In Memory
Tom Alexander MBE
25th June 1934 - 9th January 2020
by Bill Brown & Leonard Brown
B&F March 2020
By Bill Brown
The passing of Thomas Armit Alexander MBE on Thursday 9th January 2020, at the age of 85, saw Scotland lose one of its finest exponents of the piano accordion. Not only was Tom a highly talented and gifted player of exceptional technical ability, he was also a prolific composer writing a number of outstanding contemporary tunes, many with a Continental flavour, during a long and distinguished musical career. Without doubt Tom’s early classical training hugely shaped his virtuosic style of playing, while such a good musical education, clearly provided Tom with significant inspiration, insight and influence when putting pen to manuscript. As aspiring accordionists will soon discover, many of Tom’s own compositions are not easy to play which summed up the genius of the man. Tom was born on Monday the 25th June 1934 in Cambusnethan just outside Wishaw in Lanarkshire. Dad Jimmy worked in Clyde Alloy, Motherwell, while mum Helen ran a very tight ship in an era when money and resource were not in great supply. Tom was the eldest of a family of three, growing up in a happy family home with brother Jack and sister Betty. It was apparent early on that Tom and his younger brother Jack had inherited a great love for music and at nights the family would often sit round the piano singing and playing the popular songs of the day. Mum Helen, who was a gifted pianist and singer in her own right, invariably led those impromptu music sessions. The young Tom had a very difficult and unfortunate start to life having to endure major surgery for a mastoid in the ear, which was a big operation at the time. For the first ten weeks of his young life Tom was a regular resident in Glasgow Royal Infirmary, which placed a lot of stress and worry on his young parents, especially mum Helen. This childhood health scare left Tom with an acute hearing problem which he had to endure, manage and carry with him throughout his entire life which made his outstanding musical achievements all the more remarkable. Tom began his academic education at Newmains Junior Secondary School in Wishaw as it was known then, and by the age of nine, the fledgling Tom had acquired his first accordion beginning formal lessons with a succession of local teachers in Lanarkshire.
After a short period of time, his musical progression and competency on the accordion came to the attention of Bill Brown who invited Tom to continue his musical studies at his Accordion School. Tom’s dedication, discipline and commitment to the accordion continued to drive him forward and in 1952 he was entered into the Classical Section of the NAO Championships at the Christian Institute in Glasgow. At the time, Tom had an old clapped out Hohner but Bill suggested on the day of the competition, Tom played his Frattelli Crosio accordion, which Tom duly did and the rest they say is history. Tom went on to win the Championship playing Bats at Sunset by the American/Italian composer Frosini and Spanish Holiday by Eugene Ettore. Tom’s first accordion hero was world-class accordionist Toralf Tollefson from Fredrikstad in Norway. Toralf, like Tom, came from a musical family and was renowned throughout the world for his technical ability and manual dexterity on the 5 Row button accordion. I know Tom always regretted not learning to play the 5 Row as he felt it would have opened up a wider range of musical possibilities. Tom often credited Will Starr and Jimmy Shand as other key musical influences and few would be brave enough to argue with that as the profile those two greats gave the instrument is possibly why many of us are playing the accordion today.
During his life Tom was a great supporter of the National Association and made guest appearances at Accordion Clubs in such diverse locations as Jersey, Carlisle, Derry, Hexham, Drogheda, Thurso, Kirkwall, Biggar, Leyland, Derwentside, Castle Douglas, Lockerbie, Banchory, Kelso and Lesmahagow. Although classically trained, Tom was as much at home performing light classics and Continental and Irish music as he was at playing traditional Scottish music as the eclectic range of material included on his solo CD releases would testify to. Being the humble man he was, Tom would often claim that players such as Gordon Pattullo and John Carmichael were much better at playing the Scottish repertoire than he was. By his own admission he would also be the first to tell you that he didn’t regard himself good enough to be included on the list of top Scottish accordion players but I know many who would be willing to challenge that extremely harsh self-assessment. In his latter years, despite his own outstanding musical talent, Tom often commented to me that he felt rather apprehensive playing at accordion clubs where audiences could be quite critical and where emerging young players were perceived to be better than him, but while that maybe true, not every young player has, or will have, the ability to entertain and play an audience the way Tom Alexander could, so again, I think the man was being overtly self critical and rather hard on himself.
