The Blair Dynasty
by Pia Walker with Gary Blair
The Blair family is a very well-known, Glasgow born and bred family. Who in the business hasn’t heard about The Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra which has produced many talented players over the years? I decided to ask Gary if he could tell me a little about his musical family and what he was up to at present. Holding face-to-face interviews is not easy at present owing to the current situation and Gary took time out to send me the following.
Over the years people have asked me how I got into playing the accordion. This is an easy one to answer since both my mother Loretta (1930-86) and father Jimmy (1920-81) were both accordion teachers and my grandfather James, aunt Alena and uncle Archie Duncan played accordion too! I have three brothers ; Malky and Colin, who are both older than me, and a younger brother, Jamie.
My dad’s accordion history started at the age of eleven when he took his father’s small melodeon down from its pride of place on a shelf and attempted to squeeze out a few bars of a tune. Unfortunately, his father found out and was none too pleased! For some time, a battle of wits ensued as he left his instrument in such a position that my dad could not always replace it after use without his father knowing. However, he was successful on most occasions, and by the time he was presented with his own instrument he had a sound knowledge of melodeon technique.
Dad was called up two days before World War II broke out. Needless to say, his instrument went with him. Rigorous infantry training followed with almost no time for practice until 1940. When posted to the Merchant Navy as a machine gunner he was able to do some really intensive practice (on the accordion, not the machine gun!) Jimmy soon found that the melodeon had its limitations and bought a 5-row chromatic accordion which he liked better and soon he was playing at army concerts and for dances, and even guesting at the ENSA shows.
In March 1942, when on patrol, he found an abandoned piano accordion. Although he did not have much experience with this type of accordion, he played at a Company HQ party that night and continued to do so many times since that night, including for Regimental Dances in all sorts of strange places. Every spare minute he had was now spent mastering the keyboard. Luckily, he also had an ear for languages and although self-taught could speak five European languages. Therefore the two tutor books he used at the time (one Dutch and one German) were not a problem to understand. Jimmy received the Croix de Guerre from the French authorities, and always insisted that it was not for his accordion playing!
By 1947 he had polished up his technique and study of harmony, counterpoint etc enough to feel at ease on the piano accordion, and, having waded through Charles Magnante’s Accordion Method Books 1 and 2, he decided to become a teacher upon returning to his native Glasgow. He soon had as many pupils as he could handle and formed the Scotia Accordion Club the same year.
Around the same time, he became interested in the Uniform Keyboard (invented by John Ruther) and, when they became available in the UK, he realised that this was the keyboard that be had been looking for. It was a perfect combination of the chromatic-button and piano-keyed keyboards.
Dad started his own Scottish Dance Band c1956/57 with four fiddlers from the Scottish Symphony Orchestra and one of his own pupils (Billy Buchan) on 2nd accordion. They soon became famous throughout the UK, and were booked solid to play for the RSCDS and at weddings, ceilidhs, etc. He also appeared as a regular bandleader for a number of years on Scottish Television’s Jigtime. Although very busy performing, he still loved to teach youngsters. He was teaching four nights a week and also during the day on Saturdays. He built up a wonderful Accordion School aided by my mother who was also an accordionist. Many of his pupils started to win competitions, going on to represent the school at national level. Many of his pupils were crowned British champions (including me) and many of them are still playing as professional / semi-professional accordionists to this day. Sunday was not a rest day either as it was spent conducting his Accordion Orchestras! The Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra was originally formed as part of his wider music school in the early 1970s. It was split into several smaller orchestras, and om several occasions they became UK Champions. Although he was active on the Scottish dance scene, my dad’s love was for accordion music in general, be it Scottish, Classical or Continental, and he made many friends in the wide accordion world.
The band also played concerts at home and abroad ; there were foreign trips to France, Belgium and Canada. With the untimely death of Jimmy Blair, the band was taken over by his wife Lola. My mother had initially started lessons with teacher Tony Verrechia in Glasgow. She became assistant teacher to my father and after his death in 1981 started the Lola Blair Accordion School. She became conductor of three Accordion Orchestras, Preparatory, Elementary and Intermediate. She loved teaching, and preferred this to gigging.
In 2009, I brought together new, talented accordionists to form the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra. JBAO has been going from strength to strength since then.
