John Gibson
An Appreciation
by Iain MacPhail
Last August (1990), the death occurred of John Gibson at the age of only 29. Those of us who were privileged to know him, whether as a family member, musical colleague or, simply, a friend, were drawn to this most gregarious of men by his cheerfulness, sense of humour, natural friendliness and musical talent.
John enriched our lives and earned the admiration and respect of us all and this fact was substantiated by the large attendance, from all corners of the United Kingdom, at his funeral.
I met John when he was 15 and still at school. He was studying piano as part of his course and received tuition from my good friend, Pay Milbourne, known to many of us for his unstinting efforts to promulgate music of Scotland. Ray had greatly enthused about this young, rising star and soon engineered an opportunity for us to meet. I was immediately aware of John’s creative and innovative ideas, originality and empathy with music ; which were remarkable talents in one so young and inexperienced.
In time, as our friendship and his skills developed, John played with the band in cabaret, recordings and broadcasts. The fact that John was a happy, confident youngster with such a precocious talent helped enormously in the testing chamber of live performances. It quickly became apparent that, as he was so different in approach and playing , he influenced others – a notable feat in one so young among older and more experienced musicians. He was quite distinctive and always interested in others and what they were doing.
On leaving school, John attended college and, in the fullness of time, graduated as a piano-tuner, eventually aspiring to a prestigious post with Steinway in London, where he was heavily involved in preparing instruments for major concerts and performances.
As his career developed, however, he hankered for a return to his homeland and he was appointed the Steinway representative for Scotland and this opportunity opened new avenues for his many talents.
Apart from his obvious love for Scottish traditional music, he was capable of performing jazz, modern and contemporary music in addition to being a competent singer and, surprising to some, and able exponent of Scottish Country Dancing. John was always seeking to improve his skills because, simply, music was at the very centre of his whole being.
The friendly, outgoing nature possessed by John was complimented by a more serious side which often was not manifestly apparent.
On many occasions, he visited my home and long, sometimes heated, discussions would last well into the night. These chats were stimulating because John had so much to offer in the art of dialogue. The subjects varied ; politics, current affairs, Scottish affairs – John had clear opinions honed, perhaps, by the fact that he had lived outwith Scotland and was widely traveled.
Recently, he had moved sideways to a new career in computer software and had visited many countries of the world on business. Invariably, however, the last topic of conversation would be music : bands, personnel, styles, repertoires, musical arrangements and approach to harmony. Needless to say, we did not always agree, but John always tried to be constructive, seldom destructive, with his criticisms and observations.
No matter how long an absence, when John returned, he just took up where he had left off with his friends – by lifting the telephone and announcing brightly “Hello! It’s John here”. It was as though he had never been away.
I have many happy memories over the years of our musical association. We will all have our private memories of him : at dances, recordings, festivals in Shetland or Mull or just at parties and houses. He was cheerful, involved and always welcome.
Although John had known for some time that his health was failing, it did not preclude him from being involved and he continued to apply himself, enthusiastically, to the many calls on his services. The effort involved must have entailed an enormous amount of courage and fortitude but John, somehow or other, could cope with the pressures and life’s problems. He coped with his illness with dignity and with a degree of humour ; always ready to laugh, never too serious and good company.
Life had much to offer John and he lived it to the full – crammed full of warmth, laughter and music. In addition to his very great talent as a musician, that id how we will remember him.
Box and Fiddle
February 1991
John enriched our lives and earned the admiration and respect of us all and this fact was substantiated by the large attendance, from all corners of the United Kingdom, at his funeral.
I met John when he was 15 and still at school. He was studying piano as part of his course and received tuition from my good friend, Pay Milbourne, known to many of us for his unstinting efforts to promulgate music of Scotland. Ray had greatly enthused about this young, rising star and soon engineered an opportunity for us to meet. I was immediately aware of John’s creative and innovative ideas, originality and empathy with music ; which were remarkable talents in one so young and inexperienced.
In time, as our friendship and his skills developed, John played with the band in cabaret, recordings and broadcasts. The fact that John was a happy, confident youngster with such a precocious talent helped enormously in the testing chamber of live performances. It quickly became apparent that, as he was so different in approach and playing , he influenced others – a notable feat in one so young among older and more experienced musicians. He was quite distinctive and always interested in others and what they were doing.
On leaving school, John attended college and, in the fullness of time, graduated as a piano-tuner, eventually aspiring to a prestigious post with Steinway in London, where he was heavily involved in preparing instruments for major concerts and performances.
As his career developed, however, he hankered for a return to his homeland and he was appointed the Steinway representative for Scotland and this opportunity opened new avenues for his many talents.
Apart from his obvious love for Scottish traditional music, he was capable of performing jazz, modern and contemporary music in addition to being a competent singer and, surprising to some, and able exponent of Scottish Country Dancing. John was always seeking to improve his skills because, simply, music was at the very centre of his whole being.
The friendly, outgoing nature possessed by John was complimented by a more serious side which often was not manifestly apparent.
On many occasions, he visited my home and long, sometimes heated, discussions would last well into the night. These chats were stimulating because John had so much to offer in the art of dialogue. The subjects varied ; politics, current affairs, Scottish affairs – John had clear opinions honed, perhaps, by the fact that he had lived outwith Scotland and was widely traveled.
Recently, he had moved sideways to a new career in computer software and had visited many countries of the world on business. Invariably, however, the last topic of conversation would be music : bands, personnel, styles, repertoires, musical arrangements and approach to harmony. Needless to say, we did not always agree, but John always tried to be constructive, seldom destructive, with his criticisms and observations.
No matter how long an absence, when John returned, he just took up where he had left off with his friends – by lifting the telephone and announcing brightly “Hello! It’s John here”. It was as though he had never been away.
I have many happy memories over the years of our musical association. We will all have our private memories of him : at dances, recordings, festivals in Shetland or Mull or just at parties and houses. He was cheerful, involved and always welcome.
Although John had known for some time that his health was failing, it did not preclude him from being involved and he continued to apply himself, enthusiastically, to the many calls on his services. The effort involved must have entailed an enormous amount of courage and fortitude but John, somehow or other, could cope with the pressures and life’s problems. He coped with his illness with dignity and with a degree of humour ; always ready to laugh, never too serious and good company.
Life had much to offer John and he lived it to the full – crammed full of warmth, laughter and music. In addition to his very great talent as a musician, that id how we will remember him.
Box and Fiddle
February 1991