head)
Balloch (Balloch Hotel) 21st Jan 79 Alasdair MacPhail and Bill Butler
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) 29th Jan 79 Graeme Mitchell Trio
Banff (Royal Oak Hotel)
Beith (Anderson Hotel)
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) 8th Jan 79 Tommy Pringle Trio
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel)
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel)
Cumnock (Royal Hotel)
Dumfries (Oughton’s)
Dundee (Royal Central Hotel)
Dunfermline (Kinema Ballroom)
Falkirk (Park Hotel) 29th Jan 79 Ronnie Easton SDB
Forres (Brig Motel) 10th Jan 79 Bobby MacLeod
Galston (Parakeet, Hurlford)
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler)
Highland/ Inverness (Drumossie Hotel) 15th Jan 79 George Bell SDB
Kelso (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Kintore (Crown Hotel)
Langholm (Crown Hotel)
Livingston (Cameron Ironworks Social Club)
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) 27th Feb 79 Alistair Hunter Trio
M.A.F.I.A. (Black Bull)
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel)
North Cumbria (Huntsman Inn - Penton)
North East (Seafield Arms) 9th Jan 79 Bobby MacLeod 6th Feb 79 Bill Brian
Oban (Park Hotel)
Perth (Salutation Hotel)
Renfrew (Glynhill Hotel)
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Straiton (Bellisle Hotel, Ayr) 10th Jan 79 Special Night Currie Bros 3rd Mar 79 Festival
Stranraer (North West Castle Hotel) 8th Jan 79 Billy Anderson Trio
Torthorwald (Torr House Hotel)
Wellbank (venue?)
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) 16th Jan 79 Tain SDB
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Alnwick
3. Balloch
4. Banchory
5. Banff
6. Beith
7. Biggar
8. Coupar Angus
9. Dundee & District
10. Falkirk
11. Forres
12. Galston
13. Highland
14. Lockerbie
15. M.A.F.I.A.
16. North East
17. Oban
18. Perth & District
19. Rothbury
20. Straiton
21. Stranraer
22. Wick
BASED ON THE ABOVE THE FULL CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT JAN 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. Coquetdale (?)
11. Coupar Angus A&F Club
12. Cumbria (or North Cumbria) Accordion Club
13. Cumnock A&F Club
14. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughton’s) (April 1965)
15. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
16. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
17. Dundee & District A&F Club
18. Dunfermline & District A&F Club
19. Falkirk A&F Club
20. Fintry A&F Club
21. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
22. Galston A&F Club
23. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
24. Gretna (June 1966)
25. Greenhead Accordion Club (Hexham)
26. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
27. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
28. Kintore A&F Club
29. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
30. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973)
31. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
32. M.A.F.I.A.
33. Newcastleton Accordion Club
34. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club
35. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
36. Oban A&F Club (1975)
37. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
38. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
39. Renfrew A&F Club
40. Rothbury Accordion Club (1974)
41. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
42. Straiton Accordion Club
43. Stranraer & District Accordion Club
44. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
45. Wellbank A&F Club
46. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)
This has been a hectic time to get the paper to bed. Owing to the way the holiday period came in, it didn’t leave much time for the Printers. The only difficulty now is to get the copies transported over the holiday period.
There have now been a number of complaints to me about members of one Club not being admitted to another Club, even when showing their Membership Cards. I would refer readers to Box and Fiddle No 1, Page 8, Point No 1, also Front Page, same issue, Point No 1. It would seem from these Rules that Club Membership Cards do not make one eligible for entry to another Club. Instead, intending visitors should have Association Cards. Or does it? These two rules seem to cancel each other out. Therefore it must be up to the next A.G.M. to sort this one out, or is it?
Remember, it’s the Association’s Festival at Musselburgh on 3rd February. If last year was anything to go by, it should be quite a day.
Golden Fiddle Awards
Sir, - I am writing to invite your members to take part in a very enjoyable feast of music-making – the ‘Daily Record’ Golden Fiddle Awards 1979.
