Scotland is much, much more than bagpipes and kilts, tartans and whisky, highland games and golf. It’s a land of history, culture, castles, battlefields and country houses. Scotland is lively cities, dramatic scenery and friendly folk that remain fiercely independent and preserve their rich heritage although the Scots have been part of the United Kingdom since 1707.

For this writer, Scotland is not just another story. I am one of the 35 million throughout the world that claim Scottish descent. Further, the music I love, bluegrass, can trace its roots to the Scots-Irish that migrated to Appalachia in the early 18th century. I find it easy to explain why my heart is in the highlands, “at hame in dear auld Scotland.”

“Many fiddle tunes,” says Scots banjoist John Sheldon, “have Scottish or Irish origins. ‘Devil’s Dream,’ for example, is a well-known Scottish reel called 'Deil Amang The Tailors’.” Sheldon’s personal interest in bluegrass music led him to organize Scotland’s only bluegrass festival, held each August in Guildtown, a small village in central Scotland in the county of Perthshire. “I felt that the bluegrass bands in Scotland needed a focus. I saw a gap and decided to do something about it. I thought a festival would be valuable,” offers Sheldon. In the first year of the festival, 1987, it was billed as a “Picker’s Weekend” and that confused some of the local folks who turned up to pick raspberries. But, since then, the festival, held in the 80-year-old village hall, has featured the best in Scots bluegrass entertainment along with visiting American and English bands and has established a reputation as being a well-organized, informal and homey festival. When Robbie Burns, Scotland’s National Poet, wrote of “harmonious concerts” in the year 1787, who ever would’ve guessed that a village hall near Perth would be hosting bluegrass music two hundred years later.

We knew that some great picking was in store after arriving in Guildtown in August, 1990, and heading to the local Anglers Rest Hotel and Pub for the Friday evening jam session. A Scot might call the Anglers Rest a “cunzieneuk” which, in American English, means “cozy nook.” My preview to the festival included a lively jam with three banjo players, each expertly using very different styles but complementing each other quite favorably. From Aberdeen, Ray Stewart of the Grampian Mountain Boys frailed his banjo with energetic old-time spirit. Tony Sullivan (“Sully”) had driven up from Macclesfield, Cheshire, and he adroitly used innovative Irish stylings, picking his banjo with a thimble-shaped piece of plastic tubing. Finally, John Sheldon added the Scruggs touch. “It’s a great evening for a jam session,” I said. ‘‘Aye, it’s a braw, bricht, moonlicht nicht,” said one of the pickers, quoting from a Highland drinking song in the Scots tongue, “just another wee deoch ‘n doris afore ye gang awa’. Yer a’richt, ye ken.” Roughly translated, he was agreeing that it was a fine, bright, moonlit night and suggesting that we have another small drink before leaving.

In the early ‘60s, television shows like the Beverly Hillbillies and a Glasgow appearance by the New Lost City Ramblers did much to generate interest in American folk and bluegrass music. Scotland’s first bluegrass acts appeared in the ‘60s, primarily as duos. The Humblebums (Tam Harvey on guitar and Billy Connolly on banjo) had a long and successful career but split up about 1970. Connolly has become a comedian of international fame and still plays bluegrass and frailing banjo. Englishman Pete Stanley introduced many to the sound of banjo while on his tours through the Scottish folk clubs during the ‘60s. John Sheldon recalls one group of bluegrass musicians from his school that went by the moniker of the Ramrods. “Stuart Adams played tunes like ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ and ‘Shuckin’ The Corn’ on a good sounding German banjo. That was about 1967, right after the Scruggs book came out.”

Another Scottish band that was very influential in introducing the bluegrass sound was Old Hickory. In the early 70s, the first Old Hickory band consisted of Rob Mairs on banjo, his brother Alan on fiddle and Chris D’Ouseley on guitar. Their repertoire drew heavily on tunes from the Humblebums and Flatt and Scruggs. In 1975, guitarist Ian Mairs joined his two younger brothers in the band, while Roy Miller played fiddle. Ian recalls that 1977 appearance of Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys in Uddingston, just outside Glasgow. “It was a big boost for bluegrass in Scotland. For years after, my brothers and I kept meeting people whose enthusiasm for the music had been fired by that concert.” By the early ‘80s, Old Hickory was the three Mairs brothers with Robert Stevenson on bass and their first album was released in 1981. A medley of Scottish tunes on the album includes one penned by Rob Mairs, “Loch Loyal.” Their second album, in 1986, has Alan’s wife, Louise, on bass and offers six original tunes.

