FTX-293 BORDER
FRAY
RORY & ALEX McEWEN
Ballads and Folksongs with guitar
The McEwen brothers, from a famous musical Scottish Border family, started
singing Scots Border Ballads and arrangements of Burns poems at home as children
and then as teenagers in the 1950s, inspired by Lonnie Johnsion, Big Bill Broonzie,
Josh White and Burl Ives took their guitars and busked across Europe and the
States. On their return Peter recorded them and provided an LP for HMV called
"Folksong Jubilee"in 1958. In the early 1960s Rory and Alex became well-known
on TV when, alternating with Robin and Jimmy and Cy Grant, the brothers, each
evening, provided freshly penned topical songs and calypsos for the BBC "Tonight"
programmes. While Alex continued to manage the family farm in Berwickshire,
Rory, an artist whose book illustrations of seals for "Ring of Bright Water"
earned him international acclaim, continued folksinging and helped Peter organise
the first National Folk Festival at Keele.
TAE THE BEGGING I WILL GO - THE WEE COOPER O' FIFE JOHNSON
(The Three Butchers) - WILLIE DROWNED IN YARROW - HA-HA THIS A-WAY - POLWARTH
ON THE GREEN - THE BONNY EARL O' MORAY - MORMOND BRAES - THE CRAW KILLED THE
PUSSY-O - DUPREE - I LOVED A LASS, A FAIR ONE - THE BONNY LASS O' FYVIE - OLD
DADDY FOX - AINT IT A SHAME? - SUR LES MARCHES DU PALAIS - THE BARNYARDS OF
DELGATY - THE SALLY GARDENS . JOHNNY COPE - THE EDDYSTONE LIGHT - THE BASQUE
LULLABY - PAY ME MY MONEY DOWN - JOHNNY LAD