As mentioned earlier, Tom was a prolific composer throughout his life writing a collection of fine tunes such as Le Menege, Alpine Express, The Oil Rigger, Helen Armit (named after Tom’s mum) Isle of My Heart, Kenmore Gardens, Bowie’s Boat, Pat McCann MD and Kilwaughter House, all of which, were published by Greyfriars Music, the music publishing company Tom jointly owned with his brother Jack and long-time Musical Associate Tom Walsh. It’s clear Tom’s musical tastes were both varied and diverse and if you were to dig deeper you would discover a man who had a real love and passion for Jazz music, which he would love to have been able to play. You will therefore not be surprised to learn that Tom was a great admirer of fellow accordionist Jack Emblow, who not only specialises in Jazz improvisation, but whose contribution to the accordion world across many decades has also been exemplary.
Another passion that Tom would love to have made more of during his highly successful life was his strong interest in painting. I’m sure you have already detected I don’t mean painting of the variety Tom indulged in all those years ago at the start of his working life with Torrance the Painters in Motherwell. No I’m referring to the much more creative art of oil and watercolour painting that Tom dabbled in from time to time. Tom quite rightly picked up numerous awards and accolades during his long distinguished career but I know he was particularly thrilled when the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs recognised his amazing contribution to Scottish music with a Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to Tom at the Association’s Annual AGM held at the Huntingtower Hotel, Perth on Sunday 28th June 2009, and more recently, when fellow accordionist and lifelong admirer Leonard Brown staged a wonderful tribute to Tom at the Salutation Hotel, Perth on Sunday 28th August 2016. Unfortunately I wasn’t there that day but I believe it was quite an afternoon! However, the ultimate accolade and more formal recognition of Tom’s outstanding musical career came in 2005 when he and brother Jack were awarded MBEs in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. Tom and Jack received their well-deserved Awards for Services to the Entertainment Industry from The Queen at an Investiture held at Holyrood House, Edinburgh in July 2005. The boy’s were absolutely thrilled and pleased as punch at the award of their richly deserved MBEs, but there again, who wouldn’t be!
A retrospective of Tom’s amazing life of course wouldn’t be complete without making reference to the highly successful career Tom enjoyed with his late brother Jack. The Alexander Brother’s easy listening brand of Scottish music charmed and delighted audiences the world over for more than five decades. Due to Jack’s increasingly poor health, Tom and Jack sadly announced their retirement from professional Show Business on the 30th May 2012 after 54 years on the international stage. Jack sadly left us on Saturday 2nd November 2013 after a short illness, and with Tom’s passing, the curtain has finally, once and for all, come down on one of the most enduring and best loved acts to ever grace Scottish show business. Not only was Tom a devoted husband to wife Betty and a loving father to his late son Tom, who tragically died in 2006, he was also immensely proud of his three beautiful grand daughters. Tom was a very loyal and dear friend to all who had the privilege to know him, he was a gentleman off the highest standing with a kind warm nature, as well as being an exceptional Scotsman who was fiercely proud of his working class background and rich Scottish heritage. So as the sun sets on a life well lived and the evocative sound of the Flying Scotsman fades into the distance for the final time, words alone will never seem adequate enough to describe how much Tom will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him, not least by his beloved wife Betty, daughter-in-law Angela and his three beautiful grand-daughters, Holly, Skye and Tamsin. Tom’s passing is undoubtedly an event filled with immense sorrow and sadness, and I know more than a few tears have been shed at his passing, but it’s also a time to reflect and celebrate with sincere gratitude the life of an inspirational Scot who enriched so many people’s lives and whose unquestionable talent made such an outstanding contribution to our kind of music. Rest in peace Tom, like so many others, I was exceptionally proud, privileged and honoured to call you my friend. You will never be forgotten!
by Leonard Brown
On 9th January this year, our music scene lost one of the most well-respected and decorated musicians we have ever had the privilege of knowing and listening to, Mr Tom Alexander MBE. For the best part of 60 years Tom, along with brother Jack, graced the stage as the Alexander Brothers, a partnership that would see them travel the world delighting audiences with their songs, music and charisma, recording a multitude of best-selling records, amassing a huge fan base and becoming two of Scotland’s most recognised ambassadors. For me, Tom was always the consummate professional when playing solo. As a 14-year-old I had the pleasure of watching Tom perform at my local accordion club, Seghill, and from that moment, I learnt so much from Tom’s playing ability and stage craft. Tom inevitably enabled me and others to further our own musical careers using the tips and techniques that he showcased at each of his performances. Tom possessed a depth of quality not just in his playing of the piano accordion, but in his ability to connect with his audience. I witnessed him at our accordion club sitting and listening to all of the local artists before retiring to his dressing room to change into his kilt ready for his first performance. He was always immaculately dressed and beautifully presented on stage, with an endearing smile, and his playing to top it off was something to behold. He always offered a kind word to each of the players who had supported the evening. There were no airs or graces.