For about eight years, Old Hickory appeared weekly at the Star Club in Glasgow, where the Mairs brothers also organized concerts for visiting American bands. Besides playing throughout Scotland and at festivals in England, Old Hickory appeared several times on Scottish television. On one of their TV appearances, they performed Ian’s tongue-in-cheek original bluegrass tune called “Wee Heilan’ But ‘N’ Ben” (see below). Could this be a Scottish version of “Little Cabin Home On The Hill?” Alan Mairs says, “Most Scottish bluegrass bands are rather conservative, but in Old Hickory, we introduced some classical, Latin American and Scottish traditional music into our repertoire.”

In the late ‘80s, the three Mairs brothers decided to branch out into other musical endeavors and each has formed their own band. Ian heads up a group called the Moonshiners, which plays a blend of traditional country and bluegrass in bars and folk clubs. The group, with multi-instrumentalist Tom Connal, bassist Jimmy Moon and fiddler Donal Boyle, has appeared at Glasgow’s Grand Ole Opry and the Stirling Arts Festival.

Alan Mairs and his wife, Louise, have teamed with bassist Allan McMillan to form Redwing. “We concentrate on getting good, strong, three-part vocal harmonies,” says Alan, “and I feel that we have a good sense of timing and rhythm. We hope to play more folk festivals, travel, appear on TV and make a tape or two in the future.”

Rob Mairs started playing bluegrass 25 years ago and spent “countless hours pouring over Scruggs and Reno recordings to develop simpler versions of their material.” After many years with Old Hickory, Rob now plays in a ceilidh music dance band, a country band and a duo, trio or quartet which features banjo music from the Classic era.

“Classic or fingerstyle banjo is a 3-finger picking style traditionally performed on open-backed banjos with calfskin velums and nylon strings,” notes Rob. “It was a phenomenon of the urbanized northeast of American, developing in the mid-1860s and gradually eclipsing the older frailing style.” Rob explained that many light classical arrangements, marches and banjo novelty tunes with intricate harmonies were composed specifically during the late 1800’s and, by the turn of the century, rags were also being added to the banjo repertoire. His group’s performance of “Sunflower Dance” and “Humoresque” were crowd-pleasers at the Guildtown Festival. “Sadly,” says Rob, “after the First World War, fingerstyle was overtaken in popularity by plectrum styles and nowadays only a dedicated few keep this music alive. Classic banjo sheet music and recordings are not readily available. It’s my impression that 99% of bluegrass banjo players have never heard this wonderful, often technically demanding, music.” Rob has been spending the last few years creating tablatures from the original scores and recording some of these for presentation of a tab/cassette package. He’s currently looking for outlets interested in carrying the product.

“Scotland has a core of loyal bluegrass enthusiasts,” offers John Sheldon, “and the music goes down well with new audiences.” Both traditional and contemporary bluegrass are accepted by the typical Scottish audience. “But,” emphasizes Sheldon, “I don’t think bluegrass will ever be more than a minority interest over here. That’s part of the charm of it. For some, it becomes part of their own personal identity. If everyone were a bluegrasser, you might move away from it.” Rob Mairs agrees, ‘‘In Scotland, as in other parts of the world, it appears that bluegrass is destined to go no further than undercurrent status. Therein lies some of its appeal.”

The Scots have a term, “Kailyard,” for their literature which is heavy on rural sentimentality and traditional values. Most Scots have no trouble relating to many of the common themes in bluegrass music. “Some are a wee bit corny, but they seem to appeal,” says Sheldon. “I think many people are excited by the sound of banjos and find it stimulating. The first time I heard bluegrass it knocked me flat. Bluegrass is frequently used in advertising for everything from biscuits to cars and candy bars. It adds excitement and the speed element of fast banjo playing seems to build tension. The Guildtown Festival is held in the rural heartland of Scotland in a traditional farming community steeped in history and traditional music. People can see the connection with bluegrass and appreciate the enthusiasm it generates.”

Dave Logan, M.C. at the Guildtown Festival, traces his interest in the music to the late ‘50s. “I started listening to Hank Williams,” says Logan, “and on our nineteenth birthday my twin brother, Jock and I got a record player and then bought every Hank Williams single, EP and album available at that time.” Logan now owns a collection that includes all 27 of the 78 r.p.m. Hank Williams singles released in the United Kingdom. “Having bought all of Hank’s records, we then started to buy other country records, including ones by Bill Clifton, Jim Eanes, Mac Wiseman and Reno and Smiley. They weren’t called bluegrass in those days and to me were just a slightly different kind of country music. I continued buying country records over the years, but about fifteen years ago turned almost exclusively to bluegrass as I began to lose interest in what was passing for country at that time.” Bluegrass and country albums are now easily obtained in Scotland due to the efforts of Mike Craig who operates Mike’s Country Music Room in Aberdeen and publishes a bi-monthly newsletter/catalog of available products.

