The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Mr Music: Bill Wilkie, MBE, dies at age of 95.
Life-long musician has died at the age of 95
Scottish traditional music legend Bill Wilkie has died at the age of 95.
The Perth-born band leader, impresario and businessman was a life-long champion of accordion music and an inspiration to generations of musicians.
In 1994, the man known as “Mr Music” was awarded the MBE in recognition of his contribution to traditional music in Scotland.
Bill’s passion for music was stirred in his days playing harmonica with the local Scout troop and he fondly recalled his first public performance with the Bridgend Melody Boys and their signature tune Lord Lovat’s Lament.
After borrowing a melodeon from a farmer’s son at Scout camp as a 10-yearold, he set his heart on acquiring an accordion.
His mother duly saved up to buy a second-hand 48 bass Hohner Verdi 1 from Paterson’s music shop in Methven Street in the pre-war era.
Bill’s natural ability, enthusiasm and showmanship was harnessed by tutor Dr Edward Sarafin and in 1938, at the age of 16, he won the accordion class at Dundee Music Festival.
He went on to play in dance bands, including the Rapcats (Royal Army Pay Corps and Auxiliary Territorial Service) group as a civilian and the Collegiates before wartime service with the RAF.
His musical talent attracted the attention of the entertainment unit and celebrated stage director Sir Ralph Reader, who teamed Bill up with RAF Gang Show No 10, where he became close pals with aspiring actor and comic, but then drummer, Peter Sellers.
Their tour of India, Burma and Ceylon included a concert in the lavish Chitta Palace of the Maharajah of Jodhpur before returning to Europe.
After the war, Bill returned to Perth where he formed his own dance band and accordion orchestra.
A teaching studio proved popular and in 1949 he staged the first All Scotland Accordion & Fiddle Festival, with support from his wife, Ena, who handled the timetable for 47 different classes.
It became a fixture on the calendar and in 2009 Bill enjoyed the diamond jubilee celebrity show in Perth Concert Hall where he was presented with a quaich to mark the milestone by Provost John Hulbert in recognition of his contribution to music and Fair City life.
Championing the accordion, he introduced Scottish traditional music for the first time to the National Accordion Association syllabus.
By 1959, he had taken on the lease of a former cobbler’s shop in Perth’s Canal Street which was to become Wilkie’s Music House.
He was still working in the store when it finally closed its doors in 2011.
Bill, who was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, gave many musicians their first break with shows at his beloved Perth City Hall.
The Bill Wilkie Dance Band was always in great demand, performing for Prime Ministers from Harold Wilson to Margaret Thatcher.
While music was a mainstay of his life, Bill was a family man at heart, enjoying picnics in Glen Lyon, parties at home and regular walks to the Hermitage well into his nineties. Until recent weeks Bill was active and living independently at his King Street home.
Ena passed away in 2003. He is survived by daughter Diana Colburn, son-in-law Billy, grandchildren Sharon, Stephen and Richard Colburn, drummer with Belle and Sebastian, and four great-grandchildren.