We have run the Awards for several years now, with great success, and it seems reasonable that the high standard of traditional playing in Box and Fiddle Clubs might lead some of your fiddlers to compete.
I would be grateful if you will pass on this invitation to your members. For full details write to – J.A. Dunn, Publicity Editor, Anderson Quay, Glasgow.
Obituary
Jack Caidenhead
The Perth Club were saddened to hear of the sudden death of Jack Caidenhead. Jack was one of the Club’s favourite fiddlers and his keenness and enthusiasm for traditional music was well-known. He will be long remembered for his feeling for the music. He was also a member of the Club Committee. One of these unsung heroes who work away quietly to see his Club runs as smoothly as possible.
Throbbing Thirties – Appeal of Accordion
by Alf Silk
YES! This was the ‘throbbing’ thirties ; The era of big band sophistication with nightly radio broadcasts from the bands of Jack Hylton, Debroy Summers, Roy Fox, Jack Payne, Harry Roy, Lew Stone, Bert Ambrose, Henry Hall, to mention but a few. I think that at this point it is worthy of mention that just around the corner from the Parakeet, the venue of the Galston Accordion Club in Hurlford, there lived a good friend of mine names Alan Ferguson who played with the Billy Mason band in Café de Paris in London. Alan was ranked with the top rhythm guitarists of the world, and was almost invariably included in the groups picked to back visiting stars like Louis Armstrong, The Dorsey Brothers, Fats Waller, etc., on tour.
Jazz Tidal Wave
Despite this tidal wave of jazz which submerged our more traditional forms of music the accordion not only survived, but actually made headway. And strangely enough it was from England that the big push came. To our more recent generations of Scots this may sound incredible in a part of the country now so overwhelmingly rich in accordion talent. But perusal of back-dated musical journals such as the ‘Melody Maker’ and ‘Rhythm’ bears this out.
Accordion clubs, like Croydon and Leicester, sprang up all over England. These clubs were different from our present day associations. Then they consisted of accordionists who met and played together, more or less as a band, under the guidance of some knowledgeable person who also provided tuition on the instrument.
The London College of Accordionists and the N.A.O. (National Accordion Organisation) whose counterpart in Europe is the Confederation de Accordionistes, did so much in alleviating the prejudices of accepting the accordion as a serious musical instrument in the UK.
Unfortunately, such prejudices still exist, but to a very much lesser degree, the accordion now being accepted by the Educational Authorities for O Level music examination. After all, it does seem rather ludicrous that one could take this test on a recorder or bagpipe but not an accordion. And although some of us may not be entirely in agreement with the choice of test music involved, the accordion is at least (and at last) now making real progress.
During the 30’s many professional accordion bands came into being and their records were very popular. We had ensembles like Lou Preager’s Serenaders ; Primo Scala’s Accordion Band ; Billy Reid’s London Band ; Lair Macari’s Serenaders and others.
Among the solo accordion stars of that period were performers like Peter Valerio (1935 Junior National champion) and Charles Magnante whose interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude (with Nola on the flip side) was a remarkable record indeed.
And music arrangers who greatly helped to promote the instrument were T.W. (Tommy) Thurban and George Scott Wood, who also compiled a very comprehensive tutor which is still much in use today. Incidentally, George was a very able accordionist as well as a most brilliant pianist.
It is not generally known that around this time Larry Adler, the harmonica virtuoso, was also an excellent accordionist.
The image of the stage accordionist then was different, being rather gaucho or Continental, which was only to be expected since the instrument was of foreign origin. I would say that the kilted accordionist was virtually unknown until the time of Mackenzie Reid, and since then the instrument has become, as it were, correlated to Highland attire and music. And talking of music, great credit must surely go to Willie Hannah and Jimmy Shand who did so much to preserve, if not actually resuscitate, our Scottish traditional music. Not only did they help keep it alive, but their regular radio broadcasts helped greatly to widen its appeal. And now through a succession of other fine performers, this appeal has reached unprecedented dimensions.
