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Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) |
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Subject: Obit: Alex McEwen From: GUEST,Doc John Date: 06 Mar 09 - 01:08 PM Mudcatters will be sorry to hear that Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen died 6th December last although his obituary has only appeared in the newspapers today. His chosen career was unusual, to say the least, for a Scottish aristocrat who was Eton educated and became the sixth Laird of Bradrochat in Carrick. He was the fifth of seven children of the MP Sir John McEwen, who was Undersecretary of State for Scotland. Alex McEwen will probably be best remembered appearing with his brother Rory on the BBC current affairs programme in the 50's, 'Tonight'. The brothers visited the USA in 1955 where they caused quite a stir and recorded two albums for the 'Folkways' label, which are still available. Alex stayed in the States after his brother returned to Britain and took lesson in guitar from Rev Garry Davis. He retired from performing in 1965 and joined the Scottish newspaper retailer John Menzies, from where he took early retirement to become an art dealer. Rory died in tragic circumstances in 1982, after which Alex never sang in public again. He was 73. Doc John |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: GUEST,Hootenanny Date: 06 Mar 09 - 07:22 PM I too was surprised to see that it took so long for the news to leak out. I remember Rory and Alex from the Ballads & Blues Club back in the late 50's and of course from the Tonight TV programme. They were very nice guys and the first people that I saw playing those big jumbo sized blonde Gibson (J40?) guitars, the same model that Gary Davis played. Thinking back it was quite funny to see these two well heeled Scottish aristocrats singing and playing among all the Lefties at the Princess Louise the main one of course being Salford's Jimmy Miller pretending to be a Scottish ballad singer. And, before you all jump in I am not starting another McColl bashing thread so don't all get out your prams. Hoot |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: olddude Date: 06 Mar 09 - 07:23 PM We are losing so many of the greats so sad |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: Effsee Date: 06 Mar 09 - 11:08 PM This is old news as reported in the Scotsman newspaper December lsat year. http://aolsearch.aol.co.uk/aol/redir?src=websearch&requestId=8698c0e1211178c5&clickedItemRank=1&userQuery=Alex+McEwen&clickedItemURN=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.scotsman.com%2Fobituaries%2FAlex-McEwen-Folk-singer.4795286.jp&title=%3Cb%3EAlex+McEwen%3C%2Fb%3E%2C+Folk+singer+-+Scotsman.com+News&moduleId=matchingsites.jsp.M&clickedItemPageRanking=1&clickedItemPage=1&clickedItemDescription=WebResults Can somebody make that a Blu clickey? |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: Little Robyn Date: 07 Mar 09 - 03:11 AM Blue clicky Robyn |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: GUEST,Hootenanny Date: 07 Mar 09 - 06:55 AM Nit picking I'm afraid but the information in the newspaper item above that the Ballads and Blues Club was in Wardour Street is incorrect. The Ballads and Blues (Association) Club at that time was held upstairs at The Princess Louise in Holborn. There was however the Blues & Barrelhouse club upstairs at The Roundhouse in Wardour Street run by Cyril Davies undoubtedly the best Briitish interpreter of the blues and his sidekick Alexis Korner. I have no doubt that Rory and Alex probably played there too. Hoot |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: GUEST,Jim Martin Date: 07 Mar 09 - 08:29 AM Derek Schofield's contribution in yesterdays's guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/mar/06/alex-mcewan-folk-singer-scottish |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: Thomas Stern Date: 03 Oct 09 - 04:37 PM Does anyone have a copy of the WAVERLY EP "FOUR FOR FUN" recorded after the 1962 Edinburgh Folk Festival and issued in 1963? Thanks, Thomas. |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: Thomas Stern Date: 05 Oct 09 - 12:55 PM REFRESH |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: MGM·Lion Date: 05 Oct 09 - 02:05 PM I was privileged to be acquainted, separately, with three of the exceptionally gifted McEwen family. I was in the same year at Cambridge [matric 1952] as Alex's older brother Rory, with whom at one time he formed a well-known tv folk duo: we were both very average students of English, so, as our surnames began with the same letter, we appeared close together year after year in the II.2 section of the English Tripos list. Rory later became a well-known botanical artist, but died tragically at 50, under a London underground train after diagnosis of a brain tumour. I first met Alex himself in 1957, when he and the late Robin Hall [very young and just come to London from Glasgow] and I appeared together at a Saturday night EFDSS concert at Cecil Sharp House. Valerie and I met their sister Kisty, the dowager Lady Hesketh and mother of Margaret Thatcher's Minister of Trade, through a mutual Cambridge friend in the 1980s. She was a well-known and respected Scottish historian and expert on tartans, and [a great rarity] a keen female Rugby Union correspondent. She died three years ago. I relate these personal memories as a tribute to three such gifted acquaintances: now, ah me, all gone. Michael |
Subject: RE: Obit: Scottish folk pioneer Alex McEwen (Dec 2008) From: GUEST,Guest Date: 06 Oct 09 - 05:23 AM Does anybody know if the story about REd Sullivan turning up at Alex's weeding dressed as a clown is true? |
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