Gary Blair
Gary Blair’s own story is a whole different ball game. He started learning when he was 8 years old and attending the Jimmy Blair Accordion School which was then located in Berkeley Street, Glasgow. He joined the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra and soon started to compete around the UK. When he was around 15 or 16, his father started taking him to some of his gigs so he could learn he to play for dancing. This taught him such a lot and helps him to this day.
Gary clearly is very proud of all his family. He is not married, but has two adult children, Gary Jnr (30) who is a former UK Champion and was once placed 4th in the Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Section at the C.I.A. Coupe Mondial. He is now a Cruise Director with Carnival Cruises where he occasionally plays accordion to the guests.
Gary’s daughter, Kelly Ann (34), never took up the accordion or any other instrument other than playing tenor drum in a pipe band for a while. She is mother to Gary’s two grandchildren, Blossom and Koan.
Gary’s first bona fide gig was as a 13-year-old when he and his accordion duet partner, Iain Duff, were asked to join his older brothers Malcolm (drums) and Colin (bass guitar) in a band called The Blair Boys’ Band to play for the Saturday morning talent show at the Odeon Cinema in Eglinton Toll. Each week they would back local singers who performed Long Haired Lover from Liverpool and other such classic ditties. Their fee was ice cream, drinks and getting to watch the Saturday matinee.
Gary loved all styles of music, and admits he has not got a particular favourite genre. In fact, accordion seems to be his life. He is heavily into accordion history and told me that his only other hobby was collecting accordions and that his favourite tune was Flick Flack. Although he occasionally appears at Accordion & Fiddle clubs, he is a very busy man travelling the world to entertain. Canada, USA, Siberia, China, Korea, India, UAE, Russia, Kuwait and Italy are just a few of the places he has visited to provide entertainment, and your editor first met him at The Shetland A&F Festival.
As it did for all musicians, Lockdown stopped all his gigs and physical trips abroad. Instead he did a couple of virtual trips abroad. One was to the Faroe Islands and one to Catalonia : both were Accordion Festivals and both were according to him, “Brilliant.” He can’t wait to get going again, but other than going to Donegal, Ireland for his regular Burns Supper gig, he has no plans to go overseas yet. He is also a very busy teacher and at present teaches via Skype, which has kept him busy. He admits it doesn’t suit all, but right now it is a way of still being able to learn.
It was great catching up with Gary and like him I hope we will soon be able to get giggin’ again.
Box & Fiddle January 2022
Year 45 No 01 (after period in suspension due to covid)
Over the years people have asked me how I got into playing the accordion. This is an easy one to answer since both my mother Loretta (1930-86) and father Jimmy (1920-81) were both accordion teachers and my grandfather James, aunt Alena and uncle Archie Duncan played accordion too! I have three brothers ; Malky and Colin, who are both older than me, and a younger brother, Jamie.
My dad’s accordion history started at the age of eleven when he took his father’s small melodeon down from its pride of place on a shelf and attempted to squeeze out a few bars of a tune. Unfortunately, his father found out and was none too pleased! For some time, a battle of wits ensued as he left his instrument in such a position that my dad could not always replace it after use without his father knowing. However, he was successful on most occasions, and by the time he was presented with his own instrument he had a sound knowledge of melodeon technique.
Dad was called up two days before World War II broke out. Needless to say, his instrument went with him. Rigorous infantry training followed with almost no time for practice until 1940. When posted to the Merchant Navy as a machine gunner he was able to do some really intensive practice (on the accordion, not the machine gun!) Jimmy soon found that the melodeon had its limitations and bought a 5-row chromatic accordion which he liked better and soon he was playing at army concerts and for dances, and even guesting at the ENSA shows.
In March 1942, when on patrol, he found an abandoned piano accordion. Although he did not have much experience with this type of accordion, he played at a Company HQ party that night and continued to do so many times since that night, including for Regimental Dances in all sorts of strange places. Every spare minute he had was now spent mastering the keyboard. Luckily, he also had an ear for languages and although self-taught could speak five European languages. Therefore the two tutor books he used at the time (one Dutch and one German) were not a problem to understand. Jimmy received the Croix de Guerre from the French authorities, and always insisted that it was not for his accordion playing!
By 1947 he had polished up his technique and study of harmony, counterpoint etc enough to feel at ease on the piano accordion, and, having waded through Charles Magnante’s Accordion Method Books 1 and 2, he decided to become a teacher upon returning to his native Glasgow. He soon had as many pupils as he could handle and formed the Scotia Accordion Club the same year.
