Where are you from?
I’m local, born and brought up in Edinburgh.
How long have you been playing the guitar?
I got my first guitar in 1963 and I’ve been playing ever since.
Do you play any other instrument?
Yes, I play a bit of fiddle, mandolin and tenor banjo - mainly mandolin these days on traditional tunes.
Who were the main influences for your music?
The first guitarist that really made an impression on me was Big Bill Broonzy. I then discovered Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Blake, Brownie McGee etc., so my guitar playing is loosely based on the fingerpicking styles of these players.
Do you write your own songs?
The songs that I do are a fairly random mixture of blues, country, jazz and rock’n roll. Just anything that I feel like singing.
If you could play with any musician living or dead, who would it be?
I already did! About 5 years ago. It was Emmylou Harris.
When did you start playing professionally and where was your first public performance?
Can’t remember exactly, maybe 1967’ish. Kaftans, flower power and LSD etc.....
What inspired you to learn to play guitar?
I first came across a guitar when I was about two years old in the house of some friends of my parents. The guitar was a couple of inches taller than I was. I walked over to it and touched one of the strings (I later found out that the guitar was a 1930’s Gibson archtop - a very loud instrument). That’s what did it - though I had to wait a few years before I got my hands on one.