Shetland-Music.com

If the 40 Fiddlers were Shetland's first super-group, Aly Bain was to become its first superstar. During this time Aly brought Shetland's music tradition to the attention of the wider world and gave it its first widespread, across-the-board credibility.

Graeme Townsend and Aly Bain

Through his eclectic albums and TV programmes such as the 'Transatlantic Sessions' he extended the boundaries of traditional music, twinned Shetland with other 'world musics' and unselfishly and unashamedly making household names of a number of its local exponents.

In the meantime Tom Anderson was continuing his work in Shetland schools to build even more foundations for the protection and development of our own 'roots' music, while others such as Willie Hunter (who by now was also teaching traditonal fiddle in Shetland schools) and Ian Burns were also starting to make musical waves further afield than ever before.

Official potrait - Tom with Shetland's Young Heritage

Having disbanded the 40 Fiddlers as having run their course, Tom set about creating a new super-group of young musicians to specifically impact on younger generations and, as such, wider audiences thus carrying the heritage torch forward as never before and hopefully further safeguarding it for future generations. Shetland's Young Heritage (now the Heritage Fiddlers) were born from this era, and with them an interational star of the future Catriona Macdonald. The group went on to perform at many major events and festivals, tour extensively, as far afield as the USA and New Zealand, and make many radion and television appearances.

Willie Hunter

By now the impact of his, Willie Hunter's and others teaching was having the desired effect with an ever increasing number of young musicians enthusiastically taking up the traditional fiddle.

In the early 1980's Tom once again rasied the profile in the local and national arena by introducing the first ever 'Shetland Young Fiddler of the Year' competition, with the first event being won by Margaret Robertson from Yell (now Margaret Scollay).

The competition endures to this day and celebrated it's 25th year in 2006, where the winner was none other that Margaret Scollay's son Ryan Couper.

Shetland CDs

Many previous winners of the event (there are a number of individual sections, hence a number of 'winners' over and above the outright champion) have subsequently gone on to achieve international profiles including Catriona Macdonald (solo and Blazin Fiddles), Christopher Stout (Fiddlers' Bid), Jenna Reid (Filska) Kevin Henderson (Fiddlers' Bid and Boys of the Lough) and Brian Gear.

Almost certainly as a direct result of the education process a number of new tradition based groups started forming in Shetland, a number of which have subsequently gone on to carve out very successful careers for themselves on the international music circuit.

Tom died in 1991 but his legacy lives on to this day and continues to have a major impact on Shetland traditional music and indeed beyond. For instance, as a direct result of the success of traditional music tuition in schools we can now boast a whole range of additional instrumental tuition throughout our local schools including brass, woodwind, strings, drums / percussion and accordion. So it seems our tradition is indeed safe for the future and if anything has the potential to grow even further as the world become a smaller place both digitally and geographically.

But that's only part of the story. There is of course much more to Shetland than simply traditional music. We can boast some high quality contemporary music and rock bands, jazz bands, country music groups and much much more beside.

And then there's a whole host of new faces regularly appearing on the scene to hopefully ensure Shetland's internationally recognised reputation as a "musical community" sustains way into the future.

And just in case you're wondering... yes our 'elder ststesman' of the Shetland music scene, Peerie Willie Johnson, is still very much with us. Now a legend in his own lifetime Willie is currently a sprightly 85 year old but every much as influence on the Shetland music scene today as he has been throughout this potted history of Shetland music down the years.

In truth what you've read here is only part of the story so please read on and you will hopefully get a fuller picture of what Shetland music and the community in which it thrives is all about.