In the early ‘80s, Dave Logan became acquainted with the Scottish bluegrass scene and remembers attending the 1981 concert of Bob Paisley and the Southern Grass in Glasgow. followed by appearances in 1982-83 by Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys, Red Rector with Don Stover and Tex Logan with Peter Rowan. In 1983, Bob Paisley made a return visit and Logan promoted his first bluegrass show. Since then, he has produced and publicized fifteen additional bluegrass concerts for touring American bands.

In June, 1990, Dave and his wife, Margaret, made their second visit to the U.S., to attend the bluegrass festival in Dahlonega, Georgia. “There can’t be many fans keen mad enough to fly 4,000 miles for one festival, but we felt that we should make the effort to see Bill Monroe while he’s still picking. It was worth every mile!” Prior to the festival, they made a pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama, to visit Hank Williams’ final resting place. “That was quite an emotional experience for me,” recalls Dave. Logan plans to continue promoting bluegrass shows and he gave high praise for Scottish bands like Okefenokee and the Runaway String Band from Edinburgh that are prepared to come along and play on a concert night, show great devotion to the music and play for the love of the music, with little in the way of financial reward.”

“It certainly helps to have ‘big names’ appear over here to add a certain respectability to our music as an accepted art form,” says lain MacLachlan, banjo player with Okefenokee. His group originally formed as a duo in 1981 and has grown to six members that play a mix of traditional, contemporary and original music. Besides lain, Okefenokee includes Gordon Reynolds (guitar and lead vocals), Ken Thompson (bass), Elizabeth Peploe (fiddle), Ian McDonald (Dobro) and David Dickson (mandolin). It’s almost a sure bet that the newest member of the band, David Dickson, will eventually marry and have two children as that familiar situation fits each of the other five group members. Okefenokee plays regularly at Henderson’s wine bar and vegetarian restaurant in Edinburgh, has performed in a children’s musical about Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and has been working for the past year to host evenings of square dancing.

According to Gordon Reynolds, the inspiration for one of Okefenokee’s original tunes was found at a High Country concert promoted by Dave Logan. “It was one of the best live bluegrass bands we’ve heard. We left the concert with so much enthusiasm that we dedicated an instrumental, we now call ‘High Country,’ to them.” As a matter of fact, during the course of a Scottish bluegrass festival, it becomes very evident that many touring American bands have left a certain legacy with our friends across the Atlantic. “There’s an attitude that when American musicians come over, it’s authentic and we’re being exposed to the real thing,” notes John Sheldon. “Bluegrass goes over very well in a live context. When Scots see a band live, they’ll buy their tape or album and learn a few of their tunes. The Runaway String Band does some Bob Paisley numbers. Redwing does a few Good 0l’ Persons’ songs. It’s a tribute to the bands that have come over.”

Everyone I had a chance to chat with agreed that they would like to see more contact with people from the U.S. According to Sheldon, the most viable way to visit England and Scotland would be to come for a holiday. “A tour from London to Perth could be arranged, with reasonable fees for each gig and some time off to see the country. Once musicians break the barrier and have a good experience, they’re keen to come back.”

Sheldon considers his own group, Goldrush, as “A Fun Band, a collection of enthusiasts with no serious ambitions, although we have a wide range of musical interests from traditional bluegrass to jazz.” The other members of Goldrush are Alex Yellowlees (fiddle), Chris Tweed (Dobro), Colin Williamson (bass) and John Gaibraith (guitar and lead vocals). John and Alex both played in a more serious group called Suburban Edge until it disbanded in 1989. “We achieved a lot in a short period of time. We played on the radio, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and produced a tape. But, if you get too serious about it, you can get tied down,” cautions Sheldon.

John Sheldon has some apprehension about seeing his Guildtown Bluegrass Festival become too big and too impersonal. “Some festivals have branched out to attract a wider audience,” he notes, “but I’m not prepared to water down what we’re doing in Scotland. I don’t mind bands that are eclectic in their tastes and want to do a variety of material, as long as bluegrass material and instrumentation are emphasized. And I don’t ever see alcohol as an excuse for bad behavior or as a rationalization for violence or anti-social behavior.” Sheldon plans to coordinate with other festival promoters to learn what paths to go down and what pitfalls to avoid.

