Thomas Fraser Treasure Untold by Robert Gordon University

TREASURE UNTOLD FURTHER SELECTIONS FROM THE THOMAS FRASER RECORDINGS

Biography Thomas Fraser was born in the Shetland Islands in 1927. Thomas became interested in music from an early age and learned to play the ﬁddle and later, the guitar. His musical outlook took on a new dimension when he was exposed to the US armed forces radio network broadcasting from Europe. It is likely that this is where he ﬁrst heard his idol, Jimmie Rodgers. Thomas went on to buy Rodgers’ discs religiously and began to practice the Brakeman’s unique singing and guitar style. Thomas’s musical interests developed into blues, jazz, country and traditional music forms. Over the years and despite his remote location, he accrued a vast knowledge of the various genres.

In 1953, following the arrival of electricity to his remote home island of Burra, he purchased a Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder. Thomas threw himself into recording and over the next 25 years went on to tape thousands of his own interpretations of favourite songs. Thomas was intensely shy and rarely performed out-with these private recording sessions. A lone ﬁsherman and crofter, Thomas lived a hard life and following two accidents at sea, he died in 1978 aged only 50. At Thomas’ own request, the vast recorded archive was passed on to his nephew after his death. Following the discovery of the archive some 25 years later by Thomas’s grandson in 2002, the ﬁrst CD collection of Thomas Fraser’s work was released. ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ at last gave Thomas some of the recognition he so richly deserved. Thomas’s story has since been cited as one of the most remarkable in recording history.

SOMETIMES FAIRY TALES COME TRUE. And just occasionally, the most amazing and unexpected things happen. Over the past three years or so, that much I have learned. The Thomas Fraser recordings have taken on a whole life of their own. The process of resurrecting the recordings – sometimes stressful and always emotional – has provided Thomas’s surviving family and friends with some truly fantastic experiences. It all started with the release in November 2002 of the ﬁrst Thomas Fraser CD ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’. What began as essentially as a personal project to restore of a collection of our favourite songs as a family memento quickly evolved into a phenomenon that went beyond our wildest dreams. Following an emotional launch at the ﬁrst Thomas Fraser Tribute Concert, the disc went on to receive great critical acclaim and airplay from all corners of the globe. What followed next was even more remarkable and indeed, far more important. Throughout 2003, relatives and close friends of Thomas began discovering ‘new’ Thomas Fraser tapes stored away long-forgotten in the recesses of their houses – most notable was Thomas’s friend Scott Christie of Burra who unearthed dozens of songs, some never heard in over 40 years. These fruits were combined with the existing family archive to produce the second CD ‘You and My Old Guitar’, which was released in November 2003. Once more, the release received many plaudits and Thomas’s name was cemented as one of the true legends of country music. In the back of my mind I thought that it was quite possible that ‘You and My Old Guitar’ would be the last

official Thomas Fraser release. However, there were more surprises to come. A certain Mr Danny Allen happened upon the Thomas Fraser Tribute Concert while holidaying in Shetland in November 2003 after asking where he could hear some traditional Shetland music. Danny heard some traditional music but unwittingly being caught in a country music outpost in the middle of the North Sea, he got something a little more familiar! Danny had a great night and is now a firm family friend. He returned to the United States to inform his friend Dr James Akenson of his remarkable discovery. Now James happened to run the International Country Music Conference. The Conference, held annually in Nashville, was being arranged for May 2004 and there was one slot remaining. The Thomas Fraser story was going to the home of country music. A chance meeting – unexpected tape finds. These things found me taking the car out of the drive at Setter on Thursday 20th May 2004 – the first steps on a long journey to give my Grandfather what surely would be his greatest musical achievement. Just before I left Setter, I stopped outside my Grandparent’s house and considered what I was doing and what they would have thought. I was going to Nashville, USA – thousands of miles away to tell their remarkable story to an International Music Conference. Following the Conference we all invited to stay at the McWilliams family home in Meridian, Mississippi. Rick’s wife Terri took us round the sites: the Jimmie Rodgers museum, the gravesite and past his family home. My grandfather would have been in musical heaven… Friday 12th November 2004: since the release of the first CD, the TF Tribute Concerts have become an annual event, which attracts musicians from all over the world. Just after 10pm, a tall American gentleman

wearing a Stetson takes the stage and strikes up a Jimmie Rodgers number. He is Rick McWilliams – the Grandson of Elsie McWilliams and Grand-nephew of Jimmie Rodgers. The McWilliams-Rodgers song-writing partnership is one of the most important in popular music history and Rick and his family and friends have travelled thousands of miles from Rodger’s birthplace in Meridian to pay homage to one of his great Uncles greatest fans – Thomas Fraser.

