Last week’s column had already been submitted when I heard the awful news about the passing of the Cèilidh King, Fergie MacDonald.
From a Glasgow Letter perspective, Fergie was a hero for generations of highlanders in the city: from the old days of the Highlanders’ Institute to BBC Take the Floor broadcasts, and from Comunn Oiseanach dances to more recent performances in some of Scotland’s finest venues at Celtic Connections.
I know his remarkable life story will be covered elsewhere in the paper, so I include instead a couple of personal reflections in full knowledge, of course, that there are many people who have far better “Fergie Stories” than I do.
Like so many others, I was fortunate enough over the years to be an occasional recipient of the famous “Fergie phonecalls”.
Often, he would have posted me his latest record and would be phoning to ask if I would review it in the Oban Times. I always knew when he wanted a favourable review because he would start by telling me how much he enjoyed my column!
We would then laugh because we both knew the flattery was unnecessary: I considered it an honour to write about him and would never have dreamed of anything other than a glowing review. It is a mark of his character and humility, however, that he would always phone the following week to thank me for the positive write up.
Only once was I privileged enough to receive the quintessential type of “Fergie phonecall” – when he phoned to play me a new tune he had written, which he hoped to turn into a Gaelic song. He stunned me by saying I was the first person who had ever heard this composition but any boost to my ego was short lived. On its completion I said, “that’s great, Fergie, sounds totally original but also very catchy”. “Well Robert,” he replied, with his trademark stutter. “That’s… exactly what Norrie McIver said!” We both bellowed with laughter.
In all these years, I never quite managed to shirk the sense of being star struck when talking to Fergie. From the first time I sang with him (a teenage kid on a short course at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig) to the last time I saw him (a BBC Alba programme down in Roshven), his nod of approval or encouragement always engendered in me the sense that I was a child again, hanging onto his every word and gleaning every bit of wit or wisdom I could from the master.
So many musicians felt the same because Fergie was such an innately positive person and was always so generous with his time and complimentary with his remarks.
He loved his Highland music and always spoke so highly of fellow purveyors of it – particularly if they were young. And, when you reach the ripe old age of 86, I suppose most other musicians are young!
The Cèilidh King may have left us; but his stories will be told and his legendary tunes will be played for many generations to come. He left an indelible and transformational mark on the music and tradition that he loved.
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