Around the same time, he became interested in the Uniform Keyboard (invented by John Ruther) and, when they became available in the UK, he realised that this was the keyboard that be had been looking for. It was a perfect combination of the chromatic-button and piano-keyed keyboards.
Dad started his own Scottish Dance Band c1956/57 with four fiddlers from the Scottish Symphony Orchestra and one of his own pupils (Billy Buchan) on 2nd accordion. They soon became famous throughout the UK, and were booked solid to play for the RSCDS and at weddings, ceilidhs, etc. He also appeared as a regular bandleader for a number of years on Scottish Television’s Jigtime. Although very busy performing, he still loved to teach youngsters. He was teaching four nights a week and also during the day on Saturdays. He built up a wonderful Accordion School aided by my mother who was also an accordionist. Many of his pupils started to win competitions, going on to represent the school at national level. Many of his pupils were crowned British champions (including me) and many of them are still playing as professional / semi-professional accordionists to this day. Sunday was not a rest day either as it was spent conducting his Accordion Orchestras! The Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra was originally formed as part of his wider music school in the early 1970s. It was split into several smaller orchestras, and om several occasions they became UK Champions. Although he was active on the Scottish dance scene, my dad’s love was for accordion music in general, be it Scottish, Classical or Continental, and he made many friends in the wide accordion world.
The band also played concerts at home and abroad ; there were foreign trips to France, Belgium and Canada. With the untimely death of Jimmy Blair, the band was taken over by his wife Lola. My mother had initially started lessons with teacher Tony Verrechia in Glasgow. She became assistant teacher to my father and after his death in 1981 started the Lola Blair Accordion School. She became conductor of three Accordion Orchestras, Preparatory, Elementary and Intermediate. She loved teaching, and preferred this to gigging.
In 2009, I brought together new, talented accordionists to form the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra. JBAO has been going from strength to strength since then.
Gary Blair
Gary Blair’s own story is a whole different ball game. He started learning when he was 8 years old and attending the Jimmy Blair Accordion School which was then located in Berkeley Street, Glasgow. He joined the Jimmy Blair Accordion Orchestra and soon started to compete around the UK. When he was around 15 or 16, his father started taking him to some of his gigs so he could learn he to play for dancing. This taught him such a lot and helps him to this day.
Gary clearly is very proud of all his family. He is not married, but has two adult children, Gary Jnr (30) who is a former UK Champion and was once placed 4th in the Junior Virtuoso Entertainment Section at the C.I.A. Coupe Mondial. He is now a Cruise Director with Carnival Cruises where he occasionally plays accordion to the guests.
Gary’s daughter, Kelly Ann (34), never took up the accordion or any other instrument other than playing tenor drum in a pipe band for a while. She is mother to Gary’s two grandchildren, Blossom and Koan.
Gary’s first bona fide gig was as a 13-year-old when he and his accordion duet partner, Iain Duff, were asked to join his older brothers Malcolm (drums) and Colin (bass guitar) in a band called The Blair Boys’ Band to play for the Saturday morning talent show at the Odeon Cinema in Eglinton Toll. Each week they would back local singers who performed Long Haired Lover from Liverpool and other such classic ditties. Their fee was ice cream, drinks and getting to watch the Saturday matinee.
Gary loved all styles of music, and admits he has not got a particular favourite genre. In fact, accordion seems to be his life. He is heavily into accordion history and told me that his only other hobby was collecting accordions and that his favourite tune was Flick Flack. Although he occasionally appears at Accordion & Fiddle clubs, he is a very busy man travelling the world to entertain. Canada, USA, Siberia, China, Korea, India, UAE, Russia, Kuwait and Italy are just a few of the places he has visited to provide entertainment, and your editor first met him at The Shetland A&F Festival.
As it did for all musicians, Lockdown stopped all his gigs and physical trips abroad. Instead he did a couple of virtual trips abroad. One was to the Faroe Islands and one to Catalonia : both were Accordion Festivals and both were according to him, “Brilliant.” He can’t wait to get going again, but other than going to Donegal, Ireland for his regular Burns Supper gig, he has no plans to go overseas yet. He is also a very busy teacher and at present teaches via Skype, which has kept him busy. He admits it doesn’t suit all, but right now it is a way of still being able to learn.
It was great catching up with Gary and like him I hope we will soon be able to get giggin’ again.
Box & Fiddle January 2022
Year 45 No 01 (after period in suspension due to covid)