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Songs were passed down within the Johnston and Whyte Travell...

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1987.10.2; SA1987.10.3

Original Tape ID

SA1987.010.011

Summary

Songs were passed down within the Johnston and Whyte Traveller families.

Betsy Whyte's maternal grandfather had a lot of songs, rhymes and riddles passed down from his forebears. The Townsleys were more instrumentalists than singers. The Whytes also sang. Bryce Whyte never learned the old ballads, but his brother Johnnie learned them from the older folks, especially his mother, a MacLaren. Mention of some songs he sang, and of his being recorded by Sheila Douglas. The Whytes all add '-ee' to the ends of phrases, some of them in speech as well as in singing. Bryce learned the Harry Lauder and Will Fyffe songs from the gramophone and radio in his teens. His family took an old-fashioned gramophone with them while travelling, and the children had fun shouting down the big brass horn.

Recording Location

County - Angus

Parish - Montrose

Village/Place - Montrose

Language

English, Scots

Genre

Information

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good