'... easy and enjoyable reading ... fascinating.'
The Box and Fiddle |
'I loved Ian Cameron's biography ... for the wealth of information it contains and for the fluency of style.'
The Herald |
'He has been the King of Scottish Dance Band Music for over 50 years and this book provides a unique insight into the man and his music.'
The Scots Magazine, April 1998 |
'A unique insight into the King of Scottish dance music – the man and his music.'
The Scots Magazine, September 1998 |
'A lively account of the man and his music – his achievements, his family and friends, including the challenges of life after retirement. Robbie Shepherd’s foreword sets the scene.'
The Scots Magazine, May 1998 |
'Robbie Shepherd's couthie foreword sets the scene and Ian Cameron's simple straightforward style coupled with a generous print size makes for easy and enjoyable reading.
To round off this fascinating write-up, the author has included a completely updated list of Jimmy's recordings, compositions and written verse - would you believe! This puts the icing on the cake, a real bonus and of extreme interest to all Scottish music enthusiasts.'
The Box and Fiddle, April 1998 |
'....Ian Cameron gives the reader an insight into the man behind the music, Jimmy speaks frankly about his personal life, his achievements and disappointments, and there is an appendix which includes all Jimmy Shand's known recordings, together with his own compositions.'
Ireland's Own, May 1998 |
'A Glenrothes man has penned the forthcoming biography of Jimmy Shand. Ian Cameron was given unprecedented access to the veteran musician, who has always maintained the most private of personal lives, for his book. The 208-page book includes a massive listing of Shand’s recordings on vinyl, cassettes and CD as well as his sheet music compositions and arrangements.
Shand speaks openly about his life from his boyhood in East Wemyss to his worldwide success as an accordionist and bandleader, while relatives, friends and some of Scotland’s best known personalities reminisce about their memories of Shand and his band and of the shy, sensitive family man behind the public image.'
Glenrothes Gazette, January 1998 |
'Scots music legend Jimmy Shand’s life story has become a best-selling smash – thanks to the Record.
The Jimmy Shand Story is selling out in book stores all over Scotland after we highlighted the accordion wizard’s biography. Now publishers Scottish Cultural Press have ordered a massive reprint to cope. Spokeswoman Jill Dick said: “The support from the Record has made it a great success. We have had calls from all over the UK from people who read about it in the Record.”
The £14.99 hardback officially went on sale five days ago as part of Jimmy’s 90th birthday celebrations. Stocks in the Glasgow warehouse were running low within 48 hours as music fans flooded bookshops. Jimmy, of Auchtermuchty, Fife, has released more records than Elvis and The Beatles put together. At his peak in the 1950s, sales of Jimmy’s famous Bluebell Polka passed 100,000. Since 1970 he has released an average of one album a year.
Jill added: “The success isn’t too surprising as Jimmy is known all over the world but no one quite expected the response we have had. Jimmy will be absolutely delighted.”
The authorised biography, by Scots author Ian Cameron, is set to be released world-wide in the next few weeks.'
Daily Record, February 1998 |
'Think of Scottish dance music over the past half century... think of Jimmy Shand. Ian Cameron’s The Jimmy Shand Story is an engaging biography of the boy from East Wemyss, Fife, from his first encounters with melodeons and a ‘tanner mouthie’ (a sixpenny harmonica) to his retirement, Jimmy and Anne’s golden wedding anniversary in 1996 and the present. The man revealed in this first full-length biography is a shy, likeable family man with a magical flair for his country’s music. As a reminder of his extraordinary achievements and contribution to Scottish music (as well as a helpful reference), there is a 12-page list of Jimmy Shand’s recordings and a 10-page list of his compositions.'
Celtic Heritage, June/July 1998 |
'....a man who has been synonymous with Scottish dance music – the great Jimmy Shand. The book charts his life from his childhood days having a tune on his dad’s melodeon, earning a living as a tradesman and a miner, and graduating to a salesman’s job with accordion firm Forbes of Dundee. With such an obvious love of Scottish music, it was odds-on that he was going to be a player of note.
The book, entitled simply The Jimmy Shand Story, traces his rise to fame from the early days of music competitions to the formation of the revered Shand band, records, radio and television broadcasts and international tours. There’s a page or two about the birth of the famous three-row Shand Morino accordion, now a collector’s item, and reminiscences from contemporaries on the band scene. A natural shyness and a consistency in the style of the music he played made Jimmy popular all over the world, and, although he’s retired, his recordings and music are very much a part of the traditional scene.'
John O'Groat Journal, May 1998 |
'There is a great deal of nostalgic joy to be had from Jimmy’s story, and a lot of excitement. Ian Cameron’s research is thorough and the facts are smartly, but cleverly, turned out. From a social and historical point of view, this biography is one man’s version of the 20th century, and how he took the music of the bothy and the village hall and turned it into a great electronic entertainment enjoyed by millions.'
The Press and Journal, March 1998 |
'Although world-famous, Jimmy Shand has seldom spoken about his personal life, so all his fans will welcome The Jimmy Shand Story by Ian Cameron. It traces his career from his first job in the depths of a Fife coal pit to stardom.'
The Sunday Post, February 1998 |
|
Click for more information about
The Jimmy Shand Story
|
