Jimmy Blair (1920 – 1981)
by Gary Blair
Jimmy’s accordion history started at the age of eleven when he first ventured to take his father’s small melodeon down from its hallowed perch and attempted to squeeze out a few bars of one of the current hits! Unfortunately, his father found out and was none too pleased. For some time after that, a battle of wits ensured as he left his instrument is such a position that Jimmy could not always replace it after use without his father (also called James knowing). However, he was successful on most occasions, and by the time he was presented with his own instrument, he had a fairly sound knowledge of melodeon technique.
Shortly after this he joined the Territorial Army and was called up 2 days before WW2 broke out. Needless to say, his instrument went with him! Rigorous infantry training followed, and he had little time for practice, but in 1940 he was posted to the Merchant Navy as a machine gunner and was able to have some really intensive practice (on accordion, not machine gun!) Jimmy soon found the melodeon’s limitations and soon after he returned to his unit, he bought a five row Chromatic accordion. This was more to his liking and he was soon playing at Army Concerts and dances etc and guesting at ENSA shows.
In March, 1942, he was sent out on a reconnaissance patrol to see if the Germans had left a village. They had, and to his delight they had left a full-sized piano accordion behind! Even though they were on a forward position, his Company Commander, a Canadian, insisted on having a party at Company H.Q. that night. The Germans must have thought they were trying out a new secret weapon as he had little or no experience of the piano keyboard.
Every spare moment after that was spent in mastering that keyboard. He had two tutor books at the time (one in Dutch and one in German) and it was just as well that he could speak five languages.
More concert work followed, plus Regimental dances in all sorts of queer surroundings, and when the war was over he felt quite at home on the piano keyboard. He received the Croix de Guerre from the French authorities, and he insisted that it was not for his accordion playing!
By 1947 he had spent every day polishing up his technique and study of harmony, counterpoint etc. When he felt completely at ease on the piano accordion, having waded through Magnante books 1 and 2, he decided to become a teacher. He soon had as many pupils as he could handle and formed the Scotia Accordion Club in the same year.
Around the same time, he received literature from the U.S.A. on the uniform keyboard (invented by John Ruther) which interested him greatly. When they became available in the U.K., he tried one and soon realised that this was the keyboard he had been looking for. It was the perfect compromise between the chromatic button and piano keyed keyboards, and as soon as he became proficient (within weeks) some of his pupils changed over to the new system.
It wasn’t too long before Jimmy started up his own Scottish Dance Band, using four fiddlers from the Scottish Symphony Orchestra and one of his own pupils (Billy Buchan) on 2nd accordion. They soon became famous throughout the U.K., and were booked solid to play form the R.S.C.D.S. and at weddings, ceilidhs, etc. He was soon to appear on Scottish Television’s ‘Jigtime’ as the regular bandleader, and this carried on for a good number of years (his son Gary has three of the shows on video). Although he was very busy performing at these functions, he still loved to teach youngsters the accordion. He built up a wonderful Accordion School in which he was aided by his wife, Loretta, also an accordionist. It wasn’t long before his pupils started to win competitions by the barrel load, going on to represent the school at national level. Many of his pupils were crowned British Champions (including his son Gary) and many of them are still playing as professional / semi-professional accordionists to this day. It wasn’t long before he was teaching 4 nights a week, on Saturdays during the day, and conducting his Accordion Orchestras on a Sunday! His Orchestras were the U.K. Champions on several occasions.
He recorded loads of records with his band and even recorded with the violinists from the Scottish Radio Orchestra under the title ‘Scottish Strings’. Jimmy’s band became popular throughout the world and he was in big demand to appear in countries like Australia, U.S.A. and even France. Although he was active in the Scottish dance scene, Jimmy’s love was for accordion music in general, be it Scottish, classical or Continental. He made many friends in the accordion world and could count the likes of Marcosignori, Toralf Tollefsen and many other world famous accordionists amongst them.
