Highland A&F Club Celebrates 25 Years
by Rory MacLeod
It was a grand occasion indeed at the Drumossie Hotel just outside Inverness. The turnout for the evening was very impressive with a full capacity audience in attendance to enjoy the music of our very special guest artiste, ‘The Jim Johnstone SDB’. Jim’s band helped launch the Highland A&F Club back in 1973 and returned to the Club as guest artiste for its 21st Anniversary celebrations. We were honoured that Jim agreed to be our guest artiste once more for our 25th Anniversary celebrations.
The Highland Club’s founder and first Secretary, Alastair Watters, attended the evening as a special guest to cut the birthday cake. “It was Alastair who thought about forming the Club”, recalled founder member and present Chairman Rory MacLeod, who until a few years ago was the voice of Scottish music on the late lamented BBC Radio Highland.
“Al came into the area from Perthshire where they had a very successful club and put the idea to some of the players he met in Inverness. We formed a Committee under his leadership and got it under way. It was one of the first in the North and since we opened a lot of other clubs have been formed in other parts of the Highlands. Unlike a S&R Society which is predominantly and in some cases exclusively fiddles, A&F Clubs welcome players of both. In Inverness, we invariably attract more accordionists because our Club night clashes with Inverness Fiddlers Society’s weekly rehearsal – but they come along when they can and we are always glad to see them”.
Soon after its formation, the Highland A&F Club moved from the Cummings Hotel to the Ice Rink’s function Suite where shortly afterwards Ian Redford took over as Chairman. Ian, who was a Kirriemuir man, played button accordion and kept us all in order until his death in October, 1988.
Among the star guests who have appeared at the Club over the years are Bobby MacLeod, Ian Powrie, Jimmy Blue, Dermot O’Brien, Ron Gonella, John Huband, the Hamefarers and the Wallochmor Ceilidh Band. There was even a record made at the Club in the mid-80’s, which featured John Huband and the band and a number of local artistes. BBC Radio Highland also broadcast a typical Club night.
So back to the evening itself. Our MC Rory MacLeod introduced a very special guest, none other than Robbie Shepherd and the Take the Floor team from BBC Radio Scotland. With his well-kent voice, Robbie remarked that the last time he was in Inverness, he was on his honeymoon and that was over 30 years ago. He also remarked that he was delighted to be attending this very special evening. The TTF team recorded parts of the evening which included local artistes and the Jim Johnstone SDB which was broadcast on TTF on Saturday, 19th December, 1998. Some of the youngsters who were featured must have been thrilled to hear their performances broadcast to the nation.
The players who entertained us for the evening were Richard MacDonald on accordion, Graeme and Stephen Mackay on midi button accordion and fiddle, Jonathan MacKebdry on accordion, Bob MacLeod on button accordion, Sandy Ross on a black Shand Morino with Mike Shaw accompanying on piano and Jock Stephens on drums. Following on were the MacKenzie Family Band with Heather Fraser on drums otherwise known as the female Billy Thom of the North.
Finally Ali MacGregor from Tain played his midi accordion and Jock Stephens accompanied him on drums. Ali, incidentally, who is a member of the Tain SDB, jetted off to India would you believe, as part of the Tain SDB to help celebrate Burns Night in Bombay and Bangladesh.
Dance bandleader and piper, Bobby Coghill from Wick, attended the evening and it was very nice to see him.
Rory then introduced Jim Johnstone and the band. Jim appropriately started the evening with one of his own compositions, a very popular tune played by a lot of the dance band leaders, which was dedicated to our very own Rory MacLeod, namely ‘Rory MacLeod’s Welcome to Strathcarron’.
A highlight of the evening was a tune written by Alastair Watters especially for the Highland club’s 25th birthday anniversary called ‘The Highland Polka’. Jim and the band played it extremely well and the audience clapped enthusiastically at the end because it was such a catchy tune. It was an honour that Alastair dedicated this composition to the Highland Club.
At half-time everyone helped themselves to a delicious buffet laid on by the Highland Club and once everyone had settled back into their seats for the second half, Jim and the band entertained us for the rest of the evening.
Jim has a great sense of humour and had the audience laughing with some of his funny stories and combined with the superb music helped to make the Highland Club’s 25th Anniversary a memorable one indeed. Jim finished off the evening by thanking everyone and remarked that the highland Club was a strong and well-known Club and hoped that it would continue for many years to come.
