Ted was born and brought up within the triangle formed by Stirling Castle, The Wallace Monument and the Field of Bannockburn – three of Scotland's most historic sites. It is hardly a surprise therefore that he comes over through his music as a very patriotic Scot. He does point out , however, that he has a love for people of all nations, even the English. After all, England has the best neighbours in the world.
He bought his first drum kit from money saved from his paper round and from the sale of a Moulton bike (remember them?) which he won for being Scottish Paperboy of The Year.
Although his mum was not keen on a kit coming in to the house his hard of hearing dad was very supportive. Until it arrived – “I thought you said a trumpet !”
Played extensively throughout the seventies with pop and rock bands (home was a transit on the A9) learning guitar and bass from the musicians he played with and starting to amass his HUGE repertoire.In 1980 joined Biggles, a function band, that he played with for 25 years. Along side that formed “Yetanother tonto” a rock band which recorded 1990 Scottish World Cup song “The Lion Roars” (England captain Terry Butcher played drums). The keyboard player in Tonto was Graham Whitelaw, The Scribbler, who has inspired www.thescribblerspicnic.com |