‘I had a ticket for fateful Ibrox game’
Folk artist ended up in the Scotia Bar and didn’t make match, only finding out about tragedy later
It was the darkest day in Scottish football history.
Thousands had turned out to watch the traditional Ne’erday Old Firm game between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox.
But as the spectators left after a 1-1 draw, a crush took place on stairway 13 of the Copland Road stand which led to the deaths of 66 people.
Singer Fraser Bruce, from Auchterarder, made a last minute decision not to attend the match that fateful day.
And the incident provided inspiration when he was putting together a new musical collection.
The folk artist has just released his latest album ‘Every Song’s A Story’ having worked on the record during lockdown earlier this year.
The record features several of Fraser’s own recordings, including ‘Big Al and Ibrox’ about the disaster, which took place on January 2, 1971.
Fraser, originally from Rutherglen, had a ticket for the match and was supposed to be in the same section of the ground where the disaster occurred.
He recalled: “Me and my friend Alan Morris were supposed to be at the game.
“However, as sometimes happened, we ended up in the Scotia Bar for a session and as time went on we decided we’d not make the game.
“It was only later on that we found out the tragedy that had happened and realised we could have been among it.”
Other tracks on the album touch on tragedy as well, from the death of the Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson when he collided with Rangers player Sam English in 1931, to the sinking of the HMY Iolaire in 1919 at the entrance to Stornoway Harbour, with over 200 lives lost.
Yet there is positivity on the record too, from songs about going for a walk with grandchildren to Australian Wine, about the optimism of those emigrating on the ‘10 pound ticket’.
Fraser added: “Until recently I had never really considered songwriting, because there were already millions of people doing it.
“But then I wrote Big Al and Ibrox, and after that there was no stopping me and ideas kept coming.”
Fraser first became interested in folk music through the legendary Ballads Club at Rutherglen Academy in the 1960s.
The group famously produced a number of singers who became regular faces on the folk scene, including Fraser and his brother Ian.
His first album was released in 1971, and he has continued to make music on and off ever since, including ‘Song of the Clyde’ and ‘One, Two, Three’, both popular songs for Clyde FC when they called the Royal Burgh home.
Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding the album, Fraser is in upbeat mood regarding the release. He said: “I think the CD is the best I have ever done. Making it kept me busy during lockdown but also gave me extra time to focus on it.
“It is a tough time for musicians now, and usually we would get a lot of interest in CDs through doing shows, which we can’t do just now.
“So hopefully this will still be popular and we can get back to performing next year sometime.”
Visit www.greentrax.com for more details on Every Song’s A Story and to order a copy.