2013 Obit: Jane Turriff

Subject: RE: Obit: Jane Turriff - 2013
From: Vic Smith
Date: 01 May 14 - 12:17 PM

Patricia Macpherson's comment - 

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: GUEST,Patricia Macpherson
Date: 01 May 14 - 09:27 AM

I was really sad to hear of Jane Turriff's death. I have lovely memories of her always singing at every opportunity.
I often passed her home when walking my dog or going to the local shops in Mintlaw when my children were little. Jane always spoke to us and if we had time to stop and have a natter she would sing to us. She loved my dog Shane and would even persuade me to leave him with her while I went to the shops. Jane loved stroking his ears and Shane loved her too. In fact when she started to sing he would lay down at her feet and it was a job to get him to leave her when we had to go home.
She was a lovely person with a wonderful voice and a kind nature. I will never forget her.

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 28 Aug 13 - 06:13 AM

Vic and everyone. Early on in this thread I posted something to the effect that, whie I was mortified over the death of Jane Turriff, I didn't know who Bobby Richie was. Sorry, but I must be getting old or slow or stupid or maybe all three, but it's taken until now for the penny to drop.

Of course I knew her, although not particularly well. Very quiet, well, compared to Simon at any rate, and she used to stay in the background a lot. Which is probably why it didn't click.

At any rate, she always struck me as a charming person, and she was taken away far too early and in far too cruel a manner.

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: GUEST,Kathy Hobkirk
Date: 27 Aug 13 - 05:25 AM

I was always a fan and was privilaged enough to see Jane a few times over the years. Sad news but a good long life, my condolences to her family.

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 26 Aug 13 - 03:38 PM

Jane Turrif's solo album was well named. Anybody listening to her would know that she poured heart and soul into her singing. She was one of my favourite singers. I tried to get her for my first Loughborough Festival,(later called 'The National) but there wa a communication foul-up somewhere and she didn't make it. Sad to see her go, but as Fred said 'at 97 she had a good innings'. I feel a pang when thinking of the fine singers who are no longer with us, We can treasure their memory, and listen to their recordings, but we miss them, don't we?

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Young Buchan
Date: 26 Aug 13 - 08:37 AM

Aside from being way up there as a singer with Jeannie and Belle and their families, she was way out on her own for Resolution and Independence. She travelled to festivals all over Scotland by public transport AND guiding Cameron who was blind AND taking her instrument which was - remind me again... oh yes a harmonium!!

Thank you Jane for all the effort you made to entertain us folkies, and thank you even more for the musical legacy you have left us.

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: GUEST,Sean Breadin (Sedayne / Blandiver)
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 06:40 PM

Sad news.

Here's Jane Turriff on her harmonium covering a Jimmy Rodgers' classic. Beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn2UTXDIDCA

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Vic Smith
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 04:28 PM

Reinhard wrote
"So I gather that the Jane Stewart on "The Travelling Stewarts" isn't Jane Turriff, either?"

Well, I've just played that much neglected piece of vinyl of mine - The Travelling Stewarts - The Stewart Family and other Traveller Families (Topic Records 12T179 (LP, 1968) - and I can say categorically that is not Jane Turriff singing that Bogie's Bonnie Belle.

Now, we have to be careful here.... The album notes say that Jane Turriff (nee Stewart) is the daughter of Donald & Christina. This is a different Donald Stewart from the one in my previous post. I never met her dad but I did meet her mother Christina (known as "Teenie"). She told me that her maiden name was Robertson and that she was a cousin of Jeannie. I don't think that she mentioned Davy Stewart (known as "The Galoot) as a brother but this Davy Stewart (and there were many in the extended family - all with different by-names) was certainly a cousin of Jeannie Robertson.

You do have to be very careful when working out relationships in the Perthshire/Aberdeenshire close knit traveller families. For one thing, there are many people with the same name, for another they talk about their "freens" mainly by using by-names and thirdly, if outsiders show an interest in family matters, they used to become suspicious and give misleading answers.

We knew Belle Stewart well and she always tried to explain things clearly. I remember asking how she was related to an Aberdeenshire traveller woman and the answer was something like, "Well, on my father's side she's my cousin, but on my mother's side she was my auntie - but she was married to my father's uncle at one time."

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Reinhard
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 12:31 PM

Oops, I'm sorry Vic. I don't know anything about the family and just assumed that all Janes were the same.

