Spring Jimmy Shand Memorial Statue Auchtermuchty Fife Scotland

Tour Scotland Spring 4K travel video of the Jimmy Shand Memorial Statue on visit to Auchtermuchty, Fife. The statue to Jimmy Shand, the King of Scottish Dance Music is well worth seeing on any tour of Scotland. Sir Jimmy Shand, MBE, MA. Born 28th January, 1908. Died 23rd December 2000. " Happy to meet. Sorry to part. Happy to meet again." James Shand was born in East Wemyss in Fife, Scotland, son of a farm ploughman turned coal miner and one of nine children. The family soon moved to the burgh of Auchtermuchty. His father was a skilled melodeon player. Jimmy started with the mouth organ and soon played the fiddle. At the age of 14 he had to leave school and go down the coal mines. He was prevented from joining the RAF by a digestive disorder, and spent the war years in the Fire Service. Soon after the war he became a full time musician, and adopted a punishing lifestyle later adopted by rock bands. He would play Inverness in the Highlands one night, London, England, the next night and still drive the van back to bed in Dundee. He took his trademark bald head, Buddy Holly spectacles and full kilted regalia, Scottish reels, jigs and strathspeys to Australia, New Zealand and North America, including Carnegie Hall in New York. In 1972, Shand went into semi retirement. From then he played only small venues in out of the way places for a reduced fee. He was made a freeman of Auchtermuchty in 1974, North East Fife in 1980 and Fife in 1998. He became Sir Jimmy Shand in 1999.

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