Tributes to Calum MacLean
by Anda Campbell and Ian Holmes
Anda Campbell
A cloud hung over the little town of Tobermory on the 3rd of April, 2015 with the passing of the legendary accordionist, Calum MacLean.
Tobermory Church was packed to capacity for the funeral service on the 9th of April with locals and musical friends from far and wide. The Reverend Johnny Paton conducted a very moving and sympathetic service and Janet Campbell brought tears to everyone’s eyes with her singing of one of Calum’s own compositions, Sunset on Sunart, with words composed by his close friend Duncan McGilp.
At the end we were treated to a beautiful rendition by Gordon Shand of another of Calum’s classic compositions, The Hills of Mull.
Calum was born in tobermory on 23rd June, 1934, the youngest of 6 boys and 2 girls. At the age of 9 he started playing a 10-button, 1-row Empress melodeon. He then progressed to a Hohner Black Dot Double-Ray.
Calum played this melodeon for some time until one day his father gave his elder brother Eoghann the grand sum of £60 to go to Glasgow to buy Calum a decent accordion. Calum fancied a Paolo soprano 3-row, 80 bass accordion, so that was what Eoghann duly bought. But neither of them realised that this accordion was a Continental Chromatic while the Hohner that Calum used to play was diatonic – a completely different system! So when Calum proudly strapped on his new accordion, he couldn’t play a note! However, he persevered and even managed to teach himself to read and write music.
Calum’s mother knew a wealth of Gaelic songs, most of which were passed on to him, and she would correct him if he made any mistakes in the music. Calum’s father took chanter lessons from Pipe Major William Ross at Tiroran School.
Calum started playing at school concerts, dances, ceilidhs, etc when he was about 13 years old, and he played on Saturday nights in the old TA Hall in Tobermory. His payment was about £1 10/- per night, and the entrance fee for the dance was 1/6d.
It was probably at one of these dances in 1958 that Calum met and became firm friends with the famous dance band leader Ian Holmes and his wife Margaret, who were in Tobermory on honeymoon.
Another close friend was John Huband, whom Calum held in very high esteem. As well as recording the LP ‘East Meets West’ together, the pair performed as a duo at many venues.
Over the years Calum visited many foreign countries and in 1970 he competed in Bonn Bad-Godesberg (Germany), successfully winning the Coupe d’Europe, in which over 1,600 competitors took part. He also won many other competitions and Diplomas, including the Gold Medal at the International Accordion Festival in France, which saw him compete against over 3,000 competitors from 70 countries.
In the early 70’s Calum recorded several radio programmes for the BBC and also appeared on five ‘Se Ur Beatha’ programmes on TV. He also recorded many cassettes and albums with local musicians Alasdair MacLeod (bass) and Richard Hughes (drums). Calum was in his late 70’s when he accepted an invitation from the BBC to record his first session of ‘Take the Floor’. He enjoyed the experience so much he went on to do a further two. Another of Calum’s highlights was performing at Trad Style in Perth where he had the audience spellbound with his set of Gaelic Airs, played as only Calum could.
Calum composed more than 300 pieces of music that are played all over Europe. He was still composing up until his final days. One of my own personal favourites is Lonely Ben More, and I am reminded whenever I look at the view from my back window.
Calum had the honour of being chosen as Guest of Honour by the N.A.A.F.C. last June, in his 80th year. It was such a thrill to see him honoured in this way in the presence of his close family and friends.
In 1978 Calum, Bobby MacLeod, John MacIntee and Richard Hughes were the main instigators of the Mull Music Festival, which continues to the present day.
Back in 1981 Calum was performing in the Caird Hall in Dundee where the great Jimmy Shand asked to meet Calum. Calum told Jimmy that they had met before at the Games Dance in Tobermory when Calum was 17 to which Jimmy replied “Ye ken, you dinna look much older now, laddie!”
The kindness shown by Calum and Jean to visitors to their house, Lonan, was unrivalled and no-one was allowed to leave until they had had soup or coffee and home baking. His kindness was not confined to feeding you either. When I was about 18 my brother-in-law appeared one evening with an accordion case, saying “This is for you from Calum!” Inside the case was Calum’s prized Ranco! Calum had bought a new Hohner Morino and decided that I should have his Ranco. I treasured this instrument for many, many years. That is the sort of man that Calum was – the BEST!
Calum could have been a household name all over Europe, but his heart was with his family and his beautiful island home.
Both Ian Holmes and I will miss our long phone conversations with Calum during which the Scottish dance music scene was discussed at great length.
Calum is survived by Jean, his wife of over 54 years, his two daughters, Susan and Carol, his son Calum, and his grandchildren Amy, Rowen, Aiden and Iain. Our thoughts go out to them and their partners.