During the early thirties big accordion sales drives got under way all over the country. I well remember in 1933 an accordion demonstration sponsored by the Hohner Company being held in Paterson’s Music Emporium, Kilmarnock, where dozens of instruments were on display. The piano salon was cleared and opened to the public all day Saturday with Nicki and Bobby Haggerty and myself demonstrating the instruments.
Instruments
At that time one could purchase a 120 bass instrument for as little as £18 or could spand around £50 on a decent professional model.
1930 / 40 was for men a ‘crowded’ decade, so full of incident – good and bad. It was an era of precariousness, popular music and poverty.
I played in Variety Halls, Dance Bands, on Pleasure Boats and, on occasions, ‘busked’ on the streets of distant towns. Lack of space prohibits any detailed account at this juncture.
But although it was indeed the ‘thrifty thirties’ I have no regrets at being ‘part and parcel’ of this eventful era.
Therefore, it is rather refreshing to discover that amidst all the sophistication of the times the simple country life could still go on unspoiled almost on the doorstep of a city like Glasgow. This was at a farm on Hareshaw Moor where, with a fiddler from that area, I played at old-fashioned parties and barn dances. I think the fiddler’s name was Bert Fingland. The last ‘do’ at this farm was a double wedding just before the outbreak of the Second World War, and that celebration was a two-day marathon.
Just before the end of the decade the UK became involved in war and the career of the accordion, like many other things, came to a halt as National Service, both military and civil, took over in the common struggle against Nazism.
Record Review
by Derek Hamilton
Come Scottish Country Dancing – Robert Whitehead and his Band NRSCDS 103
Unfortunately, this month has been a difficult one for me in finding time available to obtain and review many records. However, I thought perhaps I might use the space to air my views on the events of the last month with regard to the BBC’s changes in broadcasting.
I can remember as a wee lad (before anyone else says it – I have a long memory) listening to the Home Service inn Scotland to three, yes, three programmes of Scottish Dance music every week. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and what’s more, most of them in those days were live shows. The BBC, on occasions, used to invite a team of dancers into the studio and the band of the night played for the dancers.
Names to conjure with like Tim Wright, Annie Shand Scott, Adam Rennie, The Scotia Players, John Johnstone, Alan Williams and winnifred Bird Matthews, were all broadcasting in these days. And of course notables like Jimmy Shand and Ian Powrie too.
There is always a tendency to look back and think how much better it was in those days – but is this really true? I like to give myself a jerk now and then by digging up some old broadcasts and records of the day.
For example, one of my favourite bands of the 50’s was John Johnstone. Remembering back, I think it was because the front line emphasised the accordions rather than the fiddle. The fiddle complimented the boxes and, of course, the second box was playing thick chords. I suppose what I’m really saying is that this was a modern Scottish Dance Band. The bass was another dominant feature. That’s how I remember the John Johnstone Band. Now comes the crunch – 25 years later when I listen to what I thought was a real tight modern band, what I hear is a loose, old-fashioned, uninteresting sound. Why I ask myself? Obviously I have come to expect something different. Something more progressive, more exciting.
The music has evolved, as have the techniques of reproducing that music. The players are nowadays not stifled by bow tied and black jacketed producers who demand that the dots must be strictly as in Kerr’s First (for the uninitiated that is the Bible of SCD music and includes such standards as Mrs MacLeod of Raasay and the Fairy Dance).
In those days the producer actually took total command of the programme and if he didn’t like a particular chord that was played, he called for the copy and changed it. Now, this may be good for discipline but I find it very stifling. It meant that, for many years, bands did not play diminished chords or minor thirds or whatever. Strictly common progressions and sequences were the order of the day.
The producer even had the right to determine whether an accordion was tuned to his satisfaction! He could, and did on occasions, criticize bandleaders for having their accordions tuned with a wide Scottish tremolo (I bet Sandy Nixon breathes a sigh of relief that that particular producer is no longer in command of Scottish Dance music!)