In one friendly pub, an older Scotsman told me of a man named Jock who visited London for his annual holiday, stayed in a large hotel, but was surprised to find the natives to the south (jokingly called “Brats” or “Bratish” on occasion) rather unfriendly. “At three o’clock every morning,” the elder Scot said, “they hammered on Jock’s bedroom door, on the walls, even on the floor and ceiling. Sometimes they hammered so loudly that Jock could hardly hear himself playing his bagpipes!” While Scotland’s music is world renowned chiefly for its bagpipes, it is gratifying to see that bluegrass has also established a solid foundation there as well.

Ian Mairs identifies two things he feels are needed to help bluegrass grow in Scotland: more radio and television exposure and more venues to play bluegrass. Dave Logan agrees that more airplay would help to promote the music. “Most people that don’t know any better think that bluegrass is all high, lonesome singing and banjos at a hundred miles per hour when there’s a lot more to it than that.”

Alan Mairs adds, “We need a better acceptance of bluegrass at the folk clubs and folk festivals. Folk festival organizers should book more professional bluegrass acts from the States. We also need more people like John Sheldon and Dave Logan with the commitment to organize festivals, promote concerts, run clubs, or sponsor picking sessions. We need more fiddle players, more mandolin players and more flatpickers.” Ian MacLachlan remarks, “John Sheldon has to be congratulated for putting on a Scottish bluegrass festival, but it would be good to have some international players involved.” Rob Mairs has more radical views on how to gain wider acceptance of bluegrass. “Bluegrass bands must become dance bands. Percussion would be mandatory and the P.A. setup should be rethought. Forget purist notions. Use direct input on all instruments. Less emphasis should be placed on straight bluegrass itself and use should be made of all the musicial influences to which you’ve been exposed. Bluegrass has too homely an image for many people’s tastes.”

All of the Scots I talked with would like to see a stronger emphasis put on the vocal aspect of bluegrass music in Scotland. “Singing is the core of the music,” says John Sheldon, “and the instrumentation and breaks are just icing on the cake. Unless you’re one phenomenal picker, you’ll bore an audience without strong vocals and harmonies.

Sir Walter Scott once described Scotland as “And of the mountain and the flood.” It’s much more. A traveller through Scotland will discover lochs and glens, bonnie banks and braes, heather covered moors and misty green hills. You’ll discover that the haggis is not an elusive three-legged animal as postcards and tourist information may lead you to believe but is actually a mixture of spicy meat and oatmeal cooked in a sheep’s stomach. And, if you’re very lucky, you may be the one to discover the Loch Ness monster. While the bagpipe usually is the first symbol that comes to mind when Scotland is mentioned, there is a small and loyal clan of dedicated musicians and fans that have a different but related musical interest, the high, lonesome sounds of bluegrass. As we pulled out of Guildtown, a beautiful Caledonian sunset illuminated the sky with a reddish hue that resembled the hunting tartan of Clan MacPherson. Our new found friends, members of an ever growing international bluegrass family, waved and shouted, “Haste Ye Back!”

JOE ROSS

WEE HEILAN’ BUT ‘N’ BEN

by Ian Mairs

You will see me in the mornin’

With a swingin’ of my sporran

Down by the Broomielaw

To the islands I’ll be going

Where the River Clyde is flowing

I’m off to see ma Maw

CHORUS:

How I long to be

Where the heather’s growing

Where the river’s flowing through the glen

Hand me my old crommack

And I’ll be going

To that wee heilan but ‘n’ ben

When the bagpipes are a’skirling

To a foursome I’ll be birling

With a bonnie lassie by my side

I’ll be eating neeps and haggis

I’ll be saying “och” and “agus”

In the hame where ma ain folk bide

My heart will never tire

Of the smell of old peat fires

Or the site of a whiskey still

In the glen the clans will gather

And we’ll have a right good blather

While the yowes are roamin’ o’er the hill

TRANSLATION: 

Wee heilan’ But ‘n’ ben - small highland two room cottage

Verse 1: Sporran - a pouch; usually covered with fur or hair, worn at the front of the kilt

The broomielaw - dock in Glasgow from where steamers sailed down the Clyde

Ma Maw - My mother

CHORUS: Crommack - crooked walking stick

Verse 2: Skirling - shrieking

Foursome - foursome reel (dance)

Birling - spinning round

Neeps - turnip

Och-Oh! Or Ah!

Agus - and (gaelic)

Hame - home

Ma ain - my own

Bide-live

Verse - 3; Blather-blether-voluble nonsense

Yowes - ewes(sheep)