He was a genuine, kind individual who had such a wonderful talent. He can only be described as a very humble gentleman. His playing was of outstanding quality as he tackled pieces that others could only dream of playing. He was classically trained and this set the grounding for Tom to play pieces such as The Carnival of Venice, Lady of Spain, Pistonette and Poet and Peasant Overture with total ease. He was such a controlled player with an ability to choose material that suited his audiences. He would start his performances usually with something devilishly difficult like Lady of Spain featuring a bass solo, going into Happy Hours and a set of Shetland Reels. He would continue with favourites such as The Cuckoo Waltz, The Mad March Hare and Spanish Gypsy Dance. He would then slow the tempo down with The Dark Island or Highland Cathedral and finish his first set with The Typewriter and The Savoy American Medley. With such a diverse repertoire, it is no wonder Tom became my idol and my hero. In 2005, Tom and Jack were awarded a well-deserved MBE for their services to light entertainment. They both were hugely proud of this honour and they continued performing until 2012. After Jack’s passing in 2013, Tom continued to perform solo for a couple of years but with his health declining in the latter years he decided to retire in early 2016.
When I heard about Tom’s retirement I wanted to mark his legacy with an afternoon for him to remember. In August 2016 I organised a Lifetime Achievement Concert in The Salutation Hotel, Perth, a day that will live long in the memory for many as The All Star Band and myself performed his greatest hits in front of Tom’s 300 plus fans who had travelled huge distances to be there. Upon accepting the invitation, he was overwhelmed that someone would do such a thing for him, showing again his humble attitude. On the day Tom was presented with a bottle of malt whisky and a pocket watch with The Flying Scotsman inscribed on it. He received three voluntary standing ovations over the course of the afternoon and Tom contacted me the very next morning to thank me for the hospitality he received. Tom was admitted to a care home in 2018. On a visit I brought my accordion and played most of Tom’s compositions and favourite tunes for him and the residents. It was such an experience to see his face light up as each new piece was played. Betty, who couldn’t be at the tribute, heard about this and phoned me later to thank me for the pleasure it had given Tom. It is fair to say that we have lost a legend of our time. He will be greatly missed and fondly thought of for many years to come. His music and legacy lives on in others and we can now be rest assured that Tom and Jack, The Alexander Brothers, are now back together again in the theatre in the sky.
The passing of Thomas Armit Alexander MBE on Thursday 9th January 2020, at the age of 85, saw Scotland lose one of its finest exponents of the piano accordion. Not only was Tom a highly talented and gifted player of exceptional technical ability, he was also a prolific composer writing a number of outstanding contemporary tunes, many with a Continental flavour, during a long and distinguished musical career. Without doubt Tom’s early classical training hugely shaped his virtuosic style of playing, while such a good musical education, clearly provided Tom with significant inspiration, insight and influence when putting pen to manuscript. As aspiring accordionists will soon discover, many of Tom’s own compositions are not easy to play which summed up the genius of the man. Tom was born on Monday the 25th June 1934 in Cambusnethan just outside Wishaw in Lanarkshire. Dad Jimmy worked in Clyde Alloy, Motherwell, while mum Helen ran a very tight ship in an era when money and resource were not in great supply. Tom was the eldest of a family of three, growing up in a happy family home with brother Jack and sister Betty. It was apparent early on that Tom and his younger brother Jack had inherited a great love for music and at nights the family would often sit round the piano singing and playing the popular songs of the day. Mum Helen, who was a gifted pianist and singer in her own right, invariably led those impromptu music sessions. The young Tom had a very difficult and unfortunate start to life having to endure major surgery for a mastoid in the ear, which was a big operation at the time. For the first ten weeks of his young life Tom was a regular resident in Glasgow Royal Infirmary, which placed a lot of stress and worry on his young parents, especially mum Helen. This childhood health scare left Tom with an acute hearing problem which he had to endure, manage and carry with him throughout his entire life which made his outstanding musical achievements all the more remarkable. Tom began his academic education at Newmains Junior Secondary School in Wishaw as it was known then, and by the age of nine, the fledgling Tom had acquired his first accordion beginning formal lessons with a succession of local teachers in Lanarkshire.
