The Islanders -- UK Folk -- 3 Albums

The Islanders

Scottish folk group

 

Jim and Nancy Craig, who seem to have been the main members of The Islanders, lived in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Jim being a University lecturer. They started out with a concert party ran by Charlie Sweeney in Pollock Community Centre in Glasgow (they returned in 1969 to play in a benefit concert). Nancy left the group when she became pregnant.

 

When The Islanders started in about 1964 they included a very young Iain MacKintosh, who went on to a successful solo career.

 

The bass player was Pete Furnish; he drove a Mini Cooper, and to get his double bass into the car he had to take out the front seat, while his girlfriend had to sit in the back. Pete was in the group "...from the time that the banjo player left because his pawnbroker business was keeping him too busy..." Pete left in 1968/9 to a job in motor sport, moving to Northern England. After a stint as a chartered accountant, Pete has now retired, but still plays bass, mainly in jazz combinations.

 

Other members of the group included guitarist John Noble, who worked for the civil service in London from the mid-60s-mid-70s. He continued to play guitar and gave lessons. John was replaced by Eddie Pollard. By 1968 Iain MacKintosh had left, and subsequently Alex Hutton was an active member. David Williams emailed to say:

 

I remember that The Islanders featured in a BBC television series called 'The Making of America' (or something similar) in the mid-1960s. As I recall, the series was presented by a University history professor with a Welsh name [Owen Dudley Edwards? - NG]. Each week they performed one or more songs related to the unfolding story. I was particularly impressed by them. In the early 70s I bought a copy of their second LP but I was disappointed that the American songs do not seem to have been made available commercially.

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Albums:

 

The Islanders

Keep Left

Patterns of Folk

 

A few tracks (not all, by any means):

 

Four Strong Winds

The Dark Island

The Gallowa' Hills 

Freedom Come-All-Ye 

If I Had a Hammer

Wild Rover

Wild Colonial Boy

 

Includes scans of album covers and lots more info!

 

Uploader's note -- the photo and tags appeared automatically and are not related to this group f the same name.  Soon as I can figure out how to edit them I  will.