music and me
Rites of Passage
Music gives me a real buzz and I 've been lucky to have had the chance to perform over the years at house concerts, weddings, festivals and even a windmill. I took up the fiddle when I was young and played classical music in the school orchestra, As a teenager I got my first guitar for my 16th birthday and after learning a few basic chords and some popular songs there was no stopping me .
First Paid Gig
At 6 years old, I got a mouth organ as a Christmas present, A neighbour asked me to play him 'The Sash', a sectarian song, I'd never heard of. He hummed it to me and I was rewarded for my rendition with a stack of sixpences. My mum was taken aback, given we weren't involved with the Orange Lodge. When my Dad bought me an album of Irish rebel songs I played Kevin Barry for our neighbour just to even things up.
Inspiration
One of the best things ever is getting a song or a tune coming together and the jigsaw pieces falling into place. Here, I am at Gavin Gourlay's Reelsound Studios about to record a demo of Beyond The Tennessee Line, which has become one of my most requested songs. You will find it on the album Sandie Wyles and Dave Wilkinson Line Up Some Country produced by Gavin Gourlay 2024.
Fiddles, Mandolins and Guitars
The first fiddle I owned came from Bruce Miller's in Aberdeen. At the time in the mid-1980s, I was more into Indy and American roots music. However, an unplanned visit to the Keith Folk Festival and being blown away by Aly Bain's fiddle playing created a real turning point. Shortly after, I joined the Ceilidh band The Reel Aliens.
Marshall Dow, a fabulous instrument maker from Aberdeen made me a beautiful mandolin, #4 1989. I find certain tunes sound better on it than my fiddle.
A Jedson acoustic guitar was a fantastic 16th birthday present bought from a music shop in Perth. Learning a few chords, I began to sing covers. My first solo singing gig a few months later was a fundraiser for the Labour Party at The Stirling Albion Social Club. I sang Creedence Clearwater Revival numbers and Loudon Wainwright's Swimming Song. Who'd have thought that performing in front of an audience would be such a rush! It led me to exploring musical styles, playing in bands and eventually writing songs.