Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor

Subject: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Jim Lad
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 01:52 AM

I've been bouncing my father-in-law's old records (Mostly New Orleans Jazz) on to CDs for the past couple of months and it's given him a great deal of pleasure.
This week though he sent me home with 3 Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor albums plus Calum Kennedy's "Round at Calum's" album. I used to own that one myself.
What a treat. I never paid much attention to that duo when I was a lad but I'm really enjoying them now. Will even make copies for myself this time. The guitar is nylon strings and mostly rhythm and the voices are clear with never a bum note.
Great Stuff!

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: alanabit
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 03:48 AM

I remember seeing them regularly on Granada TV, when we spent a year or two up in Barrow in Furness in the early sixties. I always enjoyed them, they were a lot of fun.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 08:22 AM

If there is a nylon strung guitar there, I assume it is an album by The Galliards; Robin, Jimmie, Shirley Bland and Leon Rosselson. Leon was the guy with the Nylon Strings. Both Robin and Jimmie used steel strung guitars during the time that I knew them.

Robin and Jimmie's most regular TV appearances during the early sixties were on the Tonight programme for BBC, five nights a week on alternate weeks.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: alanabit
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 10:18 AM

Thanks for the correction. It was over forty years ago - and I was only little!

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: alanabit
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 10:25 AM

By the way, am I right in saying that programme was presented by Cliff Michelmore, or is the memory playing up again?

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Kenny B (inactive)
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 10:32 AM

Jimmy McGregor is still in good voice and sing occasionally at sessions in the west end of Glasgow.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 10:35 AM

Next time you see him, tell him I said 'Golden Cagoule why?'
G.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Jim Lad
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 11:19 AM

I'm working on one with The Galliards right now. (Scottish Choice)
I think I prefer them on their own though. I thought it was Bill Tennent's "Here & Now" we used to hear them on but as I said, I wasn't paying much attention.
Funny to hear them singing "Mick Maguire" with an Irish lilt. That used to drive me nuts, as a teenager. I remember being chastised at a party for singing Irish songs with a Scottish accent.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,DocJohn
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:12 PM

alanabit,
I think you may be thinking about the 'Tonight' programme which was on weekdays nights and presented by Cliff Michelmore. It featured Alan Whicker, Fyfe Robertson, Kenneth Allsop and many others. The singers were Rory and Alex MacEwan, who were superb. There were two others too whom I can't recall.
DocJohn

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,DocJohn
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:14 PM

... on BBC (only 1 then)add
DocJohn

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:22 PM

Cy Grant and Noel Harrison were also regulars on the Tonight programme. Much of my early repertoire was learned from the singers on 'Tonight.' I placed the mike of my reel to reel tape recorder in front of the television each evening.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:28 PM

Tonight
G

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,DocJohn
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:30 PM

Thanks for the memory refresh, Terry. Actor Noel Harrison's son, I think. I know Rory MacEwan - a talented painter too - died in tragic circumstances some years ago. Does any know about the others?
DocJ

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Surreysinger
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:37 PM

Incidentally- there are (or at least there were last year) two CD's of Robin and Jimmy's work commercially available as I bought copies for both my sister and my friend for Christmas last year as they are both great fans of the work of the two.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:43 PM

I've been trying to get a copy of Robin Hall's solo album, Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads for ages. Robin was accompanied on it by Leon Rosselson on guitar and banjo. I was offered it once but the seller wanted what I thought was a lot of money for it - £25 or £30 I think.

Thanks for the link to Tonight Giok, two comments - the Robin and Jimmy clip wasn't particularly representative of their work, and I was surprised to see the Six Five Special described as a 'jazz programme.'

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:46 PM

This site is good for Scots material.
G.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: greg stephens
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:53 PM

They appeared in Ned Sherrin's TV play about Admiral Benbow, which was splendid fun.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:54 PM

Discography
G

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,Graham Bradshaw
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 01:43 PM

I remember watching them on the TV in my early teens, singing 'topical songs in the folk idiom'. They weren't taken very seriously by the folk scene at the time as I recall - probably lumped in with Nina & Frederick and all the other commercial so-called folkies of the time.

When I was later playing with Derek Sarjeant (this was probably '68 or '69), we played the late night Saturday folk club in the foyer of the York Theatre Royal - I think it started at 10.30 - and Robin and Jimmy had been performing in the main theatre with what I think was the touring version of the White Heather Club. Robin came to the club after the main show had finished, and got up and sang a couple of songs - The Bleacher Lass o'Kelvinhaugh was one of them - and I then realsised what a great singer of traditional songs he was, and he went up in my estimation. He knew Derek from the days they were together in TV's Hootenanny series.

No Jimmy though. The gossip at the time was that they didn't get on, and were only seen together when on stage, and kept well away from each other the rest of the time.

Didn't Jimmy later present radio shows in Scotland?

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 01:55 PM

Graham, nice to hear from you, I remember you from knowing Derek, and singing at the Assembly Rooms Surbiton many moons ago.
Yes I heard the rumour about their antipathy, which I believe is a true story.
Jimmy went on to do quite a bit of solo gigs after they broke up, and he presented programmes on radio Scotland. He was also involved with a totally off the wall TV programme called The Golden Cagoule, which was chaired by the magnificent Muriel Gray, and Jimmy captained one team, while Donny Munro captained the other. It was a quiz format, and at the end the team that won was awarded the apocryphal Golden Cagoule, which they had to don and stand under a shower of water while the final credits roll. It was a fascinatingly naff programme, but the funniest bit about it to me was the fact that Jimmy appeared to take it seriously!
I haven't seen Derek for a while, was supposed to see him at Sidmouth but he had family things to do, but we are still in touch.