Mull has lost one of her favourite sons, but the music will go on through his son Calum, whp plays and teaches the bagpipes and is learning to play the 5-row accordion.
“Gus am bris an latha”.
Ian Holmes
For those of us who had Calum MacLean as a friend, life will never be the same. His passing has left a void which cannot be filled and I’m fairly missing our regular Saturday night ‘blethers’ on the phone.
Our friendship began in 1958 when Margaret and I were on honeymoon at the Mishnish Hotel in Tobermory. Our hosts, Bobby and Jean MacLeod, persuaded us to stay for the weekend so we could all attend the Golf Dance in the Western Isles Hotel. AS a strictly non-dancer I was reluctant, but bobby was persuasive and insisted I would enjoy the music, though rather strangely, he said he could not remember just who was playing. Margaret and I were delighted to find that it was our fiddler friend, Alex ‘Pibroch’ MacKenzie and a young Calum playing a 5-row accordion, somewhat of a rarity in those days. The music was absolutely first-class!
Whenever I was up on holiday, I’d always fit in a visit to Calum and Jean. We had so much in common, sharing an interest in bagpipe music, Irish dance tunes and music from the Continent. There was mutual admiration for each others work and I was proud recipient of several dedications including a cracking pipe reel Ian Holmes, and Tyrol-Ian, acknowledging my love of the Swiss idiom. In turn I wrote a musette, Hommages a Calais (Greeting to Cally), a 2/4 march Calum and Jean MacLean of Tobermory and a Swiss style tune Lonan Schottische.
Although he was a highly-rated and extremely talented accordionist/composer, Cally remained very modest, reluctant to speak of past glories. I’d learned of his successes at Continental accordion competitions, yet when asked about these, he shrugged them off as if they were of little importance.
He was a self-taught, natural musician, who had no formal training, taught himself to read and write music with a great knowledge of harmony. These attributes are apparent in his many compositions. He was receptive to many musical styles and he had the rare ability to absorb the basics of the genre and then compose a highly original melody in that particular style. To the lovers of true Traditional Scottish Music, Cally’s playing was completely devoid of any form of gimmickry. It was full of passion and was well summed-up by fellow bandleader, Ian Cruickshanks “When Calum MacLean plays a Gaelic Waltz, you can smell the heather”.
I count myself extremely fortunate to have had such a friend as Calum MacLean.
Box and Fiddle
July 2015
A cloud hung over the little town of Tobermory on the 3rd of April, 2015 with the passing of the legendary accordionist, Calum MacLean.
Tobermory Church was packed to capacity for the funeral service on the 9th of April with locals and musical friends from far and wide. The Reverend Johnny Paton conducted a very moving and sympathetic service and Janet Campbell brought tears to everyone’s eyes with her singing of one of Calum’s own compositions, Sunset on Sunart, with words composed by his close friend Duncan McGilp.
At the end we were treated to a beautiful rendition by Gordon Shand of another of Calum’s classic compositions, The Hills of Mull.
Calum was born in tobermory on 23rd June, 1934, the youngest of 6 boys and 2 girls. At the age of 9 he started playing a 10-button, 1-row Empress melodeon. He then progressed to a Hohner Black Dot Double-Ray.
Calum played this melodeon for some time until one day his father gave his elder brother Eoghann the grand sum of £60 to go to Glasgow to buy Calum a decent accordion. Calum fancied a Paolo soprano 3-row, 80 bass accordion, so that was what Eoghann duly bought. But neither of them realised that this accordion was a Continental Chromatic while the Hohner that Calum used to play was diatonic – a completely different system! So when Calum proudly strapped on his new accordion, he couldn’t play a note! However, he persevered and even managed to teach himself to read and write music.
Calum’s mother knew a wealth of Gaelic songs, most of which were passed on to him, and she would correct him if he made any mistakes in the music. Calum’s father took chanter lessons from Pipe Major William Ross at Tiroran School.
Calum started playing at school concerts, dances, ceilidhs, etc when he was about 13 years old, and he played on Saturday nights in the old TA Hall in Tobermory. His payment was about £1 10/- per night, and the entrance fee for the dance was 1/6d.
It was probably at one of these dances in 1958 that Calum met and became firm friends with the famous dance band leader Ian Holmes and his wife Margaret, who were in Tobermory on honeymoon.
Another close friend was John Huband, whom Calum held in very high esteem. As well as recording the LP ‘East Meets West’ together, the pair performed as a duo at many venues.
Over the years Calum visited many foreign countries and in 1970 he competed in Bonn Bad-Godesberg (Germany), successfully winning the Coupe d’Europe, in which over 1,600 competitors took part. He also won many other competitions and Diplomas, including the Gold Medal at the International Accordion Festival in France, which saw him compete against over 3,000 competitors from 70 countries.
