Kath Campbell of the School of Scottish Studies is currently doing some
research into blind fiddlers, once apparently a common feature of town and
village life in Scotland. What often set them apart was their ability to
sing and play at the same time. This has set Kath wondering about modern
day players who do that. In Scotland the only example we could think of was
Tam Spiers of the Gaugers, while the only other names that spring to mind
are furth of here: Tom McConville (who does an excellent song about a
fiddler called Blind Willie as it happens), Pete Cooper and Dave Swarbrick.
Seems like a case for the well-stocked minds of the scots-l group.
Picking up on one or two other points:
Early folk festivals
Was there a folk festival in Aberdeen that ran for two or three years in the
early sixties? I seem to remember seeing some archive material when the
Folk Club there celebrated its 21st anniversary in 1983.
Minuets
Philip Whitaker can find the figures for a minuet, 'The Yellow Haired
Laddie', in one of the early RSCDS books. I've seen members of the
Edinburgh Renaissance Dancers dancing minuets, so they would be able to
supply more info.
ALP/ SMOG
The Adult Learning Project's phone number is to be found in the Edinburgh
phone book, lest anyone thinks they have been negligent in that area.
Unfortunately it's obscurely buried in the entry for City of Edinburgh
Council: Education: Community Education Service: Offices and Centres -
South West Edinburgh! Presumably ALP has no control over that.
Local sessions
And we thought the rivalry between Edinburgh and Glasgow was bad.....
David Francis
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
t/f (44) 131 557 1050 (o); 554 3092 (h)
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