The liner notes of "The Travelling Stewarts" say that "Here Davy Stewart makes his recording debut for Topic as does his daughter Jane and cousin Christina." And the Springthyme Records website says in Jane Turriff's biography:

"JANE TURRIFF is one of Scotland's legendary traditional singers. She was horn in Aberdeen in 1915, the eldest child of Donald and Christina Stewart. The Aberdeenshire Stewarts are justly renowned as pipers, singers and fiddlers in the Scottish traveller tradition, but Jane also has a strong strain of Irish traveller stock and repertoire - her maternal grandmother was a Maguire from Ireland, and her mother's brother, Davie Stewart, travelled and sang extensively there."

So I gather that the Jane Stewart on "The Travelling Stewarts" isn't Jane Turriff, either?

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Vic Smith
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 11:53 AM

I'm afraid that there are a couple of mistakes in Reinhard's discography.

Donald Stewart eloped with his second cousin Jean. They had (at least) three children Jane, Elizabeth and Robert.

The singers on The Travelling People and on Singing The Fishing are the sisters Jane & Elizabeth

Donald Stewart's sister was also a Jane Stewart and she was the one that married Cameron and became Jane Turriff.

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Reinhard
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 08:36 AM

This is a start of a discography for Jane Turriff:

Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker, Peggy Seeger:
Singing the Fishing (The Radio Ballads Vol. 3)
with Jane Stewart
Argo RG 502 (1966)
Argo DA 142 (1971)
Topic TSCD803 (1999)

Stewart Family: The Travelling Stewarts
Topic 12T179 (1968)
with Jane Stewart: Bogie's Bonnie Belle (Roud 2155)

Various Artists: Back o' Benachie
Topic 12T180 (1968)
with Jane Turriff: I Canna Wash (Roud 247; Child 236)

Ewan MacColl, Charles Parker, Peggy Seeger:
The Travelling People (The Radio Ballads Vol. 8)
with Jane Stewart
Argo DA 133 (1971)
Topic TSCD808 (1999)

Various Artists: The Muckle Sangs
(Scottish Tradition 5)
Tangent 119 (1975)
Greentrax CDTRAX9005 (1992)
with Jane Turriff: Andrew Lammie (Roud 98; Child 233)

Jane Turriff: Singing Is Ma Life
Springthyme SPRCD 1038 (1996)
1. A Sailor Lad an a Tailor Lad (Roud 5810)
2. The Bonnie Blue Hankie (Roud 378)
3. Dowie Dens o' Yarrow (Roud 13; Child 214)
4. The Wings of a Swallow (Roud 13214)
5. My Wee Doggie (Roud 23965)
6. The Cobbler (Roud 23966)
7. Rigs o Rye (Roud 985; Laws O11)
8. The Derby Ram (Roud 126)
9. Not One to Welcome You Home (Roud 4793)
10. Down by the Green Bushes (Roud 1040; Laws P2)
11. Poor Little Joe (Roud 3111)
12. The Boston Smuggler (Roud 261; Laws L16)
13. Mill o' Tifty's Annie (Roud 98; Child 233)
14. Wi His Grey Baird Newly Shaven (Roud 362)
15. The Rings Your Mother Wore (Roud 7372)
16. Empty Saddles (Roud 23964)
17. Barbara Allen (Roud 54; Child 84)
18. What Can a Young Lassie (Roud 1295)
19. A Braw Young Sailor Lad
20. Will the Angels Play Their Harps for Me? (Roud 23305)
21. Bonnie Udny (Roud 3450)
22. The Rovin Ploughboy (Roud 2138)

Various Artists: As Me and My Love Sat Courting
(The Voice of the People Vol. 15)
Topic TSCD665 (1998)
with Jane Turriff: What Can a Young Lassie Dae Wi' an Auld Man? (Roud 1295)

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 08:12 AM

Sad to hear of her passing. I only know her from the Singin is ma Life CD, but she was a fine singer and born in 1915, she had a good long life.

Condolences to her family.

Mick

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 07:05 AM

Hi Tattie, there is now a seperate obit to Bobbie Richie on Mudcat. She was a dance caller, which probably explains why I didn't know her.

Regarding memorial(s)to Jane, all three would be sound possibilities, but I think some permanent recognition in her home town would be more important still.

