Jimmy Shand

Jimmy Shand0:00

This done.

Presenter0:01

Download is the only

Jimmy Shand0:02

Uh

Presenter0:02

Only extract the BBC has of this edition of Desertin and Discs.

Jimmy Shand0:06

The presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:08

Where we want.

Jimmy Shand0:09

Any streams on the Fife Coast.

Presenter0:12

Now your father enjoyed listening to brass bands. Did anybody in the family have any musical talent?

Jimmy Shand0:19

None other than playing the melodeon.

Presenter0:21

And who was that?

Presenter0:23

Your father? Yes, oh yes.

Presenter0:25

When did you start to take an interest in music?

Jimmy Shand0:27

Oh, when I was very young. I've heard it said I played before I went to school, but uh

Presenter0:32

You played your father's melodious.

Jimmy Shand0:34

I want you to

Presenter0:36

Did he teach you, or did you teach yourself?

Jimmy Shand0:38

No.

Jimmy Shand0:39

I think that's an instrument, yeah.

Jimmy Shand0:41

Take up naturally.

Presenter0:42

It's a c kind of small accordion, isn't it?

Jimmy Shand0:44

But

Presenter0:46

What was it your ambition to be when you were a youngster?

Jimmy Shand0:50

Well, I never had any ambitions to be anybody. I never really thought I would be an artist on television or recording or anything like that.

Presenter0:59

What was your father?

Jimmy Shand1:00

My father was a ploughman originally, but we moved into the mining district and he worked in the mines as well.

Presenter1:06

What did you do when you left school?

Jimmy Shand1:09

I went down the mainstore.

Presenter1:11

How long did you stay there?

Jimmy Shand1:13

About three and a half years.

Presenter1:14

What brought you out of the pit?

Jimmy Shand1:16

The general strike.

Presenter1:18

You didn't get on again afterwards.

Jimmy Shand1:20

No.

Presenter1:21

Now these were black days. What did you do? Is it fairly easy to get out of work?

Jimmy Shand1:25

No, it's very difficult to get to work.

Jimmy Shand1:28

We were lucky to work maybe three months a year at that time.

Presenter1:31

What jobs did you get?

Jimmy Shand1:33

Well, labour and jobs. The first job I got was to work in a a water works and I had to travel sixteen miles each way, every day, to work for a shilling an hour.

Presenter1:45

When did you get a job that gave you opportunities eventually?

Jimmy Shand1:48

Well, I would see when I went to Dundee.

Presenter1:50

And what do the

Jimmy Shand1:52

I went to work in a music shop.

Presenter1:54

How did that happen? That was a change from labouring.

Jimmy Shand1:57

Well, the way it happened was that the

Jimmy Shand2:00

I used to visit Dundee at weekends and naturally inclined I used to go and look into the music shop windows.

Jimmy Shand2:09

Used to admire the accordions. That was about all I could do with them, was admire them. I couldn't buy them.

Jimmy Shand2:16

and I happened to be standing there with a friend one day.

Jimmy Shand2:19

And he says to me, It doesn't cost you money to try them. So when we went,

Jimmy Shand2:25

and uh tried the accordion, and mister Forbes, the proprietor, he was kind of taken with the way we were playing, and he invited me any time I was in Dundee to come in and visit the shop.

Presenter2:38

Yes.

Presenter2:38

And eventually went to work for him.

Jimmy Shand2:40

I did, yes.

Presenter2:42

And when did you start to get jobs playing those magnificent shiny accordions?

Jimmy Shand2:46

Well, I didn't do a lot of playing when I was before, but I was mainly a demonstrator.

Jimmy Shand2:52

and a salesman, but we used to have recording concerts in which it didn't cost you a lot to get in, and we hoped that you would be interested in recordings and some day buy them.

Presenter3:07

and you use to demonstrate.

Jimmy Shand3:08

Yes, Mr. Ferbs did the talking.

Presenter3:12

Were you also playing for dances in the evening?

Jimmy Shand3:14

No, it was mainly demonstrations, but I had played many dances in the previous years, especially the straight dances.

Presenter3:21

Strike dances

Jimmy Shand3:22

Yes, the proceeds which went to the soup kitchens to feed the miners' dependents.

Presenter3:27

Mm-hmm.

Presenter3:28

And I believe it was this demonstrating you did that led to your recording contract.

