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http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=21-Jul-2017&lang=en&s=13335
http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=21-Jul-2017&lang=en&s=13335
21-Jul-2017
Ian Holmes (1935-2017), Scotland – UKby Rob Howard |
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 Ian Holmes, one of Scotland’s best known and foremost dance band leaders, accordionists and composers, from the early 1960s until recent times, passed away this month as a result of diabetes. He was widely respected not just in the world of Scottish country dance music, but also in the accordion scenes of Switzerland and Scandinavia, where he visited many times and loved their accordion traditions and traditional music.Ian Holmes, from Dumfries, began studying the classical accordion under Alex Carter at the age of thirteen. He met the great Will Starr, who was playing locally and who gave him advice on left-hand chording. In 1956, he joined Bobby MacLeod’s band on second accordion, and in 1960 took on a similar role with Andrew Rankine, before forming his own band in 1962. His band made numerous recordings, and appeared on radio and TV many times. He also played as a soloist, and in 1957 won the Senior Scottish Championship at the All-Scotland Championships in Perth. At this festival he won the Jimmy Shand Shield, presented by the great man himself. Holmes was described early on in his career as “a musicians’ musician” by Bobby MacLeod, while the great Sir Jimmy Shand would tell him, “You’re a one-off son.” Ian played the piano accordion, the 5-row button chromatic, the 3-row British chromatic, and various other diatonic systems, the result of his travels and interest in the music of Switzerland and Scandinavia and has recorded using all these different types of accordions. He also composed music in Scandinavian and Swiss styles, and recorded two authentic-sounding albums of his compositions - ‘Sounds Scandinavian’ (1988) and ‘Ian in Switzerland’ (1997). In total he composed 450 tunes, from Scottish pipe marches to Scandinavian and Swiss waltzes and polkas. In 1973 Ian and his wife Margaret opened their own shop, Ian Holmes Music, in Dumfries, which became a popular musicians’ haunt until the couple retired in 2000. In January of 2014, Ian Holmes and his Scottish Dance Band made what was officially their final public appearance, at the Islesteps Accordion and Fiddle Club in Dumfries. Although not advertised as such, the gig attracted a huge turnout of fans and fellow-musicians. Looking back, he commented: “I’ve had a wonderful life, for through my music I have visited so many places in Scotland and abroad and have met so many interesting and kindly people. For years I was happy at my work and this work was also my hobby. How many people can say that?” |