A spur-of-the-moment performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in 1986 was the beginning of a partnership that has become a Scottish music institution.
Travel problems had left fiddler Aly Bain without an accompanist, so Phil Cunningham, who happened to be on the same bill in another duo, stepped in on piano rather than his more customary accordion.
Thirty-one years, nine albums, countless concerts and innumerable Hogmanay television shows later, the pair, who play Pitlochry Festival Theatre on Sunday, are still going strong.
“The day after that concert we met up for dinner,” says Cunningham.
“Aly had just been offered a possible TV series and asked me if I wanted to be part of it. The rest is history.”
Their longevity stems, says Cunningham, from their shared fondness for good tunes and…cooking.
“We’re always phoning each other about recipes. I’m not saying we’re good cooks, just enthusiastic ones.”
The talented duo play Pitlochry Festival Theatre on September 3 at 8pm.