Jimmy Shand3:33

Yes, mister Forbes arranged for me to come down to London to make my first record end in nineteen thirty three.

Presenter3:39

Yes. And you also did some broadcasting.

Jimmy Shand3:43

That would be nineteen thirty four, yes.

Presenter3:45

So for some years you continued to work for mister Forbes and you also worked part-time as an accordion soloist.

Jimmy Shand3:51

Yes.

Presenter3:52

When did you form your band?

Jimmy Shand3:54

Well, I had a band in nineteen forty two, but the first real broadcasting band was in nineteen forty five. We did our first broadcast on New Year's Day, nineteen forty five.

Presenter4:06

And you've brought the Hogman A in ever since, I believe.

Jimmy Shand4:09

Yes, every hogmany I've been on the air.

Presenter4:11

Twenty-one years without a break.

Jimmy Shand4:13

Yeah.

Presenter4:14

Last night.

Presenter4:16

There's been a big boom in in Scottish country dancing, a boom to which you've contributed quite a lot. And of course we've seen you leading the revels many times on television. You must have a very big repertoire of

Presenter4:27

Scott DeWitt.

Jimmy Shand4:28

Yeah.

Presenter4:29

Yes. Now are are all these tunes, these reels, traditional or are they still being written?

Jimmy Shand4:34

Well, there's no end to the traditional music, but they're still writing new tunes and they're still devising new dances.

Presenter4:42

But where's your headquarters, Jimmy?

Jimmy Shand4:44

From my own home at Achtermachti.

Presenter4:47

Ochte Mochti, you're you're known as the the laird of Ochte Mochti, aren't you?

Jimmy Shand4:50

Oh yeah, but that's just a joke.

Presenter4:53

How many nights in the week can you sleep in your own bed? You you're travelling a great deal, aren't you?

Jimmy Shand4:58

Well, as often as I can, but uh it lot depends on where your jobs are.

Presenter5:03

I believe you've motored a long way after a dance in order to get to your own home.

Jimmy Shand5:07

Oh yes.

Presenter5:08

What's the furthest?

Jimmy Shand5:10

Well, I once travelled from Ahter Mukhtu down to South Sea, played the dance, and motored back home again.

Presenter5:18

Well, that what's that, about eleven hundred miles there in bed?

Jimmy Shand5:21

Yes, practically.

Presenter5:22

Near Dundee is near Doctor Machti.

Jimmy Shand5:24

Yes, about by road about thirty eight miles, as the crawl flies about eighteen.

Presenter5:30

You've made command appearances at uh Balmoral.

Jimmy Shand5:34

and also in Windsor Castle.

Jimmy Shand5:37

and uh two command performances in Glasgow Theatre.

Presenter5:42

Do you have many engagements as far south as that? Do you do you work a lot in England?

Jimmy Shand5:46

Oh yes, uh wa qu quir a lot in England I would say there's eighty percent of my work is in England.

Presenter5:51

Good.

Presenter5:52

And of course you play overseas as well.

Jimmy Shand5:54

Oh yes. I've been to New Zealand and Australia.

Jimmy Shand5:58

Three times that job.

Presenter5:59

Wherever there are two Scots there's a Caledonian society, isn't that right?

Presenter6:04

Now your records, I know, have a very big sale among exiles.

Jimmy Shand6:08

Yes, they do.

Presenter6:10

You'll play the button accordion, not the piano key type.

Jimmy Shand6:13

Yes.

Jimmy Shand6:15

That's only a glorified melodin, just with multi-bass actually.

Presenter6:19

You've had an accordion specially made for you, I believe.

Jimmy Shand6:22

Yes, oh yes. The first one in nineteen thirty nine before the war.

Presenter6:27

What are your hobbies, Jimmy?

Jimmy Shand6:28

Well, my hobbies, you may say, is among motor engines.

Presenter6:33

Yes. What kind of engines in particular?

Jimmy Shand6:36

Menley Mortby.

Jimmy Shand6:39

Yeah.

Presenter6:39

Racing bikes

Jimmy Shand6:40

Yes, yes. Have you ever raised?

Jimmy Shand6:43

Well, I've had a few spots on the road really, but um

Jimmy Shand6:47

I have three good racing bikes now.

Presenter6:49

Yes. What is it about motorbikes? Is it taking you into bits or is it purely the speed?

Jimmy Shand6:55

Now you get a good thrill with the motorbike, fresh air, it's a very healthy thing.