Month: April 2018

Timeline

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1927

Thomas Fraser born in Utterabrake, Burra Isle, Shetland.

1935

Thomas begins to learn the fiddle.

1939

Thomas begins to learn the guitar.

1945

Thomas becomes obsessed with music – he sources it from records brought back to Shetland from Merchant Seamen and via the American Forces Network Europe, broadcasting from Germany.

1953

Electricity comes to Burra Isle. Thomas immediately invests in a Grundig reel-to-reel tape machine. His recorder was reputedly the third to arrive in Shetland. He sets to work taping his own renditions of his favourite country songs.

1956

Thomas upgrades his reel-to-reel machine to a TK35 Grundig.

1961

Thomas purchases a new Levin Goliath guitar.

1973

Thomas is almost drowned following the sinking of his lobster boat.

1977

Thomas has a serious accident at sea. He is struck in the head and flown south to Aberdeen hospital.

1978

Thomas Fraser dies in January, aged 50.

1983

Local release on cassette of Thomas Fraser music – ‘Memories of Yesterday’.

1985

Thomas’s wife Phyllis dies.

1999

Thomas’s Grandson Karl hears Thomas’s version of TB Blues. Karl decides he must archive the recordings and save them for the family.

2001

Work begins in earnest to document the Thomas Fraser archive. Astonished by the quality and depth of the material, Karl decides that a more formal CD release of Thomas’s music is necessary.

2002

The first Thomas Fraser CD release ‘ Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ is launched at a special concert in November.

2003

Second CD release follows in November, ‘You and My Old Guitar’.

2004

The family are invited to Nashville to present the life and music of Thomas Fraser at the International Country Music Conference. Thomas’s daughter and close friends perform at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Thomas Fraser Festival becomes an annual event, held in November.

2005

Third CD release ‘Treasure Untold’.

2008

Fourth Thomas Fraser CD release, ‘That Far Away Land’.

The BBC airs a special Thomas Fraser documentary on TV – ‘Shetland Lone Star’. The programme is also released on DVD the following year.

2009

Fifth Thomas Fraser CD release, ‘Just Call Me Lonesome’.

The National Theatre Scotland produces a play based on Thomas’s life. Directed by Vicky Featherstone, ‘Long Gone Lonesome’ tours the UK and Ireland.

2010

Moon Guitars make a special ‘Thomas Fraser Model’ guitar built to the exact specifications of his Levin Goliath.

2012

Sixth Thomas Fraser CD release (a double album), ‘For The Sake of Days Gone By’. 175 tracks are now released.

The National Theatre of Scotland’s ‘Long Gone Lonesome’ production tours the USA.

2018

On the 40th anniversary of Thomas Fraser’s death, ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ album is re-mastered for vinyl and released for Record Store Day.

Record Store Day 2018 (21 April 2018)

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April 21st saw the launch of Thomas Fraser’s ‘Long Gone Lonesome Blues’ album on vinyl. The limited edition release has been fully remastered using the very latest techniques and features new sleeve notes from writer Duncan McLean and Grandson Karl Simpson. The disc is 180g vinyl. Available from all good record shops and of course at the launch site – Grooves in Kirkwall – the most northerly (and probably best full stop) store in the UK.

Gallery

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Memorial Festival

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To coincide with the release of the first Thomas Fraser CD Long Gone Lonesome Blues, the Fraser family decided to host a special Thomas Fraser Tribute Concert, which took place in the Burra Public Hall, Hamnavoe, on the 16th November 2002. Those taking part included May and Mackie; May’s son and daughter, Karl and Rhonda; Arthur Pottinger; Eddie Williamson; Robbie Cumming; Ian Stewart; and former shipmate of Thomas, Alan Tulloch from Whalsay. The reunion of many old friends and the emotional release of the CD made for an unforgettable evening, steeped in atmosphere.

Such was the success of the first concert, two evenings of music were arranged in 2003 to mark the release of You and My Old Guitar . Danny Allen, an American who had travelled to Shetland in the hope of hearing traditional music, attended both nights. Little did he expect to be attending such a fine evening of traditional American music! Danny, so taken by what he heard, was instrumental in getting the Thomas Fraser story told at the International Country Music Conference the following year.

Although there was no Thomas Fraser CD release to celebrate in 2004, it was decided that the ‘Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts’ should become an annual event. What would have been another cause of immense pride to Thomas, occurred in November that year, when Jimmie Rodgers’ great-nephew, Rick McWilliams, took the stage at Hamnavoe.

 

 

In December 2005, The Thomas Fraser Memorial Committee was formed. Their first task was to hold a special concert for The Observer journalists in the Bridge End Hall, in February 2006. The event was documented in a special 4-page feature in the paper’s influential music monthly magazine in June 2006. For 2006, the concerts were rebranded The Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival to reflect the growing length and variety of a weekend’s entertainment which quickly became one of the most popular musical events in Shetland.

If you are interested in visiting Shetland for the Memorial Festival, please do not hesitate to get in touch. The Shetland tourism site Visit Shetland is a good resource to find our more about getting to Shetland (not as difficult as you would think) and the attractions on offer. A word of caution, book your tickets early, as Shetland-Music says, the Memorial Festival is one of the fastest selling tickets in Shetland.

The format is usually as follows: the Thursday evening sees a traditional sit-down concert. This evening is usually more reserved and is shorter in length. There are no bar facilities. Friday and Saturday nights are full length evenings with bar facilties and supper. On the Sunday afternoon, from 2pm to 5pm, a special event is usually held.

Depending on the occasion, for example when a new CD is launched, special events may be held throughout the weekend. In 2005 and 2006 an exhibition of Thomas Fraser memorabilia as well as music generally in Burra Isle was held. In 2007, a special gospel concert was held in Burra on Rememberance Sunday. John Lilly was the main performer with support from the Jenny, Mhari & Rhonda trio and Freda & Rhonda. This event was reprised for 2010 and continued till 2012 with Alison Kay and The Whites.

The 2008 Festival marked the 30th anniversary of Thomas Fraser’s passing and celebrated the fourth Thomas Fraser CD release ‘That Far Away Land’. For a review, click here. The event was filmed by Hopscotch for the BBC TV documentary ‘Shetland Lone Star’ based on the life of Thomas Fraser. For a review of the 2009 Festival click here. As a special event, the Festival hosted the one and only Shetland performance of ‘Long Gone Lonesome’, the stage production of the Thomas Fraser Story produced by the National Theatre of Scotland.

The 2012 Festival was headlined by Faroese star Hallur Joensen and Opry legends The Whites. After a decade of highly successful Festivals, the Memorial Committee decided to take a break from annual shows.

The Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival returned in November 2015 with three very succesful shows. The next Festival will be held over 8-10 November 2018.