In the early 70’s Calum recorded several radio programmes for the BBC and also appeared on five ‘Se Ur Beatha’ programmes on TV. He also recorded many cassettes and albums with local musicians Alasdair MacLeod (bass) and Richard Hughes (drums). Calum was in his late 70’s when he accepted an invitation from the BBC to record his first session of ‘Take the Floor’. He enjoyed the experience so much he went on to do a further two. Another of Calum’s highlights was performing at Trad Style in Perth where he had the audience spellbound with his set of Gaelic Airs, played as only Calum could.
Calum composed more than 300 pieces of music that are played all over Europe. He was still composing up until his final days. One of my own personal favourites is Lonely Ben More, and I am reminded whenever I look at the view from my back window.
Calum had the honour of being chosen as Guest of Honour by the N.A.A.F.C. last June, in his 80th year. It was such a thrill to see him honoured in this way in the presence of his close family and friends.
In 1978 Calum, Bobby MacLeod, John MacIntee and Richard Hughes were the main instigators of the Mull Music Festival, which continues to the present day.
Back in 1981 Calum was performing in the Caird Hall in Dundee where the great Jimmy Shand asked to meet Calum. Calum told Jimmy that they had met before at the Games Dance in Tobermory when Calum was 17 to which Jimmy replied “Ye ken, you dinna look much older now, laddie!”
The kindness shown by Calum and Jean to visitors to their house, Lonan, was unrivalled and no-one was allowed to leave until they had had soup or coffee and home baking. His kindness was not confined to feeding you either. When I was about 18 my brother-in-law appeared one evening with an accordion case, saying “This is for you from Calum!” Inside the case was Calum’s prized Ranco! Calum had bought a new Hohner Morino and decided that I should have his Ranco. I treasured this instrument for many, many years. That is the sort of man that Calum was – the BEST!
Calum could have been a household name all over Europe, but his heart was with his family and his beautiful island home.
Both Ian Holmes and I will miss our long phone conversations with Calum during which the Scottish dance music scene was discussed at great length.
Calum is survived by Jean, his wife of over 54 years, his two daughters, Susan and Carol, his son Calum, and his grandchildren Amy, Rowen, Aiden and Iain. Our thoughts go out to them and their partners.
Mull has lost one of her favourite sons, but the music will go on through his son Calum, whp plays and teaches the bagpipes and is learning to play the 5-row accordion.
“Gus am bris an latha”.
Ian Holmes
For those of us who had Calum MacLean as a friend, life will never be the same. His passing has left a void which cannot be filled and I’m fairly missing our regular Saturday night ‘blethers’ on the phone.
Our friendship began in 1958 when Margaret and I were on honeymoon at the Mishnish Hotel in Tobermory. Our hosts, Bobby and Jean MacLeod, persuaded us to stay for the weekend so we could all attend the Golf Dance in the Western Isles Hotel. AS a strictly non-dancer I was reluctant, but bobby was persuasive and insisted I would enjoy the music, though rather strangely, he said he could not remember just who was playing. Margaret and I were delighted to find that it was our fiddler friend, Alex ‘Pibroch’ MacKenzie and a young Calum playing a 5-row accordion, somewhat of a rarity in those days. The music was absolutely first-class!
Whenever I was up on holiday, I’d always fit in a visit to Calum and Jean. We had so much in common, sharing an interest in bagpipe music, Irish dance tunes and music from the Continent. There was mutual admiration for each others work and I was proud recipient of several dedications including a cracking pipe reel Ian Holmes, and Tyrol-Ian, acknowledging my love of the Swiss idiom. In turn I wrote a musette, Hommages a Calais (Greeting to Cally), a 2/4 march Calum and Jean MacLean of Tobermory and a Swiss style tune Lonan Schottische.
Although he was a highly-rated and extremely talented accordionist/composer, Cally remained very modest, reluctant to speak of past glories. I’d learned of his successes at Continental accordion competitions, yet when asked about these, he shrugged them off as if they were of little importance.
He was a self-taught, natural musician, who had no formal training, taught himself to read and write music with a great knowledge of harmony. These attributes are apparent in his many compositions. He was receptive to many musical styles and he had the rare ability to absorb the basics of the genre and then compose a highly original melody in that particular style. To the lovers of true Traditional Scottish Music, Cally’s playing was completely devoid of any form of gimmickry. It was full of passion and was well summed-up by fellow bandleader, Ian Cruickshanks “When Calum MacLean plays a Gaelic Waltz, you can smell the heather”.
I count myself extremely fortunate to have had such a friend as Calum MacLean.
Box and Fiddle
July 2015