Page 30 - RSCDS Toronto Golden Jubilee Book

Music Makers
performing, producing, and arranging for Scottish Country Dance, Celtic, and mainstream recordings. Throughout his career, he has performed on over 120 recordings, including the landmark album, "Memory Lane" (1989), which preserves the music of Canada’s great Scottish Country Dance bands: Stan Hamilton and The Flying Scotsmen; Don Bartlett and The Scotians; Ed Brydie and his Scottish Dance Band; The Bobby Frew Four; and of course, The Scottish Accent.
The band’s most recent recording, "Celtic Fire in the Music", is a double
CD collection celebrating their thirtieth anniversary and featuring Bobby (first accordion); Kathleen Fraser-Collins (piano); Laird Brown (second accordion); Don Wood (piano/bass); Rob Wolanski (bass/acoustic guitar); Fred Collins (drum); Warren Beesley (drums), in vari- ous combinations.
Playing for the dancers, says Bobby, has always been a deep, emotional experience for him: the dancers’ response to the musicians and the music, and the musicians’ response to the dancers, creates the magic of the music and the dance. In workshops, classes, and candidate exams, teachers and students trust and respect Bobby’s insights and vast knowledge of Scottish music and dance.
When dancers gather at the Rameses Temple on September 15, 2007 for the 50th Anniversary Gala Dance, they’ll witness the debut of Mrs. Hamilton
of Eaglemount, the Signature Dance, devised for the Gala by Jean Noble. The music, Jean Noble of Lossiemouth (Oor Lassie Frae Lossie) composed by Bobby Brown.
For more than thirty years – and still counting – Bobby’s music has brought great joy to our hearts and an irresist- ible urge to dance. Long may it con- tinue!
Laird Brown
I was born just
outside Toronto in Etobicoke, Ontario, December 13, 1965. I had a great Celtic upbringing – there was always LIVE music being played. I danced for a number of years,
Country and Highland. I started piano lessons when I was nine. I would play various other instruments through high school until I joined the Scottish Accent Band 16 years ago, taking my place
as Second Accordionist alongside my father, Bobby Brown.
I was asked if I had any memorable dance moments and the one that sticks with me the most is dancing at the SkyDome/Rogers Centre, trying to set a Guinness World Record with the largest RSCDS organized dance, the 1024some. The pipes were playing, the dancers were on the field and the Dome roof opened. What an incredible feeling!
Ed Brydie
Ed Brydie was well-known to danc- ers in the early days of the Toronto Branch. He and his band often played for local dances. His band also appeared on CBC television
- at least, their music appeared. The CBC programme, "On the Town", televised a half-hour epi- sode on Scottish Country Dancing, with jovial hosts Al Boliska and Don Ferguson, at Calvin’s Social Group, under the leadership of Iain Macfarlane. Ed’s music, and the dancing, were great. At roll credits, Ed and his band were thanked on air, but they could not be shown on camera or else they would have to be paid Union scale!
Ed Brydie
was born
in St.
Andrews,
Scotland.
In 1939,
he began
playing
accordion
under the
tuition of
Jimmy
Shand.
During
the late
1940s
and ’50s, Ed played for RSCDS classes, summer school dances, and Scottish Country dances in Scotland and England.
Ed emigrated to Toronto in 1954, and soon was playing in a group called "The Four Scots" (possibly the first orga- nized Scottish band in Canada). Two years later, Ed formed his own Scottish dance band and as the field of SC danc- ing expanded, his band was in demand throughout North America. They made three records before retiring in 1970.
Fred Collins
I was born in Dundee, Scotland, and as a young ten-year-old, my parents had me take piano lessons, which, unfor- tunately, were not for me. Drumming was already my passion. When I was twelve, I joined the Boys' Brigade, learning pipe band drumming. I soon became a member of the competitive MacLeod Pipe Band in Dundee.
SCD was becoming increasingly popu- lar in Dundee during the late 1940s and early 1950s. One of the members of our Boys' Brigade introduced me
to country dancing and, after a short period of time dancing, we decided, along with two other musical mem- bers of our Brigade, to form our own Scottish Country Dance Band, called The Gie Gordons. It is important to note that at this time, in a twenty-one mile radius of Dundee, there were twenty- three Scottish dance bands, of which twelve were radio broadcasting. We were among those twelve. We were playing seven nights a week (and held full-time jobs) – six nights of country and old-time dancing, with concerts on Sundays.
Bobby Brown & The Scottish Accent
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