Who remembers Hughie McCann?

Subject: RE: Who remembers Hughie McCann?
From: GUEST,young buchan
Date: 07 Oct 08 - 07:33 AM

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Subject: RE: Who remembers Hughie McCann?
From: GUEST,Suffolk Miracle
Date: 07 Jun 08 - 04:54 AM

Noone? Did I just make him up?

Subject: Who remembers Hughie McCann?
From: GUEST,Suffolk Miracle
Date: 06 Jun 08 - 03:54 AM

Does anyone remember Hughie McCann? He was a fabulous Irish fiddle player around the pubs of Oxford in the early 70s. Three things in particular I remember:

1)        The fact that he wasn't very fond of spoons players (of which I am/was one) and if you tried to spoon along with him he had an incredible ability to slightly alter the tempo all the time so you were permanently just out of sync.
2)        The wonderful story that when Stephan Grappelli played in Oxford Hughie walked up to the stage door at the Town Hall with his fiddle under his arm and stolled past saying "Here to see Mr Grappelli!" When security finally pulled themselves together and searched the building they found Hughie in Grappelli's dressing room, the two happily jamming together. And if that story is only a myth – I don't want to know!
3)        The fact that whilst he was great at joining in with anything that someone else started, he was very poor at remembering tunes by their name. In fact it was generally believed that the only tunes he could remember by name were Chicken Reel and King of the Fairies. Which wouldn't have been so bad if his catchphrase hadn't been 'I'm Hughie McCann and I can play anything!' So when people wanted to wind him up it would go like this:

What can you play Hughie?
HM- I can play anything!
Play Fhagail Lismoor
HM- That's too dismal. Let's have something a bit more lively.
Bonnet So Blue, Hughie
HM- What's wrong with a good Irish tune?
Rocky Road
HM- Ara, doesn't your man over there play that? I don't want to be taking his tunes. I'm Hughie McCann. I can play anything.
Rigs of Mallow then
HM- I'd have to retune for that!
Dingle Regatta
HM- Sure, didn't I play that last week?
(Finally taking pity on him) Hughie, can you play King of the Fairies.
HM- Of course I can. I'm Hughie McCann and I can play anything!
And King of the Fairies would be played!

He occasionally played in an impromptu band called Henry's Folk put together for charity events by Mike Henry, who I think is still going strong. But Hughie was rather older than the rest of us and I guess there is little chance he is still alive. Does anyone know what happened to him? Did anyone ever record him?