Jimmy Lindsay (1940 – 2020)
by Jean & Willie Simpson and Frank Thomson
B&F March 2020
Jimmy Lindsay was born in Hamilton where his father’s family had farmed the nearby Castle Brocket Farm and were well-known dairy farmers.
In 1944 the family moved to Perthshire and took over East Campsie farm and Jimmy began school at Logiealmond Primary School. Scottish Dance Music was always in Jimmy’s life; his mother was a piano player and his father keen on the mouth organ. Jimmy was lucky to have a neighbour at Picston farm, Davey Taylor, who played the melodeon and this got Jimmy interested in the accordion.
He began playing at an early age. He played by ear and later took lessons from Bill Wilkie. Jimmy was involved in the school band at Methven Secondary School where the line-up was Jimmy on button-key accordion, Frank Thomson on piano accordion, Arthur Baxter on fiddle, Rita Robertson on piano and Willie Simpson on drums. Their first gig was at Almondbank Flower Show where they shared the stage with The Joe Gordon Folk Four.
After having seen him in Perth Theatre, Will Starr was Jimmy’s absolute influence, and this led to Jimmy forming his own band and playing at various functions up and down the country. He was also heavily involved in playing for Scottish country Dance classes. He had a tremendous ear for harmony and a left hand that worded as hard as the right. He also loved the Continental idiom as well as being a prolific composer. His competition, Willie Atkinson, became a classic competition march.
Jimmy and Norma farmed East Campsie for many years and in 1991 they moved to Amulree as their children, Sandy and Fiona, were about to begin their secondary education at Breadalbane Academy. The family were much missed in the glen and Jimmy was a kindly gentleman who will be sadly missed.
Malcolm Ross writes :
The first time I met Jimmy was behind the scenes at the Perth Festival in the late 1970s, when I had tagged along with my father who had been asked by Bill Wilkie to judge a class, as Jimmy had. Two decades later. Jimmy appeared with a very young Sandy Lindsay to play at the mid-section of an annual ball, held at the prestigious Blair Castle Ballroom. The join in the music was seamless, as Jimmy and Sandy kept the 350+ revellers happy with their perfect tempos and energy. This was a difficult task, as they had followed bobby Crowe’s 6-piece band.
Over the years, I played with Jimmy many times. His sense of humour and professionalism along with his command of continental music, and especially his idea of how dance music should be, could have come only from the experience of doing thousands of different engagements. These skills proved valuable when he recorded for the RSCDS especially. Personally, I was amazed at Jimmy’s ability to play ‘modern’ on the button-box, and quite often, when at many functions playing background music, he would play a complicated jazz swing ‘chorus’ full of harmonies, chords, etc. on an instrument that’s suited to a usually more linear style of music.
We are fortunate that Jimmy’s son Sandy carries on his musical legacy. Our thoughts have been with the family over the last few weeks.
Joan Blue writes :
I played with Jimmy for many years, and our kids loved going to our band practices at Logiealmond. Jimmy Lindsay’s mum used to make a fantastic spread, and while we were playing my girls had the time of their lives helping her to bake, decorate cakes and make sandwiches etc. The only cross word between us was when he ran out of petrol – which happened more than once! On the third occasion I told him if it happened again I would leave the band. The next time he picked me up, the fumes from three cans of petrol in the boot nearly knocked me over!
Jimmy was always a delight to play along with – a great button key player with a real gentle way. We were in the Kinnoull Band for many years with different personnel on piano accordion. When I first joined in, I think 1963, David Forsyth filled this spot, followed by Frank Thomson, Ian Henderson and then Ian Anderson from Birnam. Bob Doig from Newburgh was on drums and, of course, our bandleader was fiddler Jimmy McFarlane from Scone, a most excellent and good-natured bandleader and we all had some happy times together travelling all over Scotland and very often Northumberland to play at dances.
I am so glad that Jimmy’s gentle manner as well as his musical talents have been passed to his son, Sandy. The two of them were guest artistes at Crieff A&F Club not so very long ago, and it was a delight to see them working together.
