Perth music legend Taff Jeffrey has linked up with his son for a new album.
Both Taff, 82, and Toby, 41, have made music throughout their lives.
Taff has performed all over the world and Toby is a member of local group True Gents.
And now they are finally making songs together.
Here is how it came to happen.
Band singer in RAF
Taff Jeffery grew up in the Rhonnda Valley in south Wales and his childhood was spent learning lyrics from the adults singing on charabanc trips to Barry Island.
He played washboard in a skiffle band before joining the Royal Air Force in 1963.
Here, he sang in two bands, performing at military camps and taverns in Holland, Germany, and Belgium. The majority of their setlists consisted of hits from Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles.
When he returned to the UK, Taff joined folk group The Whispering Dwarves, who ran the Swiss Cottage Folk Club in Lincoln. The band supported famous folk singers such as Christy Moore, John Martyn, Young Tradition and Alex Campbell.
After his time in the RAF, Taff moved to London and played regularly in a pub band for four years.
Still singing at 82
In 1975, Taff moved to Scotland, where he secured a residency at the Tayside Hotel in Stanley.
It was during this time that he hosted frequent jams with members of Lateshift, and also became a member of Les Honeymoon Powerhouse Boogie Band. In this band, he played the congas and shared vocals with his fellow musicians.
In 1987, Taff moved to Forgandenny, where he spent three years playing with covers band Stressed Out.
But his love of music didn’t stop there, and over a period of 10 years, he went on to play the congas and sing with a range of different bands, including Taff & the Hamiltones, Blues on Tap, and currently, About Last Night.
Taff’s remarkable vocal range and repertoire have allowed him to sing a wide variety of music, including shanties and songs relating to work from his time in Lincolnshire, London, and even on the islands of Islay and Jura.
Inspiration from Invermay woods
Toby, a self-employed gardener and horticulturalist of 20 years, says his father is one of his greatest musical inspirations.
His brothers are also music artists. Sam is a covers singer and Owen is a guitarist.
The family moved to Invermay, where over the years their garage became a hot spot for friends and musicians to come and jam.
“The area and woods provided endless inspiration for songwriting,” Toby said.
“Myself and Euan Nicol began putting songs together to record, which we did with local legends Rob Evans (T-pot studio) & Gordon McIntosh (Godge) at Invermay with his portable set up.”
This came after winning a singer/songwriter competition at Dougie Maclean’s Perthshire Amber which used to be hosted at Pitlochry Theatre each year.
A True Gent for 17 years
Taff purchased Toby his first semi-acoustic guitar, a crafter DE7/N, from another local legend Pete Caban at his music store Bandwagon.
In around 2006 True Gents began to form and have since gone on to release many songs over the years, mostly recorded with David MacFarlane.
The current lineup consists of Toby with Euan Nicol, Ian Scobie, Stu Bennett, Mikey Maclennan, Jamie McHale and Rosemary Stanford.
“Our style could probably be best covered by psych infused folk rock,” Toby said.
“Even today we are working on a new album and we are playing at MugStock festival at Strathallan Castle in August, opening the main stage on the Friday.”
‘At the heart of it is my dad’
Only now have Taff and Toby worked together on their own music, releasing ‘Hold the Hour’ as The Jeffery Collective.
The recording features family turns from Toby’s brothers Sam and Owen, and his children Cora, 10, and Noli, 8, who play the shaker and conga drum.
The album comprises two CDs each containing 17 songs.
“It is of various recordings over the last decade, songs that mean something to each and every person who has been involved over the years, but at the heart of it is my dad,” Toby said.
“He’s always been a front man – anyone who has seen him sing rock and roll, shanties or folk will know this.
“It took me a while to realise that there are people who are a one of a kind when it comes to singing and my dad is one of them.
“I’m happy we’ve achieved as much as we have.
“Some of the tracks are simply audios off video recordings in the garden at Invermay, and it’s nice to have three generations on them, with my daughters being involved too.
“The album really is a moment in time and will become more nostalgic with time. We’re already planning more songs to do whenever time permits.”
They made 100 copies that were sent off to friends and family.
But due to popular demand the album has now been uploaded online, and you can it access here.
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