The Corries: Moving On

In 1954 I sat with fellow student band members and listened in awe to a recording of Lonnie Donegan performing “Rock Island Line” with Chris Barber on bass and Beryl Bryden on washboard as they rocked their way into a new era of folk music that led inevitably to the public acceptance of the phenomenon that came to be known as skiffle. Devised to add variety to their jazz concert repertoire, the Chris Barber/ Lonnie Donegan skiffle group performed regularly in Jazz Federation concerts in the Royal Festival Hall and across the land throughout the mid-fifties. 

And the sound was exciting, added to which the music was essentially simple. Three basis chords in the same number of keys and skiffle-minded groups everywhere could strap on a guitar and within days be assured of an audience ready and willing to take on board this musical upstart with its vaguely transatlantic overtones. With its simple message there was little need for accommodating the odd minor key, the diminished chord or any of the other musical wonders that might have transformed the music if only the fingerboard could speak. The ‘three chord trick’ had come of age. 

At the beginning The Corrie trio & Paddie Bell made no claims of being musically trained. Paddie, however, had studied piano and was proficient to a steady level on the guitar. Roy Williamson, despite his later prowess on a number of stringed instruments, was a survivor from the days of skiffle and unfamiliar with the finger picking styles required of a sixty’s folk singer. He was on the other hand a dedicated hard worker who set about adapting his style until he had mastered the arrangements on mandolin and guitar. Locked into his studio and practicing hard, the rumour circulated that food was sometimes squeezed under the door while liquids were piped through the keyhole to keep him alive. Ronnie Browne, although an accomplished harmonica player, had no guitar playing experience. Later, out of necessity, he began to play guitar adapting the ‘three chord trick’ to some advantage. 

 Roy was later to distinguish himself with some compositions that have stood the test of time. W. Gordon-Smith, the producer of the ‘Hootenany’ series, once referred to Roy as being “a man for all seasons provided they were all winter”.  His ability to develop his skills on a number of instruments, including concertina and banduria, all led to a flexibility within the group that undoubtably contributed to the variety we were able to offer on stage and in the studio. Looking back, his commitment to the demands we made on him is truly astonishing.  

I recall a meeting at his house in Edinburgh in 1965 when he had just penned “Flower of Scotland”. His initial choice of title was “Rose of Scotland” which I felt might be improved If the reference to the English rose was dropped in favour of a hint of the ‘flowers o’ the Forest’. He also adopted ‘hill and glen’ in favour of ‘butt and ben’ and promptly buried the song for many years until the Corries as a duo resurrected it in the seventies.  

In collaborating with musical directors and session musicians it was important to demonstrate a knowledge of music, to discuss keys, arrangements and preferred chord signatures. I was perhaps best placed to respond to these situations. I recall being challenged during a TV rehearsal by the director, himself a solid musician, when he felt that a chord had been omitted. As he demonstrated his point on the piano, I was able to respond immediately on the guitar calling out the chords as I played. Problem solved and reputations restored.  

And throughout this time we continued to work, improving as we went along, experimenting with harmonies and vocal arrangements for new material that we had collected. Nor were we short of offers from managers. They promised the earth but only if, in return, their requirements were met. One such offer expressed an interest in managing the three of us, which would have meant ditching Paddie. We naturally turned his offer down. Another solitary approach to myself on one occasion was similarly dealt with. Roy, on another occasion, was asked to record with a London company which I saw as a divisive move that could split the group. Happily, Roy saw sense and declined the offer. As a Scottish group established in Scotland, we were reasonably secure. In London, we would have been small fish in a large sea of competitive acts backed by big money. 

That said, I recall an interview given to The Melody Maker, that most popular musical magazine of all time, by Brian Epstein who was to reap fame as the manager of a little-known group called The Beatles. Around the time of our early TV appearances he was asked to predict the groups, which in his opinion, would be the likely survivors in the fields of pop and folk in the years to come. He listed The Dave Clark Five and a little-known group from Scotland; The Corrie Folk Trio. He went on to advise the interviewer, (Eric Winter) that a group called The Beatles would shortly be making musical waves with a first appearance that very evening on network television. And the rest is history. In fact, the Corries, in one form or another, went on to survive both. 

But, by the end of 1965, it had gradually become clear that change was in the air. Inevitably, after three years of close contact, hard work and the constant run of late nights beginning to take their toll, cracks began slowly to appear in the structure that we had created, with some of the shared delight and concern for each other being replaced by misplaced ego and ambitious thoughts of reduced overheads and improved financial gain. Where this would lead us was as yet uncertain. Money had never been at the heart of my efforts. The music was everything.