My sincere condolences to Norma, Sandy and Fiona.
In 1944 the family moved to Perthshire and took over East Campsie farm and Jimmy began school at Logiealmond Primary School. Scottish Dance Music was always in Jimmy’s life; his mother was a piano player and his father keen on the mouth organ. Jimmy was lucky to have a neighbour at Picston farm, Davey Taylor, who played the melodeon and this got Jimmy interested in the accordion.
He began playing at an early age. He played by ear and later took lessons from Bill Wilkie. Jimmy was involved in the school band at Methven Secondary School where the line-up was Jimmy on button-key accordion, Frank Thomson on piano accordion, Arthur Baxter on fiddle, Rita Robertson on piano and Willie Simpson on drums. Their first gig was at Almondbank Flower Show where they shared the stage with The Joe Gordon Folk Four.
After having seen him in Perth Theatre, Will Starr was Jimmy’s absolute influence, and this led to Jimmy forming his own band and playing at various functions up and down the country. He was also heavily involved in playing for Scottish country Dance classes. He had a tremendous ear for harmony and a left hand that worded as hard as the right. He also loved the Continental idiom as well as being a prolific composer. His competition, Willie Atkinson, became a classic competition march.
Jimmy and Norma farmed East Campsie for many years and in 1991 they moved to Amulree as their children, Sandy and Fiona, were about to begin their secondary education at Breadalbane Academy. The family were much missed in the glen and Jimmy was a kindly gentleman who will be sadly missed.
Malcolm Ross writes :
The first time I met Jimmy was behind the scenes at the Perth Festival in the late 1970s, when I had tagged along with my father who had been asked by Bill Wilkie to judge a class, as Jimmy had. Two decades later. Jimmy appeared with a very young Sandy Lindsay to play at the mid-section of an annual ball, held at the prestigious Blair Castle Ballroom. The join in the music was seamless, as Jimmy and Sandy kept the 350+ revellers happy with their perfect tempos and energy. This was a difficult task, as they had followed bobby Crowe’s 6-piece band.
Over the years, I played with Jimmy many times. His sense of humour and professionalism along with his command of continental music, and especially his idea of how dance music should be, could have come only from the experience of doing thousands of different engagements. These skills proved valuable when he recorded for the RSCDS especially. Personally, I was amazed at Jimmy’s ability to play ‘modern’ on the button-box, and quite often, when at many functions playing background music, he would play a complicated jazz swing ‘chorus’ full of harmonies, chords, etc. on an instrument that’s suited to a usually more linear style of music.
We are fortunate that Jimmy’s son Sandy carries on his musical legacy. Our thoughts have been with the family over the last few weeks.
Joan Blue writes :
I played with Jimmy for many years, and our kids loved going to our band practices at Logiealmond. Jimmy Lindsay’s mum used to make a fantastic spread, and while we were playing my girls had the time of their lives helping her to bake, decorate cakes and make sandwiches etc. The only cross word between us was when he ran out of petrol – which happened more than once! On the third occasion I told him if it happened again I would leave the band. The next time he picked me up, the fumes from three cans of petrol in the boot nearly knocked me over!
Jimmy was always a delight to play along with – a great button key player with a real gentle way. We were in the Kinnoull Band for many years with different personnel on piano accordion. When I first joined in, I think 1963, David Forsyth filled this spot, followed by Frank Thomson, Ian Henderson and then Ian Anderson from Birnam. Bob Doig from Newburgh was on drums and, of course, our bandleader was fiddler Jimmy McFarlane from Scone, a most excellent and good-natured bandleader and we all had some happy times together travelling all over Scotland and very often Northumberland to play at dances.
I am so glad that Jimmy’s gentle manner as well as his musical talents have been passed to his son, Sandy. The two of them were guest artistes at Crieff A&F Club not so very long ago, and it was a delight to see them working together.
My sincere condolences to Norma, Sandy and Fiona.