Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival

13 Nov 2006 in Music, Shetland

Bringing Country Music Home

ROB ELLEN makes a pilgrimage to celebrates Shetland’s country music heritage and the legacy of Thomas Fraser

ON ASKING May Simpson, one of Shetland’s leading country singers, what her father would make of his memorial festival, her face lights up: “He’d never have believed it in his wildest dreams, he’d have been over whelmed, he was a very shy and unassuming man you know”.

Thomas Fraser lived all his life on the west island of Burra, which takes the full brunt of the north Atlantic. He lived as a fisherman, and died in 1978 from the effects of a blow to his head suffered while winching scallops on board.

Born in 1927, Thomas’s introduction to music was the gift of a guitar at the age of 8, and indeed he proved gifted from the outset. He soon added, piano, banjo, piano accordion, and – no surprise – fiddle to his instruments, becoming famed over Shetland.

He played for dances and gatherings once he had come to terms with his stage fright – at the age of age 18, he had famously played for his sister Betty’s wedding in the cupboard, so he wouldn’t have to face the audience.

It was with the electrification of the islands in the 50’s that Thomas developed the aspect of his music that has some fifty years later become such a phenomenon. He bought a reel to reel tape recorder and started recording his unique take on the music of fathers of country music Jimmy Rogers, Hank Williams and Hank Snow, recording songs and giving them to friends as presents and mementoes.

For any true music fan all of life revolves round music, and Shetland for this weekend seemed to be revolving around Burra and Thomas Fraser

All of which had lain in cupboards and drawers all over the islands till Thomas’s grandson, Karl Simpson (moved by the quality of the music and the recordings), had his own collection remastered and released, heralding the start of a journey that has seen his grandfathers legacy revered and recognised from Noss to Nashville.

Founded in 2001 with a concert to commemorate his life, the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival ran for the fifth time earlier this month, and has now grown into the Northern Islands leading Country Music Festival, a three day sell out celebration in the recently refurbished Burra Public Hall of his life, music and influence on the Shetland country music scene (and, some Shetlanders would argue, the country music scene in Scotland).

It has become the focus of the year for Shetland’s country musicians and fans, many in turn directly influenced by Thomas himself. This year’s guests from the United States, John Lilly (Jimmy Rogers aficionado and West Virginian cultural archivist), and Rick McWilliams (Jimmy’s grand nephew and grandson of Elsie McWilliams, who co-wrote many of The Singing Brakeman’s hit songs), both make an appearance by their own volition purely on the strength of their connection to these remarkable recordings.

Karl and the family have now released three cd’s and have unearthed enough material for at least one more.

Here is this pilgrim’s account of the festival.

The proceedings were dutifully opened by The Allan Tulloch Band, who took the audience (neatly seated sardine-fashion) through a deft ramble of fiddle styles and tunes from Shetland to the Appalachians, via Texas, Cajun Louisiana, and back across the cold grey sea to Burra.

They were warmly appreciated. Jovial compere Geordie Pottinger applied some ready made sticking tape to the seams of what was a tight, but well executed (if lengthy) schedule, with a ready story or two and always affable introductions. Michael Stout and the Shetland Arts Trust PA ensured wonderful sound.

Next we were in the company of the Fraser family harmony combo, The May and Mackie Band, proudly boasting the membership of 18-year-old winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Competition, Gemma Donald, and featuring three-part harmony and occasional lead vocal of Ronda, May’s daughter (and Thomas’s granddaughter).

A mix of country standards and self-penned heartsore country followed, shaken up with some competent, kicking Bluegrass, old timey and swing, augmented with stories of childhood in the Fraser family home and reflections on a father, grandfather and a by-gone age before the Islands were connected by the modern road bridge network, (which now connects Lerwick and Hamnavoe in 20 minutes instead of all day and two ferries in Thomas’s day).

Over the weekend I met people from every corner of these British Isles and those Shetland ones too. The concert took the form of social gatherings as much as set concerts, with soup and bannocks to warm and feed the body, and heart felt authentic String Band and acoustic country of world class standard to warm the soul, with some, it has to be said, old country chestnuts thrown into the gumbo, but not in too overwhelming a measure.

A highlight of this (and many other Festivals these days, including Shetland Folk Festival many times) are Glasgow’s Moonshiners, huddled Ralph Stanley-style round their single microphone, delivering fierce and frenetic hoedowns in choreographed stage movements, with as consummate an ease as their melodic and more sedate close harmony waltzes and bluegrass-ified standard tunes.

Shining brightest of those was their rendition of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’. Particularly apt, as it was day three of a stand up gale before we were finally bless with our first rainbow and glimpse of sunshine – it was short lived but much appreciated, as was the Moonshiners blistering set.

Not so short lived were their prodigious sessioning capabilities. They could be heard at the drop of a hat, in every not-so-quiet corner of the Festival, attracting a plethora of incredible Shetland talent to their high octane, home-distilled authentic Bluegrass, from festival performers and equally (in typical Shetland fashion) from the Festival audience too, and all of the highest level of knowledge and musicianship.

Burra and Thomas Fest would not be itself without the Pottinger Brothers cutting a swath across the Festival landscape as they have for the last four decades. Normally a Shetland four-piece with aforementioned Geordie joined by Gibbie, Stewart and Ivor, but swelled to the full quota of seven brothers (I only met one bride) for the first time at the Festival.

Before the show older brother Arthur, who cites Thomas as his mentor, explained how country music came to mean so much to his family and community “We heard it directly across the North Sea thanks to American Forces Radio Europe from an early age and many of our pals were merchantmen who would bring us recordings back from land stops in the US”.

