Music in the family - where do I start? Maybe with my father who only sang when he got tipsy at Hogmanay.(New Year's Eve) He sang only one tune, but economically, used it for every song. His thing was recitations - but only when drunk and in male company - mostly very risque. The rest of the year he was shy and retiring and couldn't be persuaded to recite anything.

My mother's family - well that was a whole different world. My great-grandfather, Donald Stewart, was a champion piper. My granny used to have a huge full-length photo of him with his bagpipes. He had a ZZ Top kinda beard, and his entire chest was covered with medals he'd won at competitions. He taught most of his son's and daughters to play as well. My Grandmother, Jane,(but always called Jeannie) was a singer, but sadly I only have one of her songs - more of that later. My grandfather was a piper too, and most of my uncles learned to play the pipes as well, although some went towards the fiddle.

One of my aunts married a musician, Thomas "Curly" mcKay who played the accordian and recorded for the Beltona label in the 1930's, and also broadcast for the BBC. He was a big influence on me as a child, they only lived across the road, and he always played his accordian at family get-togethers.

In the late fifties, I remember some of my cousins appearing at the house with guitars - the skiffle thing was in full swing. I never learned to play anything until I was fifteen. I asked my mother to get me a bass guitar for Christmas, "A what?" she replied, but got me one anyway. That's when the tradition was lost, and that's why I only have one of my granny's songs. I was too busy with the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

My extended family is like a who's who of scottish traditional singers, but more of that some other time. To conclude - yes I was brought up with a family steeped in music - it has been a big influence, even though I didn't realise it at the time. I never knew any better, I thought everybody had that back ground.