TREASURE UNTOLD Twenty-ﬁve more tracks from the late, great Thomas Fraser of Shetland, restored from newly-discovered original tapes.

1 MISSISSIPPI RIVER BLUES Recorded circa 1960

(McWilliams, E & Rodgers, J) 2.17

Courtesy Robbie Cumming collection; Radio Clip Courtesy Aggie Fullerton collection

How many more twists there are remaining in the Thomas Fraser story it is impossible to tell. When I set out to

This was one of Thomas’s favourite tracks and he recorded it many times. Despite this, we did not have a

produce ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ in 2002, I would never have envisaged embarking on a third release.

take of sufﬁcient sound quality until Robbie Cumming discovered a small suitcase of reels on his loft last

What with the remarkable tape ﬁnds in 2003, surely there could be no more? Thankfully, I was wrong. Two tapes surfaced from the late Philip Johnson of Burra and Hugh Arthur of Mossbank. Thomas’s nephew Bobby found more songs on a cassette-based archive as did his friend Eddie Williamson. Amazingly, a long-lost 78rpm recording turned up and to cap it all off, Thomas’s friend Robbie Cumming discovered a small suitcase of reel to reels – untouched in 44 years. One cannot begin to describe the feeling of placing one of these reels on the tape machine and waiting in anticipation for what sounds have been captured on its brittle surface.

November. It is wholly appropriate that Robbie should have been the person to present this track as it is one of his most cherished memories of Thomas. Indeed, he sings a heartfelt rendition at each memorial Concert.

2 MY PHILLIPINO ROSE

(Snow, C E) 2.31

Recorded circa 1960 This unique track, alongside track 19 ‘Old Pal of My Heart’, were recorded on a specially made tape and sent by Thomas to the ‘ Deroy Sound Service’ company in Lancashire, England. Sometime later, a shiny

The inclusion of these remarkable ﬁnds along with more selections from the existing family archive serve to make

shellac 78rpm disc made its way back to Setter, Hamnavoe with the two Thomas Fraser tracks cut into its

this release a truly magical one – a real ‘treasure untold’.

grooves. A novelty in its day, the disc originated from an advert Thomas had seen in the popular ‘Exchange

What would Thomas think of all this? I have pondered over this time and time again. I just hope that they somehow know of what has happened all these years later.

and Mart’ magazine. Thomas loaned the disc out to relatives and after his death it was assumed lost. In 2003, the record turned up safe and sound at Willie and Kathleen Henry’s house.

It is unlikely that any more tapes shall surface. I have been amazed and what has already

3 BEYOND THE REEF

turned up and for that I will be eternally grateful. Of all the amazing things that we have

Recorded circa 1960

experienced over the past few years, nothing can quite compare to the thrill of placing

‘Beyond the Reef’ was one of a small number of songs where Thomas experimented with double-tracking

a long lost reel to reel tape on the machine and being the ﬁrst to hear a ‘new’ Thomas

his vocals to produce his own harmonies. This was achieved by the use of two tape machines – one playing

Fraser song ﬂood through the speakers. I hope that some of you can experience

the pre-recorded basic accompaniment & vocal and the other machine recording the harmony part. Unlike

something of the same when you listen to this ‘Treasure Untold’.

other examples in the archive, this track does not suffer so much from the sound limitations, which the technique presented. Later in life, Thomas would harmonise with his daughter May.

Karl Simpson

May 2005

(Pitman, J) 2.38

Courtesy Philip Johnson collection

4 MAYBE Recorded late 1950s

(Flynn, A & Madden, F) 2.44 Courtesy Bobby Fraser collection

8 TREASURE UNTOLD

(Cozzins, E & Rodgers, J) 3.19

Recorded 1956

Thomas Fraser’s experiments in jazz inﬂuenced work were common but unfortunately, very little of his

Taken from the same session as ‘My Lullaby Yodel’ which was presented on the ﬁrst CD. The session again

output in this respect has survived. The main reason was the genre’s relevant lack of popularity in Shetland

presents Thomas’s infant daughter, May, on guest vocals!

generally. People were more pre-disposed to requesting country songs from Thomas and therefore, his country music tracks are far more proliﬁc in number. This is in juxtaposition to Thomas’s love of jazz

9 BLUE YODEL NO.4

and blues. Many other Inkspots tracks were laid down and Thomas was known to perform material by

Recorded 1961

Django Reinhardt but to date, nothing like this has seen the light of day. I am very grateful for this version, discovered on the cassette-based archives of Thomas’s nephew Bobby Fraser.