Using the words ‘Scottish Dance Music’ remind me to get back to the subject I originally intended – air my views on the changes that have taken place in Scottish broadcasting in recent weeks.
Radio Scotland 370 officially came into being on 23rd November 1978 but didn’t, if you see what I mean. The massive changeover of international wavelengths went smoothly everywhere but here! Scotland had to make do with a fair amount of crackle and hiss but little else for the first few hours of broadcasting. No doubt a ‘technical fault outwith our control’ was the official explanation. The only snag was they couldn’t tell you that because of a technical fault!
Anyway, gremlins evicted (and Ben Lyons resplendent in Radio Scotland 370 T-shirt) programmes got under way. The first major change to affect me was the discovery that on Friday night at 7.00 that fugitive from Radio Forth – the Tartan Terror, Gerry MacKenzie, was on the air for almost two hours. For those who don’t know, Gerry was Radio Forth’s answer – no – carbon copy of Radio Clyde’s Jack MacLaughlan who moved from Radio Scotland when it was a pirate station anchored off Arran, Stranraer, Syke and anywhere else the polis couldn’t reach it! Small world – isn’t it!
If you can suffer the patter – which, incidentally, has yet to be ‘nationalised’ – it’s still a bit East Coastish – there’s a lot of good music in Gerry’s show. And, after all, it is an additional dose of Scottish music which we haven’t had before.
The next major change is Scottish Dance Music which has ceased to be but hasn’t, if you see what I mean (I’ve said that before – haven’t I?)
Kate Dalrymple has been buried – and I wasn’t even asked to the funeral! In place of this sweet young maid is ‘The De’il Among the Tailors’ (a sign of the times I suppose).
I had checked with ‘Radio times’ to ensure that 6.15pm was the allotted time; caught the news headlines; and sat back to enjoy ‘Ceilidhonia’. What did I get? Some psudo-Scottish music and then an announcer giving a run-down on the programmes for the rest of the night! That took about five minutes. Still they made it run five minutes longer at the end. Except to say that ‘De’il Among the Tailors’ lasts two times longer than ‘Kate Dalrymple’ and you get virtually it all at both start and finish of the programme.
Once the ‘De’il’ was over and David Findlay had completed his voice-over, the important bit began. First programme was by Max Houliston and I must say that this is the best I have heard his band play for a long time on the BBC. The tempos were much better and the over-all technical performance was excellent. In fact, there were no noticeable mistakes.
The new spot in the show called ‘Bandleader’s Choice’ is a great idea. It allows bands to show more than the normal reels, jigs and strathspeys. It also allows the audience to broaden their appreciation of accordion music.
Max chose to play a piece called ‘Miss Melanie’ which was delightful and for his second choice the theme from ‘Dr Finlay’s Casebook’.
There is still all the usual mixture as before with the addition of the ‘Bandleader’s Choice’.
I think producer Chris Worrel has made a wise move by not having an audience. This can only allow and indeed encourage bands to try more adventurous music. This was proved the following week when Iain MacPhail’s great band played a fantastic musette waltz and some high-class reels as well.
Week number three sported a new band ‘The Wallochmore Ceilidh Band’. I must say it’s unusual to hear the BBC do so many plugs for a record but I’m not complaining. I hope they do the same for other bands. This is, to my way of thinking, a much more positive way to sponsor and promote the music than the BBC has ever been involved in.
All in all, despite my initial cynicism, I must admit, the new show is good.
I’ve no doubt some of the more traditionalists will take a little longer to come around but I’m sure they will in the end.
After all – one good programme per week is better than nothing and come to think of it, when we had three one of them was devoted to the BBC Scottish Variety Orchestra. Ugh!!