After a short period of time, his musical progression and competency on the accordion came to the attention of Bill Brown who invited Tom to continue his musical studies at his Accordion School. Tom’s dedication, discipline and commitment to the accordion continued to drive him forward and in 1952 he was entered into the Classical Section of the NAO Championships at the Christian Institute in Glasgow. At the time, Tom had an old clapped out Hohner but Bill suggested on the day of the competition, Tom played his Frattelli Crosio accordion, which Tom duly did and the rest they say is history. Tom went on to win the Championship playing Bats at Sunset by the American/Italian composer Frosini and Spanish Holiday by Eugene Ettore. Tom’s first accordion hero was world-class accordionist Toralf Tollefson from Fredrikstad in Norway. Toralf, like Tom, came from a musical family and was renowned throughout the world for his technical ability and manual dexterity on the 5 Row button accordion. I know Tom always regretted not learning to play the 5 Row as he felt it would have opened up a wider range of musical possibilities. Tom often credited Will Starr and Jimmy Shand as other key musical influences and few would be brave enough to argue with that as the profile those two greats gave the instrument is possibly why many of us are playing the accordion today.
During his life Tom was a great supporter of the National Association and made guest appearances at Accordion Clubs in such diverse locations as Jersey, Carlisle, Derry, Hexham, Drogheda, Thurso, Kirkwall, Biggar, Leyland, Derwentside, Castle Douglas, Lockerbie, Banchory, Kelso and Lesmahagow. Although classically trained, Tom was as much at home performing light classics and Continental and Irish music as he was at playing traditional Scottish music as the eclectic range of material included on his solo CD releases would testify to. Being the humble man he was, Tom would often claim that players such as Gordon Pattullo and John Carmichael were much better at playing the Scottish repertoire than he was. By his own admission he would also be the first to tell you that he didn’t regard himself good enough to be included on the list of top Scottish accordion players but I know many who would be willing to challenge that extremely harsh self-assessment. In his latter years, despite his own outstanding musical talent, Tom often commented to me that he felt rather apprehensive playing at accordion clubs where audiences could be quite critical and where emerging young players were perceived to be better than him, but while that maybe true, not every young player has, or will have, the ability to entertain and play an audience the way Tom Alexander could, so again, I think the man was being overtly self critical and rather hard on himself.
As mentioned earlier, Tom was a prolific composer throughout his life writing a collection of fine tunes such as Le Menege, Alpine Express, The Oil Rigger, Helen Armit (named after Tom’s mum) Isle of My Heart, Kenmore Gardens, Bowie’s Boat, Pat McCann MD and Kilwaughter House, all of which, were published by Greyfriars Music, the music publishing company Tom jointly owned with his brother Jack and long-time Musical Associate Tom Walsh. It’s clear Tom’s musical tastes were both varied and diverse and if you were to dig deeper you would discover a man who had a real love and passion for Jazz music, which he would love to have been able to play. You will therefore not be surprised to learn that Tom was a great admirer of fellow accordionist Jack Emblow, who not only specialises in Jazz improvisation, but whose contribution to the accordion world across many decades has also been exemplary.
Another passion that Tom would love to have made more of during his highly successful life was his strong interest in painting. I’m sure you have already detected I don’t mean painting of the variety Tom indulged in all those years ago at the start of his working life with Torrance the Painters in Motherwell. No I’m referring to the much more creative art of oil and watercolour painting that Tom dabbled in from time to time. Tom quite rightly picked up numerous awards and accolades during his long distinguished career but I know he was particularly thrilled when the National Association of Accordion and Fiddle Clubs recognised his amazing contribution to Scottish music with a Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to Tom at the Association’s Annual AGM held at the Huntingtower Hotel, Perth on Sunday 28th June 2009, and more recently, when fellow accordionist and lifelong admirer Leonard Brown staged a wonderful tribute to Tom at the Salutation Hotel, Perth on Sunday 28th August 2016. Unfortunately I wasn’t there that day but I believe it was quite an afternoon! However, the ultimate accolade and more formal recognition of Tom’s outstanding musical career came in 2005 when he and brother Jack were awarded MBEs in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. Tom and Jack received their well-deserved Awards for Services to the Entertainment Industry from The Queen at an Investiture held at Holyrood House, Edinburgh in July 2005. The boy’s were absolutely thrilled and pleased as punch at the award of their richly deserved MBEs, but there again, who wouldn’t be!
