The Corries

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Corries were a Scottish folk band (1965–1990), initially with four and later three singers, finally as a duo with Ronnie Browne and Roy Williamson (1936–1990).

With the development of a new musical instrument, the combolin , a kind of mixture of guitar and mandolin , the Corries gained fame, but fame through the song Flower of Scotland , which has been the unofficial Scottish national anthem since the mid-1970s with the official support of the Queen.

history

Roy Williamson (1936–1990) came to music early on. His mother played the piano and he soon learned to play the flute himself. Before joining the College of Art in Edinburgh , where he met Ronnie Browne in 1955, he taught nautical science and navigation. The partnership with Ronnie Brown was the beginning of more than 30 years of collaboration.

With Bill Smith and Ron Cockburn, Roy Williamson founded the "Corrie Folk Trio" in 1962. After just a few weeks, Ron Cockborn left the band and was replaced by Ronnie Browne. Furthermore, the Irish singer Paddy Bell joined the band and from then on they called themselves "Corrie Folk Trio and Paddy Bell". At the Edinburgh Festival , "Corrie Folk Trio and Paddy Bell" then became popular. If they played in front of eight people at the beginning, the concerts at the end of the festival were always sold out.

As the band became more successful and even featured on TV, Bill Smith and Paddy Bell left the group. Roy Williamson mainly played the instruments and Ronnie Browne sang. Under the new name "The Corries" they performed in Angus.

In 1970 several albums were represented in the Scottish charts. The Corries brought out the song Flower of Scotland in 1974, which became something of an unofficial national anthem . Over the next few decades, The Corries became increasingly popular. But outside the borders of Scotland the band remained rather unknown.

Roy Williamson died of a brain tumor in 1990. This meant the end of the band.

Ronny Browne still appears before the Scottish national football team's games, where he is loudly accompanied by more than 50,000 spectators while singing the hymn ("Flower of Scotland").

The combolines

Roy Williamson invented two instruments, the combolines, in 1969. One of the two instruments combined a mandolin with a guitar , the other combined the guitar with the Spanish bandurria . These combolines were mainly used to accompany ballads like Silkie of Sule Skerry or The Gartan Mother's Lullaby .

Discography

  • 1965: The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddy Bell
  • 1965: The Promise of the Day
  • 1966: Those Wild Corries
  • 1967: Bonnet, Belt and Sword
  • 1968: Kishmul's Galley
  • 1969: The Corries in Concert
  • 1969: Scottish Love Songs
  • 1970: Strings and Things
  • 1970: In Retrospect
  • 1971: Live at the Royal Lyceum
  • 1972: "Live" A Live O
  • 1972: Sound The Pibroch
  • 1973: A Little of What You Fancy
  • 1974: Live from Scotland Volume 1
  • 1975: Live from Scotland Volume 2
  • 1975: Live from Scotland Volume 3
  • 1977: Live from Scotland Volume 4
  • 1977: Peat Fire Flame
  • 1977: Spotlight on the Corries
  • 1980: Stovies (Live)
  • 1980: A Man's A Man
  • 1982: The Dawning of the Day (Live)
  • 1983: Love From Scotland (compilation)
  • 1985: Scotland Will Flourish (Live)
  • 1987: Barrett's Privateers (live)
  • 1988: The Bonnie Blue (Live)

Web links