CLUB DIARY
Aberdeen (Queen’s Hotel) 31st Jan 79 Jimmy Lindsay
Alnwick (Nag’s Head)
Balloch (Balloch Hotel) 21st Jan 79 Alasdair MacPhail and Bill Butler
Banchory (Burnett Arms Hotel) 29th Jan 79 Graeme Mitchell Trio
Banff (Royal Oak Hotel)
Beith (Anderson Hotel)
Biggar (Clydesdale Hotel) 8th Jan 79 Tommy Pringle Trio
Buchan (Buchaness Hotel)
Coupar Angus (Royal Hotel)
Cumnock (Royal Hotel)
Dumfries (Oughton’s)
Dundee (Royal Central Hotel)
Dunfermline (Kinema Ballroom)
Falkirk (Park Hotel) 29th Jan 79 Ronnie Easton SDB
Forres (Brig Motel) 10th Jan 79 Bobby MacLeod
Galston (Parakeet, Hurlford)
Glendale (Black Bull Hotel – Wooler)
Highland/ Inverness (Drumossie Hotel) 15th Jan 79 George Bell SDB
Kelso (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Kintore (Crown Hotel)
Langholm (Crown Hotel)
Livingston (Cameron Ironworks Social Club)
Lockerbie (Queen’s Hotel) 27th Feb 79 Alistair Hunter Trio
M.A.F.I.A. (Black Bull)
Newton St Boswells (Railway Hotel)
North Cumbria (Huntsman Inn - Penton)
North East (Seafield Arms) 9th Jan 79 Bobby MacLeod 6th Feb 79 Bill Brian
Oban (Park Hotel)
Perth (Salutation Hotel)
Renfrew (Glynhill Hotel)
Rothbury (Queen’s Head Hotel)
Straiton (Bellisle Hotel, Ayr) 10th Jan 79 Special Night Currie Bros 3rd Mar 79 Festival
Stranraer (North West Castle Hotel) 8th Jan 79 Billy Anderson Trio
Torthorwald (Torr House Hotel)
Wellbank (venue?)
Wick (McKay’s Hotel) 16th Jan 79 Tain SDB
THERE WERE CLUB REPORTS FROM :-
1. Aberdeen
2. Alnwick
3. Balloch
4. Banchory
5. Banff
6. Beith
7. Biggar
8. Coupar Angus
9. Dundee & District
10. Falkirk
11. Forres
12. Galston
13. Highland
14. Lockerbie
15. M.A.F.I.A.
16. North East
17. Oban
18. Perth & District
19. Rothbury
20. Straiton
21. Stranraer
22. Wick
BASED ON THE ABOVE THE FULL CLUB DIRECTORY AS AT JAN 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. Coquetdale (?)
11. Coupar Angus A&F Club
12. Cumbria (or North Cumbria) Accordion Club
13. Cumnock A&F Club
14. Dumfries Accordion Club (Oughton’s) (April 1965)
15. Dunbar Cement Works A&F Club (Closed?)
16. Dunblane & District A&F Club (1971)
17. Dundee & District A&F Club
18. Dunfermline & District A&F Club
19. Falkirk A&F Club
20. Fintry A&F Club
21. Forres A&F Club (Jan 1978)
22. Galston A&F Club
23. Glendale Accordion Club (Jan 1973)
24. Gretna (June 1966)
25. Greenhead Accordion Club (Hexham)
26. Highland A&F Club (Inverness)
27. Kelso A&F Club (May 1976)
28. Kintore A&F Club
29. Langholm A&F Club (Oct 1967)
30. Livingston A&F Club (Sept 1973)
31. Lockerbie A&F Club (Nov 1973)
32. M.A.F.I.A.
33. Newcastleton Accordion Club
34. Newton St Boswells Accordion Club
35. North East A&F Club aka Keith A&FC (Sept 1971)
36. Oban A&F Club (1975)
37. Ormiston Miners’ Welfare Society A&F Club
38. Perth & District A&F Club (Aug 1970)
39. Renfrew A&F Club
40. Rothbury Accordion Club (1974)
41. Shetland A&F Club (Sept 1978)
42. Straiton Accordion Club
43. Stranraer & District Accordion Club
44. Torthorwald A&F Club (near Dumfries)
45. Wellbank A&F Club
46. Wick A&F Club (Oct 1975)