Home   What's On   News   Article

Highland accordion band leader and composer Fergie MacDonald, 82, proves Age Is Just A Number with Skye show and launch of his 50th album – featuring tribute pieces to 'Prince' Archie and the crash that nearly ended it all last year


By Margaret Chrystall


THIS week sees the launch of a unique new album in a music career that has spanned nearly 70 years as ‘ceilidh king’ Fergie MacDonald releases his 50th album.

For those who witnessed his show Age Is Just A Number at Eden Court last year, hosted by Take The Floor radio show presenter Gary Innes, the last of the album’s 13 tracks might be familiar.

The Gary Innes Song features Fergie’s tribute to the popular radio host and his habit of praising the music he is playing in the show with super-generous words.

It raised plenty of laughter from the audience last year at Eden Court when Fergie unveiled it.

Age Is Not A Number gets a reprise next Thursday, January 30 when Fergie officially launches the new album live with the show at the Aros Centre, Skye.

Fergie, who is 82 and has been playing his music since 1960, said: “I can’t just sit at the fireside watching the fire go out. Last year’s project was my book, The Moidart Sniper, all about my father’s experiences in the Lovat Sharpshooters during the Second World War and it has sold all over the place. It is now in Australia and New Zealand. Servicemen from there were in Gallipoli, as my father was for part of his war.”

Music also featuring on the new album includes a track 'Archie Harrison's Reel', Fergie explained: "It might become clearer when I mention the full title of the person in the tune's title – Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor."

Though not officially a prince, Archie is the son of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and is seventh in line to the throne.

"With all this fuss going on, it seems it's going to be a very popular tune and a few of my musical friends want to use it," said Fergie. "It's already been played on BBC Radio Scotland's Take The Floor, though I don't know how they got hold of it!"

The album also contains a track which marks the New Year’s night last year when Fergie had a car accident that could have killed him.

He said: “The crash happened at Glacmor on New Year’s Day last year.

“I’d been out seeing a friend – I haven’t had a dram in over 30 years as I am an alcoholic, so I was sober. But coming in from Kinlochmoidart, I was coming up the hill, came off the road and hit some rocks. If I had been going down I don’t think I’d be speaking to you today – and the car was a write-off.

“When I walked out on the road, it was just a sheet of ice. You would never have known. So I named a tune after it and it sounds like the title of one my friend Phil Cunningham wrote. His is The Crack at Clashmore and mine is The Crash at Glacmor!”

Fergie says he is touched that he finds himself in demand with the young members of the traditional music scene these days and is asked to do guest slots at their events though he is now in his 80s. In December, his band joined Mànran at the Corran Halls in Oban.

“And I was playing at Tunes By The Dunes at Dunnet Head last year a new traditional /rock festival. They were all there, Skerryvore, Tide Lines, Mànran and Trail West and in the middle of them – Fergie appears!

"I’ve spent 60 or 70 years playing ceilidh dances and now I’m playing these rock festivals where thousands are punching the air with their fists. It’s so far removed from what I did, yet I’m there, at 80-odd still punching the air too – like the Rolling Stones!

Fergie MacDonald's new album - a landmark 50th!
Fergie MacDonald's new album - a landmark 50th!

“And younger people come up to me because their mums and dads tell them to come and say hello. They say ’Mum and dad told me to come up and say hello to Fergie!’

“That gets to you! But at the end of the day I am so appreciative of my life, though I can’t compete with these young people who are all brilliant musicians. Now groups are the latest thing – and Pete & Diesel."

The new album is available now from: www.fergiemacdonald.com Fergie will be launching it with a night of his show Age Is Just A Number at the Aros Centre, Skye, on Thursday, January 30. Details: https://aroscommunitytheatre.co.uk/events/fergie-macdonald-age-is-just-a-number-with-musician-and-broadcaster-gary-innes?l=L1&ri=0


Read more

More by this author



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More