Jimmy Blair passed away in November 1981 and even at his funeral, many former pupils were there to pay their last respects. His ashes were scattered at the 51st Highland Division Memorial at Tourville-sur-Odon in Normandy, France.
Box and Fiddle
March 1999
Shortly after this he joined the Territorial Army and was called up 2 days before WW2 broke out. Needless to say, his instrument went with him! Rigorous infantry training followed, and he had little time for practice, but in 1940 he was posted to the Merchant Navy as a machine gunner and was able to have some really intensive practice (on accordion, not machine gun!) Jimmy soon found the melodeon’s limitations and soon after he returned to his unit, he bought a five row Chromatic accordion. This was more to his liking and he was soon playing at Army Concerts and dances etc and guesting at ENSA shows.
In March, 1942, he was sent out on a reconnaissance patrol to see if the Germans had left a village. They had, and to his delight they had left a full-sized piano accordion behind! Even though they were on a forward position, his Company Commander, a Canadian, insisted on having a party at Company H.Q. that night. The Germans must have thought they were trying out a new secret weapon as he had little or no experience of the piano keyboard.
Every spare moment after that was spent in mastering that keyboard. He had two tutor books at the time (one in Dutch and one in German) and it was just as well that he could speak five languages.
More concert work followed, plus Regimental dances in all sorts of queer surroundings, and when the war was over he felt quite at home on the piano keyboard. He received the Croix de Guerre from the French authorities, and he insisted that it was not for his accordion playing!
By 1947 he had spent every day polishing up his technique and study of harmony, counterpoint etc. When he felt completely at ease on the piano accordion, having waded through Magnante books 1 and 2, he decided to become a teacher. He soon had as many pupils as he could handle and formed the Scotia Accordion Club in the same year.
Around the same time, he received literature from the U.S.A. on the uniform keyboard (invented by John Ruther) which interested him greatly. When they became available in the U.K., he tried one and soon realised that this was the keyboard he had been looking for. It was the perfect compromise between the chromatic button and piano keyed keyboards, and as soon as he became proficient (within weeks) some of his pupils changed over to the new system.
It wasn’t too long before Jimmy started up his own Scottish Dance Band, using four fiddlers from the Scottish Symphony Orchestra and one of his own pupils (Billy Buchan) on 2nd accordion. They soon became famous throughout the U.K., and were booked solid to play form the R.S.C.D.S. and at weddings, ceilidhs, etc. He was soon to appear on Scottish Television’s ‘Jigtime’ as the regular bandleader, and this carried on for a good number of years (his son Gary has three of the shows on video). Although he was very busy performing at these functions, he still loved to teach youngsters the accordion. He built up a wonderful Accordion School in which he was aided by his wife, Loretta, also an accordionist. It wasn’t long before his pupils started to win competitions by the barrel load, going on to represent the school at national level. Many of his pupils were crowned British Champions (including his son Gary) and many of them are still playing as professional / semi-professional accordionists to this day. It wasn’t long before he was teaching 4 nights a week, on Saturdays during the day, and conducting his Accordion Orchestras on a Sunday! His Orchestras were the U.K. Champions on several occasions.
He recorded loads of records with his band and even recorded with the violinists from the Scottish Radio Orchestra under the title ‘Scottish Strings’. Jimmy’s band became popular throughout the world and he was in big demand to appear in countries like Australia, U.S.A. and even France. Although he was active in the Scottish dance scene, Jimmy’s love was for accordion music in general, be it Scottish, classical or Continental. He made many friends in the accordion world and could count the likes of Marcosignori, Toralf Tollefsen and many other world famous accordionists amongst them.
Jimmy Blair passed away in November 1981 and even at his funeral, many former pupils were there to pay their last respects. His ashes were scattered at the 51st Highland Division Memorial at Tourville-sur-Odon in Normandy, France.
Box and Fiddle
March 1999