The Highland A&F Club would like to take this opportunity to thank the Jim Johnstone SDB for their excellent performance, Robbie Shepherd and the TTF Team for taking time out of what must be a very busy schedule to attend and record our anniversary celebrations, the Committee of the Highland A&F Club for all their hard work and dedication, and finally to all the players and club members who have supported the Club over the years and made the Club the success that it is.
Here’s to the next 25.
Box and Fiddle
March 1999
The Highland Club’s founder and first Secretary, Alastair Watters, attended the evening as a special guest to cut the birthday cake. “It was Alastair who thought about forming the Club”, recalled founder member and present Chairman Rory MacLeod, who until a few years ago was the voice of Scottish music on the late lamented BBC Radio Highland.
“Al came into the area from Perthshire where they had a very successful club and put the idea to some of the players he met in Inverness. We formed a Committee under his leadership and got it under way. It was one of the first in the North and since we opened a lot of other clubs have been formed in other parts of the Highlands. Unlike a S&R Society which is predominantly and in some cases exclusively fiddles, A&F Clubs welcome players of both. In Inverness, we invariably attract more accordionists because our Club night clashes with Inverness Fiddlers Society’s weekly rehearsal – but they come along when they can and we are always glad to see them”.
Soon after its formation, the Highland A&F Club moved from the Cummings Hotel to the Ice Rink’s function Suite where shortly afterwards Ian Redford took over as Chairman. Ian, who was a Kirriemuir man, played button accordion and kept us all in order until his death in October, 1988.
Among the star guests who have appeared at the Club over the years are Bobby MacLeod, Ian Powrie, Jimmy Blue, Dermot O’Brien, Ron Gonella, John Huband, the Hamefarers and the Wallochmor Ceilidh Band. There was even a record made at the Club in the mid-80’s, which featured John Huband and the band and a number of local artistes. BBC Radio Highland also broadcast a typical Club night.
So back to the evening itself. Our MC Rory MacLeod introduced a very special guest, none other than Robbie Shepherd and the Take the Floor team from BBC Radio Scotland. With his well-kent voice, Robbie remarked that the last time he was in Inverness, he was on his honeymoon and that was over 30 years ago. He also remarked that he was delighted to be attending this very special evening. The TTF team recorded parts of the evening which included local artistes and the Jim Johnstone SDB which was broadcast on TTF on Saturday, 19th December, 1998. Some of the youngsters who were featured must have been thrilled to hear their performances broadcast to the nation.
The players who entertained us for the evening were Richard MacDonald on accordion, Graeme and Stephen Mackay on midi button accordion and fiddle, Jonathan MacKebdry on accordion, Bob MacLeod on button accordion, Sandy Ross on a black Shand Morino with Mike Shaw accompanying on piano and Jock Stephens on drums. Following on were the MacKenzie Family Band with Heather Fraser on drums otherwise known as the female Billy Thom of the North.
Finally Ali MacGregor from Tain played his midi accordion and Jock Stephens accompanied him on drums. Ali, incidentally, who is a member of the Tain SDB, jetted off to India would you believe, as part of the Tain SDB to help celebrate Burns Night in Bombay and Bangladesh.
Dance bandleader and piper, Bobby Coghill from Wick, attended the evening and it was very nice to see him.
Rory then introduced Jim Johnstone and the band. Jim appropriately started the evening with one of his own compositions, a very popular tune played by a lot of the dance band leaders, which was dedicated to our very own Rory MacLeod, namely ‘Rory MacLeod’s Welcome to Strathcarron’.
A highlight of the evening was a tune written by Alastair Watters especially for the Highland club’s 25th birthday anniversary called ‘The Highland Polka’. Jim and the band played it extremely well and the audience clapped enthusiastically at the end because it was such a catchy tune. It was an honour that Alastair dedicated this composition to the Highland Club.
At half-time everyone helped themselves to a delicious buffet laid on by the Highland Club and once everyone had settled back into their seats for the second half, Jim and the band entertained us for the rest of the evening.
Jim has a great sense of humour and had the audience laughing with some of his funny stories and combined with the superb music helped to make the Highland Club’s 25th Anniversary a memorable one indeed. Jim finished off the evening by thanking everyone and remarked that the highland Club was a strong and well-known Club and hoped that it would continue for many years to come.
The Highland A&F Club would like to take this opportunity to thank the Jim Johnstone SDB for their excellent performance, Robbie Shepherd and the TTF Team for taking time out of what must be a very busy schedule to attend and record our anniversary celebrations, the Committee of the Highland A&F Club for all their hard work and dedication, and finally to all the players and club members who have supported the Club over the years and made the Club the success that it is.
Here’s to the next 25.
Box and Fiddle
March 1999