The life and times of one of Tayside’s most famous musicians has been celebrated in Angus.
Two days of live blues music spread across three venues in Arbroath helped pay tribute to Billy Allardyce, better known as Billy the Blindman, who is regarded as being responsible for bringing the blues to Dundee and Angus.
Billy died last year after a brave fight with cancer but his memory and legacy lives on in the east coast of Scotland and Arbroath man Alfie Dickson organised the set of gigs at the end of last month to acknowledge his impact on the area’s music scene.
The Aberdeen-born drummer was instrumental in establishing the Dundee Blues Bonanza and also influenced Alfie to start the Arbroath Smokie Blues Festival in Angus.
Billy had performed for more than 50 years, acted as the Blues Hall of Fame’s Ambassador for the blues for Scotland, was chairman of the Scottish Blues Alliance and also ran the online Blindman’s Blues Forum.
In an effort to say thank you, Alfie decided to host the concerts in Arbroath and invited blues acts from all over the UK and Ireland to come and play.
Alfie, 69, said: “Billy died last year and I wanted to have a day’s remembrance for him so I organised the gigs.
“Bands travelled from all over and brought with them a different type of blues for everyone. The gigs were in Coast, the Fisherman’s and the Millgate Bar and I thank them for putting us on.
“It was on their good faith that the shows went ahead and I also want to thank Jiving Jim at Abbey Music for giving us the PA equipment gratis.
“We had a great time from 2pm to midnight on Friday April 26 then the same again on the Saturday. The bands all had a blast and the people who came out enjoyed themselves too.”
In his days touring the world, Billy became most noted for his honesty, enthusiasm and genuine nature.
He once famously refused to play a show for a foreign royal family member because he had already promised his services to a restaurant as a house band on the same night, despite being offered a large sum of money.
It was only when he was threatened with imprisonment that Billy eventually agreed to the prince’s demands but his reputation remained intact.
That reputation still stands and Alfie added that he wanted to carry Billy’s spirit and attitude on with the festival.
To that end, he extended the performance of one of the acts beyond the pubs of the town and held a tuition day at Arbroath Academy, where students had their horizons broadened by singer Kent Duchaine.
A sell-out performance at the St Andrew’s Church Spirit of the Community Hall in the town was also organised, which gave members of the church an insight into the style of music and its history.
“The two days could not have been more different,” said Alfie. “Friday Kent did a great workshop at the academy for the pupils and in the evening he appeared in this church drop-in venue.
“About 99% of the sell-out audience had never heard the blues before but they loved it and bought the CDs to prove it.
“With the weather on our side, everyone had a great day and I am sure Billy would have approved of his send-off.
“He was an absolute gentleman and he would do anything for anyone. That’s why he was in so many things because of his enthusiasm for the blues.
“It was Billy that got me involved in the blues and his honesty was amazing. He did a lot for charity and helped many people.”
For more information on the blues in Arbroath visit www.smokieblues.com.