Tour Scotland travel video of a late Autumn road trip drive, with Scottish accordion music, on ancestry visit to the village of Auchtermuchty in North Fife. Auchtermuchty's most famous son was Sir Jimmy Shand, the highly respected accordion player and band leader. He travelled throughout Scotland and beyond, delighting crowds with his traditional Scottish dance music. Shand wasn’t born in Auchtermuchty, though his family moved there when he was a boy. It’s where he grew up, working in the mines as a teenager and discovering his love of playing music. One day, while visiting Dundee, Shand popped into a music shop to try his hand at playing the accordion. The rest was history. The store owner offered him a job as a traveling salesman, hiring him to drive across the country with instruments in tow. Shand got his first recording contract in 1935 with Beltona records, thanks to the contacts he made from the job. His career took off from there, and Shand went on to compose more than 300 tunes. In the 1950s, he released The Bluebell Polka, which became his signature song, it was even produced by George Martin. Though he went into semi-retirement in the early ‘70s due to poor health, he continued playing, captivating audiences with his energetic jigs and reels.
The surname Shand was first found in Aberdeenshire, Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain, a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland. Spelling variations of this family name include: Shand, Chand, Schand, Chandai, Shandscross, Shawnd and many more.
Archbald Watson Shand landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Oriental; Robert Shand landed in South Carolina, America, in 1800; William Shand arrived in Allegany County, Pennsylvania, America, in 1853.
Auchtermuchty, Scottish Gaelic: Uachdar Mucadaidh, means " upland of the pigs. " Auchtermuchty was a royal burgh, established under charter of King James V in 1517. There is evidence of human habitation in the area dating back over 2,000 years, and the Romans are known to have established a camp in the south east corner of the town. In the past, the linen industry was a major source of work in the town, but in the early 18th century the firm of John White was established, bringing the town its first foundry, there were two eventually. There was even a whisky distillery in operation from 1829 to 1929, when Prohibition in the U.S.A. led to its closure. The town was used as the location for Tannochbrae in the 1990s ITV series Dr. Finlay. Craig Reid and Charles Reid were born in Leith on 5 March 1962, and grew up in Edinburgh, Cornwall and Auchtermuchty. When they lived in Auchtermuchty they attended Bell Baxter High School. After several punk rock bands at school they formed the Proclaimers in 1983.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.
No comments:
Post a Comment