Fife Musician Bill Findlay, known to many as “Mr Accordion,” has died at the age of 78.
He was from a musical and performing west Fife family his father played piano for the silent films and in hotels and restaurants during the 1920s, while his mother, who was of the Lindsays of Balcarres, was a dance teacher with British Ballet.
Mr Findlay started playing the accordion at the age of eight, becoming a professional in 1948.
He was called up for national service with the Royal Air Force, where he signed on for four years to study music with the RAF education scheme.
On leaving the RAF he travelled through many of the Mediterranean countries, playing the accordion in clubs and cabaret bands, where he became quite expert in playing tango.
Also during this time he met some Spanish guitarists and became interested in this instrument.
On returning to Scotland, he took Trinity College of Music exams in classical guitar, becoming a teacher of the instrument.
He also studied music history and early musical instruments, playing Renaissance music with the Giles Farnaby Consort of Early Music, and Baroque music with the Rothenburg Baroque Ensemble.
During the 1960s, with the upsurge of folk clubs, he returned to his first love traditional Scottish music on the accordion.
He also expanded his experience with folk music of many European cultures, including Russian, Scandinavian, Austrian, Hungarian, Tyrolean, Bavarian, French, Spanish, Italian and Greek.
He was a composer in his own right and composed music for accordion and classical guitar in traditional and classical styles publishing and printing the music himself under the name of Balmar Music.
He also taught classical guitar to many youngsters at the Music Institute, next to Carnegie Hall, for many years during the 1980s.
He was a keen student of current affairs and was a member of the Letter Writers’ Guild, who were well represented at his funeral on Monday.
His good friend, Jimmy Shand jun, paid tribute to Mr Findlay’s enthusiasm, which he said was “well respected in Scottish dance music circles and will be much missed.”