On the score of recordings, Singing is Ma Life is clearly the most important source, but don't forget her wonderful performance of "What Can A Young Lassie" on the Voice of the People. Also, her hair raising "Andrew Lammie" on the Muckle Sangs. Unfortunately I can't get my database open at the moment but, if I remember, I'll post as complete a discography as I can on Mudcat.

Subject: RE: 2013 Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 25 Aug 13 - 05:00 AM

I have heard Jane's name mentioned in glowing terms in various traditional singing circles in Scotland, and listened to recordings of her wonderfully clear voice, but never had the pleasure of seeing/hearing her singing live.
We already have at least two traditional singing weekends, the Fifesing in May, run by Peter Shepheard of Springthyme music, and Cullerlie, in her native Aberdeenshire, in July. It would be good to have a presentation in her honour at either or both of these. (No excuse needed!) Apart from the CD mentioned by TS above, I think there are some recordings within the Kist o' Riches ( Tobar an Dualchais).
If it is decided to have some more permanent memorial as suggested by Fred, then it might possibly be housed at the Elphinstone Institute at Aberdeen University where other musical archives are held?
I am sorry, but I don't know of Bobbie Richie either. Perhaps someone who does could start a separate thread?

Subject: RE: Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 07:27 PM

her SPRINGTHYME recording:
Jane Turriff SPRINGTHYME cd

http://www.springthyme.co.uk/1038/


Thomas.

Subject: RE: Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 07:10 PM

blog at Foot Stompin'
http://www.footstompin.com/forum/1/21227/1

Thomas

Subject: RE: Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: GUEST,Fred McCormick
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 03:23 PM

Vic,

I'm afraid the name Bobby Richie is not one I can remember coming across before, so I can't say the news has left me with any feelings of grief.

But I was devastated yesterday when you told me the news about Jane Turriff. She was in fact 97, so she certainly had a good innings. But it was the fact that she seems to have been buried without anyone from the folk world knowing, or being there to acknowledge her enormous importance to that world. Probably nobody's fault. I rather imagine that whatever family members she had left were just too remote to appreciate that she had all they auld Scots ballads and songs and how much they meant to the rest of us.

As I said at the time, I hope someone can come up with a suitable suggestion for a memorial to her. And just for once I'm not thinking of yet another excuse for an annual singing weekend, but maybe a plaque or a painting, or perhaps a tree specially planted in her honour.

Subject: Obit.: Jane Turriff
From: Vic Smith
Date: 24 Aug 13 - 07:50 AM

Yesterday, I was sitting in the Conservative Club concert room at Whitby Folk Week, waiting for the Kevin Mitchell interview to start. Sitting in front of me were Rosie Davis & Jimmy Hutchison. Rosie turned round and took my hand to soften the blow of telling me of Bobbie Richie's death. Whilst she was still holding my hand, Jimmy told me that he had just heard of the news of the death of Jane Turriff.
I didn't know which way to turn. I felt devastated at the news of the death of two women that I admired totally in different ways. I suppose that Jane was in her 90s and it was her time, but Bobbie was still in her prime of life. It is a cruel loss.

I will post a proper tribute to Jane when I have had a chance to compose it amongst all the other pressing things that I have a chance to do so.
Yesterday, I was sitting in the Conservative Club concert room at Whitby Folk Week, waiting for the Kevin Mitchell interview to start. Sitting in front of me were Rosie Davis & Jimmy Hutchison. Rosie turned round and took my hand to soften the blow of telling me of Bobbie Richie''s death. Whilst she was still holding my hand, Jimmy told me that he had just heard of the news of the death of Jane Turriff.
I didn't know which way to turn. I felt devastated at the news of the death of two women that I admired totally in different ways. I suppose that Jane was in her 90s and it was her time, but Bobbie was still in her prime of life. It is a cruel loss.

I will post a proper tribute to Jane when I have had a chance to compose it amongst all the other pressing things that I have a chance to do so.


This is Jane Turriff at the 1970 Blairgowrie Festival. One of the truly outstanding traveller singers of Scotland.
She and her husband, Cameron, invited us up to Fetterangus and we camped for a week in the garden behind their tiny cottage. We had a fabulous time sharing music with them. is Jane Turriff at the 1970 Blairgowrie Festival. One of the truly outstanding traveller singers of Scotland.
She and her husband, Cameron, invited us up to Fetterangus and we camped for a week in the garden behind their tiny cottage. We had a fabulous time sharing music with them.