10 WHEN THE CACTUS IS IN BLOOM Recorded mid 1960s

5 WEDDING BELLS

(Boone, P) 3.15

(California Blues) (Rodgers, J) 2.47

(Rodgers, J) 2.27

Courtesy Jeanie Fullerton collection

Recorded 1961

11 MY CAROLINA SUNSHINE GIRL

One of Thomas’s most renowned interpretations, at last this track sees the light of day. It narrowly missed

Recorded circa 1953

inclusion on ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ and ‘You and My Old Guitar’ due to my Mother’s concern over

Another Thomas favourite, this track was rescued from another archived cassette recording made by cousin

the lyrical adaptations! It stands as one of the more deﬁnitive Thomas Fraser recordings, and is a welcome

Bobby Fraser. The original reel has vanished.

(Rodgers, J) 1.54

Courtesy Bobby Fraser collection

reminder of his keen sense of humour and often-comical demeanor.

12 RAMBLING COWBOY 6 IRISH HORNPIPES Recorded late 1950s

(Traditional Reels) 1.57

(Copyright Control) 3.41

Courtesy Robbie Cumming collection

Courtesy Scott Christie collection

It is likely that Scott Christie accompanies Thomas on this track.

7 LAMP LIGHTING TIME IN THE VALLEY Recorded circa 1959

Recorded circa 1959

13 THE MASON’S APRON Recorded mid 1960s

(Poulton, C & Upson, D & Goodman, H) 1.47

Courtesy Robbie Cumming collection

On Robbie’s tapes you can occasionally hear some background speaking. This is Eddie Williamson and Robbie Cumming – exchanging excited comments on their own private Thomas Fraser performances.

(Traditional Reel) 1.11

Courtesy Scott Christie collection

Thomas had a very wide appreciation of music. Country, blues, jazz, pop, traditional & Scottish dance were among the various genres heard regularly in the house. Surely the strangest sounds to be heard at Setter were that of ‘Mercado’. Mercado was a classical violinist who toured the Islands during the 1960s. Like most musicians living in or visiting Shetland, Mercado found himself at Setter in session with Thomas Fraser.

14 WAITING FOR A TRAIN

(McWilliams, E & Rodgers, J) 2.17

Recorded 1958

20 THE ATHOLL HIGHLANDERS’ FAREWELL TO LOCH KATRINE Recorded late 1950s

15 WHISTLE BLOW ( I HEARD THAT)

(Davis & Williams, H) 2.44

Recorded 1961

(Rose, W) 1.54

Courtesy Bobby Fraser collection

This tune is dedicated to the late Andy Inkster of Da Houlls who died in May 2005. Andy was a great accordionist and, along with his brother Garry, was a regular visitor to Setter for music nights.

The core of this collection again comes from the family’s archive – passed to Bobby Fraser in person by

21 THE MISSISSIPPI MOON

Thomas shortly before his premature death in 1978.

Recorded early 1960s

16 WE’LL NEVER SAY GOODBYE Recorded mid 1960s

(Copyright Control) 2.22

(McWilliams, E & Rodgers, J) 3.27

Courtesy of the Arthur Family collection

A surprise ﬁnd and the only recorded version surviving.

Courtesy Jeanie Fullerton collection

22 MELANCHOLY BLUES 17 WHY SHOULD I BE SO LONELY

(Lovell, E & Rodgers, J) 2.54

Recorded 1956

Recorded early 1960s

(Copyright Control) 2.17

Courtesy Eddie Williamson collection

The only other surviving version of this unique track was spoiled by background noise. Thankfully, this take was discovered on a cassette tape sent to Eddie Williamson by Thomas shortly before his death.

18 LONESOME BLUES

(Copyright Control) 2.02

Recorded 1971

23 THE BLUE CANADIAN ROCKIES

An outright blues-based delivery, which opens with a guitar riff often employed by Thomas.