A retrospective of Tom’s amazing life of course wouldn’t be complete without making reference to the highly successful career Tom enjoyed with his late brother Jack. The Alexander Brother’s easy listening brand of Scottish music charmed and delighted audiences the world over for more than five decades. Due to Jack’s increasingly poor health, Tom and Jack sadly announced their retirement from professional Show Business on the 30th May 2012 after 54 years on the international stage. Jack sadly left us on Saturday 2nd November 2013 after a short illness, and with Tom’s passing, the curtain has finally, once and for all, come down on one of the most enduring and best loved acts to ever grace Scottish show business. Not only was Tom a devoted husband to wife Betty and a loving father to his late son Tom, who tragically died in 2006, he was also immensely proud of his three beautiful grand daughters. Tom was a very loyal and dear friend to all who had the privilege to know him, he was a gentleman off the highest standing with a kind warm nature, as well as being an exceptional Scotsman who was fiercely proud of his working class background and rich Scottish heritage. So as the sun sets on a life well lived and the evocative sound of the Flying Scotsman fades into the distance for the final time, words alone will never seem adequate enough to describe how much Tom will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him, not least by his beloved wife Betty, daughter-in-law Angela and his three beautiful grand-daughters, Holly, Skye and Tamsin. Tom’s passing is undoubtedly an event filled with immense sorrow and sadness, and I know more than a few tears have been shed at his passing, but it’s also a time to reflect and celebrate with sincere gratitude the life of an inspirational Scot who enriched so many people’s lives and whose unquestionable talent made such an outstanding contribution to our kind of music. Rest in peace Tom, like so many others, I was exceptionally proud, privileged and honoured to call you my friend. You will never be forgotten!
by Leonard Brown
On 9th January this year, our music scene lost one of the most well-respected and decorated musicians we have ever had the privilege of knowing and listening to, Mr Tom Alexander MBE. For the best part of 60 years Tom, along with brother Jack, graced the stage as the Alexander Brothers, a partnership that would see them travel the world delighting audiences with their songs, music and charisma, recording a multitude of best-selling records, amassing a huge fan base and becoming two of Scotland’s most recognised ambassadors. For me, Tom was always the consummate professional when playing solo. As a 14-year-old I had the pleasure of watching Tom perform at my local accordion club, Seghill, and from that moment, I learnt so much from Tom’s playing ability and stage craft. Tom inevitably enabled me and others to further our own musical careers using the tips and techniques that he showcased at each of his performances. Tom possessed a depth of quality not just in his playing of the piano accordion, but in his ability to connect with his audience. I witnessed him at our accordion club sitting and listening to all of the local artists before retiring to his dressing room to change into his kilt ready for his first performance. He was always immaculately dressed and beautifully presented on stage, with an endearing smile, and his playing to top it off was something to behold. He always offered a kind word to each of the players who had supported the evening. There were no airs or graces.
He was a genuine, kind individual who had such a wonderful talent. He can only be described as a very humble gentleman. His playing was of outstanding quality as he tackled pieces that others could only dream of playing. He was classically trained and this set the grounding for Tom to play pieces such as The Carnival of Venice, Lady of Spain, Pistonette and Poet and Peasant Overture with total ease. He was such a controlled player with an ability to choose material that suited his audiences. He would start his performances usually with something devilishly difficult like Lady of Spain featuring a bass solo, going into Happy Hours and a set of Shetland Reels. He would continue with favourites such as The Cuckoo Waltz, The Mad March Hare and Spanish Gypsy Dance. He would then slow the tempo down with The Dark Island or Highland Cathedral and finish his first set with The Typewriter and The Savoy American Medley. With such a diverse repertoire, it is no wonder Tom became my idol and my hero. In 2005, Tom and Jack were awarded a well-deserved MBE for their services to light entertainment. They both were hugely proud of this honour and they continued performing until 2012. After Jack’s passing in 2013, Tom continued to perform solo for a couple of years but with his health declining in the latter years he decided to retire in early 2016.
When I heard about Tom’s retirement I wanted to mark his legacy with an afternoon for him to remember. In August 2016 I organised a Lifetime Achievement Concert in The Salutation Hotel, Perth, a day that will live long in the memory for many as The All Star Band and myself performed his greatest hits in front of Tom’s 300 plus fans who had travelled huge distances to be there. Upon accepting the invitation, he was overwhelmed that someone would do such a thing for him, showing again his humble attitude. On the day Tom was presented with a bottle of malt whisky and a pocket watch with The Flying Scotsman inscribed on it. He received three voluntary standing ovations over the course of the afternoon and Tom contacted me the very next morning to thank me for the hospitality he received. Tom was admitted to a care home in 2018. On a visit I brought my accordion and played most of Tom’s compositions and favourite tunes for him and the residents. It was such an experience to see his face light up as each new piece was played. Betty, who couldn’t be at the tribute, heard about this and phoned me later to thank me for the pleasure it had given Tom. It is fair to say that we have lost a legend of our time. He will be greatly missed and fondly thought of for many years to come. His music and legacy lives on in others and we can now be rest assured that Tom and Jack, The Alexander Brothers, are now back together again in the theatre in the sky.