Arthur went on to explain that when he took to a career in music with his show band The Shetlanders, touring extensively down through Scotland and England, they soon introduced their beloved country music to their repertoire, and were actually introducing it to otherwise little exposed audiences at the time.

“It was a new sound to most but an instant favourite. We were bringing the music back home full circle – these tunes started out here, you know”.

This innovation set them apart from their contemporaries on the circuit, and heralded (in the early 60’s) a huge country music boom fuelled by radio hits from the likes of Jim Reeves and our own Alexander Brothers .

Arthur delivered his ballads and bar room classics with his distinct butter-melting baritone and easy guitar style, and the Pottingers displayed consummate and relaxed skill with harmonies which could only be produced by sibling singers and players. Gibsons, Carters, Louvins, Stanleys, Rorrers, Everlys – now we could add Pottingers, and should definitely add Frasers. Thomas would be purring proudly I would wager.

Fellow former Shetlanders band member, and now repatriated Shetland resident (after 10 years on the country/line dancing circuit), Robbie Cunningham’s set was perhaps the most accomplished, employing pedal steel and three-part harmony fiddles and voices, to great effect, recreating some Texas Swing classics and Bob Wills favourites.

No music swings like Texan music, except perhaps Shetland’s, an easy partnership, an easy vocal performance and easy going nature, and easily pushing all the right buttons (it’s what we do in Shetland, says Robbie later when complimented).

Also worthy of comment was the considerable contribution by guitarist/Dobro player Brian Nicholson, who was ever present with all the local acts, every adaptable and versatile, never repeated a riff or break, no mean feat, as now the acts were coming at us in 30 minute spats.

Thomas would have doubtless been most overwhelmed by the appearance of Ricky McWilliams (his second time at the Festival). Standing six foot three in stocking soles (six foot six in cowboy boots and Stetson hat), commanding total attention, and totally commanding the tight confines of the stage of the otherwise wonderful public facility, he received backing from May and Mackie.

Rick’s sets emphasized clearly his – and the Island’s – direct link to the roots of country music through souring vocal warbling falsetto renditions of Jimmy and Elsie’s best know works, for a spell bound audience, many of whom were of an age to have heard Thomas cover the originals in person, and many of an age you would not expect them to know who Jimmy Rogers was.

Blue yodels abounded, and so does a fierce amount of cheering and well aimed ‘yee-haa-ing’ at the end of an all to soon completed musical journey to and from Meridian, Mississippi, the birth place of Rick, Jimmy Rogers and country music.

Then to his credit Rick made himself available to the gathered faithful for questions on any aspect of Jimmie’s life, finding himself repeatedly in deep conversation with a procession of festival goers for all of his non-performance time at the Festival. A real southern gent.

Coming in on the coat tails of Rick was fellow countryman – and fellow Thomas and Jimmy – fan, John Lilly. A former guide at the Country Hall of fame, and editor of West Virginia’s State produced heritage magazine “Goldenseal”, it was his first festival appearance.

He and Rick have done much in the States to bring Thomas to the attention of the country music fraternity in the last five years, and now John was about to display as authentic a recreation of the music as had been heard in Burra since Thomas’s all too early demise.

He set out to sing songs he and Thomas had both recorded, staying true to the spirit and getting as close as is humanly possible to the sound, uncanny and magical, but it was when Hank Williams came under the Lilly limelight that the hairs on the neck moved with the atoms in the air.

A glance around the room caught more than one person closing their eyes and doubtless easily imagining Hank’s towering presence. We all willingly allowed John to reproduce Hank’s lovesick lonesome blue period picture, painted in our minds eye, and framed with his own affable and insightful style of delivery.

John’s own songs held their own effortlessly against the classics, playing a guitar proudly embossed with his name in silver on the neck. He unassumingly says its ruined its value on eBay, and explains it was presented to him by HankFest as the 2004 winner of the ‘Ghost-Writers in The Sky’ competition for writing a song in the style of Hank Williams.

Perhaps the biggest cheer of the night followed his singing of the song ‘Blue Highway’. Finishing with ‘Sweet Virginia My Home’ and a buck dance flat foot clogging display to Gemma’s, this time, trad fiddling sets, unsurprisingly bringing the house down, and more surprisingly, for this pilgrim at least, instigated spontaneous displays of Burras own ancient step dance tradition, ‘The Burra Man’s War Dance’ from some of the gathered.

John delivered exactly what was needed, he may not have stolen the show, but he had stolen their hearts. A true musical artist.

For any true music fan all of life revolves round music, and Shetland for this weekend seemed to be revolving around Burra and Thomas Fraser. Sunday saw the conversion of the hall into Shetland’s Country Music Hall of Fame, with exhibits from all aspects of the Fraser (and Pottinger) dynasty, photos, records, tapes and real to real recorders, with all Thomas instruments including his Levin Guitar, lovingly restored by Jimmy Moon (Moonshiners/Moon Guitars), along side a Moon Guitar special commemorative Thomas Fraser edition, receiving enthusiastic attention and circles of sessioners waiting patently to play both instruments.

A remarkable experience with friends of Thomas and family standing ready to reminisce and inform, with their own photo albums tucked under their arms (and instruments in hand, of course. There was a constant flow of people around the exhibits and in and out of the ensuing session.

I can only strongly recommend Thomas Fraser and his Memorial Festival for all with an ear for quality, an interest in heritage and a longing for real community. Go next year, find the source and bathe in it, but wrap up warm.

On the flight home, I noticed the 2007 Festival is proudly displayed on a beautifully presented Shetland Arts Trust brochure with some 11 other Shetland Festivals for 2007, an irresistible enticement to bring us all back to this very special jewel in a grey sea, at the top of this chain of islands, a shining star at the very top of our of our musical tree. I leave lovesick and blue, with a piece of my soul left in Hamnavoe.