Recorded 1958

19 OLD PAL OF MY HEART

24 WINTER WINDS BLOWING

(Mason, J & Rodgers, J) 2.51

(Walker, C) 2.54

(Copyright Control) 2.21

Recorded late 1950s

Recorded circa 1959

Courtesy Robbie Cumming collection

The 78 rpm ‘B’ side to ‘My Philipino Rose’. The tracks on the record were barely audible due to the

Judging by the amount of versions he recorded, this track was clearly one of Thomas’s favourites. Despite

scratches and ﬁrst attempts to revive the recording failed. Andrew Rose of Pristine Audio came to the

this, Robbie’s collection enabled us to include it for the ﬁrst time, as this is the only take where Thomas

rescue: “I used a custom-made truncated elliptical diamond stylus from Expert Stylus Co. Ltd. of Ashtead,

sings the complete song.

Surrey. I strongly suspect I used a 2.8 thousandths of an inch stylus for this, though as I have about 10 different sizes I can’t be absolutely sure! EQ and pre-ampliﬁcation was handled by a specialist Graham

25 MY SHIP SET SAIL FROM BLUEBIRD ISLAND

Slee Projects “Jazz Club” pre-amp”. Needless to say the recordings showed up bright and clear!

Recorded circa 1953

(Snow, C E) 2.44

Courtesy Scott Christie collection

This track was ﬁrst deemed unusable due to tape deterioration. However, sound quality aside, it is arguably one of Thomas’s best (and earliest) recordings with his voice impeccably true.

CREDITS Produced by Karl Simpson. Restored and mastered ‘somewhere in France’ by Pristine Audio. Art Direction and Graphic Design by Martin Parker. Special thanks are due to all those who presented their Thomas Fraser collections. Without you it would not have been possible. In no particular order: Robbie Cumming, the Arthur family in Mossbank, Bobby Fraser, Scott Christie, Jennifer Hutchison, Tom Simpson, Maisie Anderson, Willie & Kathleen Henry and Eddie Williamson. Thanks to Margaret Scollay for advice on the ﬁddle tunes and Paul Hazell for advice on the background behind the country tracks.

Andrew Morrison of the Shetland Life, Vaila Wishart of the Shetland Times, Caroline Moyes of Radio Shetland, Tom Morton of BBC Radio Scotland and Sheila Manson. The Burra History Group for their commitment to Burra, long-standing support and involvement in this project and the Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts.

Danny Allen and Nancy – for coming all the way from the US to the concert. James Akenson of the International Country Music Conference. To all the folks we met at the conference. The McWilliams family – thank you Rick and Terri for your wonderful hospitality and for coming over to Shetland for the concert. Also Carol and Thomas Laing for their support.

Tim O’Brien for your help and support. Kenny Johnson for introductions and advice en route to Nashville! Brian Nicolson for playing and kind words. Michael Marra – for ‘Thomas Fraser’.

All the performers at the Thomas Fraser Tribute Concert. Mam, Mackie, Rhonda & Fraser. Alexis for her continued support. As ever, Andrew Rose of Pristine Audio for his great work. Laurie Staff of Cadiz Music. Dina Patel of Sound Performance. Davie Gardner of the Shetland Arts Trust. Niall Irvine of Perspectives, John Coutts for photos and scanning. Last but not least, the inimitable Martin Parker for his great artwork.

For more information on Thomas Fraser and future releases, please visit: www.thomasfraser.com Or write to Karl Simpson, Setter, Burra Isle, Shetland. ZE2 9LB

Nellie 1991-2005

TREASURE UNTOLD Twenty-ﬁve more tracks from the late, great Thomas Fraser of Shetland, restored from newly-discovered original tapes. 1) Mississippi River Blues 2) My Philipino Rose 3) Beyond the Reef 4) Maybe 5) Wedding Bells 6) Irish Hornpipe (Traditional Reels) 7) Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley 8) Treasures Untold 9) Blue Yodel No.4 (California Blues) 10) When the Cactus is in Bloom 11) My Carolina Sunshine Girl 12) Rambling Cowboy

13) The Mason’s Apron (Traditional Reel) 14) Waiting for a Train 15) Whistle Blow (I Heard That) 16) We’ll Never Say Goodbye 17) Why Should I be so Lonely? 18) Lonesome Blues 19) Old Pal of My Heart 20) Farewell to Loch Katrine (Traditional Reel)

MCPS. ALL RIGHTS OF THE PRODUCER AND

21) The Mississippi Moon

OF THE OWNER OF THE WORKS REPRODUCED

22) Melancholy Blues

RESERVED, UNAUTHORISED COPYING, HIRING,

23) Blue Canadian Rockies

LENDING, PUBLIC PERFORMANCE AND BROADCASTING OF THIS RECORD PROHIBITED

24) Winter Winds Blowing 25) Bluebird Island