Giok

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: theballadeer
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 03:22 PM

another discography

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: bubblyrat
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 04:25 PM

They were a great influence on me in the 60s-----There wasn"t much "folk " on TV in those days, although,come to think of it ,there"s even LESS today !! But eventually I teamed up with a MacKenzie ( They"re everywhere !) frae Larkhall( "The Gnome of Gosport", as we know him today ) and soon made "Footba" Crazy" one of our standards......Well, somebody had to do it !!

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 04:29 PM

Larkhall is bloody great town to get away from mate.
G

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: bubblyrat
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 05:05 PM

That"s why he"s lived in Gosport for 35 years !!

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Fliss
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 05:19 PM

Noel was Rex Harrison's son. Didnt Noel sing 'Windmills of the mind'?

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Bugsy
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 05:44 PM

I notice that neither of the discographies list "Twa heeds are better thatn yin" that was released on the Bulldog Label through President Records.

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Bugsy
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 05:47 PM

Sorry. that should have been "Twa Heids Are Better than Yin!"

CHeers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Jim Lad
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 09:44 PM

Just heard that one for the first time. Great wee song.
Larkhall, Chapplehall, Whinhall, seen them all ♫ 쳌ô .

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,Billy
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 12:42 AM

Jim Lad, you reminded me of one of Bill Tennent's funniest moments. One night, he had Fanny Craddock (UK's Julia Child equivalent) as a guest, demonstrating how to make doughnuts. At the end of the programme, Bill was signing off while happily munching on a doughnut. "Goodnight," he says, "and I hope all your doughnuts turn out like Fanny's!" This was followed by loud guffawing from the studio crew as Bill's face went through a series of pained expressions as he realised what a dreadful double-entendre he had just made.
Note: For our American cousins - in the UK, a fanny is not your ass, but refers to the female genitalia.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Jim Lad
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 02:15 AM

Benny Hill used to do Fanny Craddock.
I'd even venture to say that his fanny was almost as good as the real thing!























If you know what I mean.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Genie
Date: 20 Nov 08 - 09:39 PM

Jim Lad, I always thought Mick McGuire was an Irish song. It isn't?
Anyhoo, it's one of my favorites from my old Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor LP that was given me by a boyfriend back in 1963 or 1964.

I was trying to remember all the lyrics to "Inverey" -- their version of "The Baron Of Brackley" -- from that album, and in checking out YouTube I discovered these two other gems from Robin and Jimmie:

Birlinn Ghoraidh Chrobhain - Robin Hall & Jimmie MacGregor

Football Crazy - Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 10:10 AM

Who arranged Football Crazy into the theme tune for Match of the Day?

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 11:09 AM

The legend on the folkscene of course was that Wizz Jones got offered the Tonight gig, but refused in case they asked him to cut his hair and wear a tie.

Not sure how true it is.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 11:21 AM

Pity Jimmy MacGregor didn't do the same regarding the TV quiz show called The Golden Cagoule.

JM

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 11:40 AM

This Youtube tribute to Robin Hall is worth a look.

No denying he had a great voice, even if the cod Irish accent on "Enniskillen Dragoons" is a bit cringeworthy ...

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 03:55 PM

I don't believe the above Wizz Jones story is correct. Although he did appear on the programme once being interviewed by I believe it was Fyffe Roberson. Wizz was at the time living down in Cornwall and I believe busking for a living. That was at the time when a long haired "Hippie" folksinger dropping out and living in a tent made national TV.
The idea for the programme was that each weekday evening at the end of the show the resident performers that week would sing a "calypso" type song featuring bits of the days news. As talented as Wizz was/is, I don't think he would have been what the BBC was looking for.
I think most of the others used on the programme did this excpet for Hugo D'Alton who plyed classical pieces on a bowl backed "Tater Bug" mandolin.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: theballadeer
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 05:57 PM

Interesting this thread is going now...Robin Hall died 10 years ago November 18, 2008. Here is a tribute I did to him in 2004...

Nick

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 06:05 PM

Thanks for posting that, Nick.

Some fascinating stuff there.

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Genie
Date: 21 Nov 08 - 11:55 PM

Ah, balladeer, that's the thing about music -- especially in modern times when we have those newfangled recording machines.   It lives on long after the performer has shuffled off this mortal coil. That's something to be grateful for.

(Come to think of it, don't we Mudcatters devote virtual eons to discussions of songs, poets, songwriters, and instrumentalists long gone?)

I was delighted to find that Robin and Jimmie's album "Two Heids Are Better Than Yin" is available at iTunes either as a whole or song by song. I do still have the LP, but I haven't been able to use my turntable in years, so I was glad to pay a couple bucks for digital downloads of a couple of my favorite songs from that album (which aren't available on YouTube).

Subject: RE: Robin Hall and Jimmie MacGregor
From: Ian Burdon
Date: 22 Nov 08 - 04:12 AM

Dick Gaughan has this up on his website:-

http://www.dickgaughan.co.uk/chain/robin-hall.html

Ian