Some peerie bits and bobs:
Try the album c1981 by the band Curlew on the topic label (Davy Tulloch and
Veronique Nelson on fiddles) with Dave Jackson (of Aberdeen?) on Shetland
geetarr.
I have Tom Anderson's 1964 album on the Waverley label with Peerie Willie on
guitar. There is a great photo on the cover of the duo which I can post if
required. I've a feeling Willie's biog has been written up, perhaps by Tom
Morton the journalist, and that it goes into his early influences in some
detail. I spent a great 3 days travelling round the islands with the
'binkies playing at village concerts around 1980 with T.A. and Willie and I
wish I had taped some of Willie's stories - a great guy. There is a Shetland
music archive which should have something.
One or more of the Shetland tune books feature photographs of guitar
players.
I have a Scottish dance band record (The Park Studio Players) from around
the 1950s which features a named guitarist playing in an educated jazz style
not too many miles away from the Shetland style.
Peter Cooke's book on the Shetland fiddle and his PhD thesis (Edinburgh
University) may have some nuggets.
I seem to remember, its getting a bit hazy now, that there was a good jazz
guitarist in the band on the One O'Clock Gang show on TV all those years ago
and that he was fairly influential as a session musician and teacher around
the Glasgow area.
Then there's the "Hebridean Gaelic Giotar" - so many of those Gaelic
recordings from the 60s and 70s have the same jazz/country/electric guitar
sound - probably because its the same guy playing on them all. I just can't
recall his name at present. I'm sure some of the early Calum Kennedy records
even have it.
Another style is the "Jacobite Guitar" as made popular by the Corries and
others in the 60s and 70s but now more or less gone - they could not afford
to keep buying new strings I suppose.
I'm sure Nigel must have some gems in his collection of early records.
Hope this helps.
Stuart Eydmann
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