Bob Ferguson - How it all Began part 2

He asked if I had a band and were we free to play? heh now anyone that knows me-could guess my answer-"yes" I replied trying to sound as honest as possible. Within 5 minutes the deal was done and then I nearly came unstuck-he asked me the name of my band?. Now I was in trouble because if you haven't yet guessed. I wasn't in a band then! I looked down at my desk and there was a magazine with an article I had just been reading. It was about a street in Glasgow. It had a nickname "Beggars Row" Well I just blurted it out in panic and then he replied "great then I will tell the committee we have found a band to fill the headline slot!!! I nearly choked on my tea. I was chuffed at pulling a festival slot out of nothing. However I thought we would be playing on one of the smaller stages or something and here we were suddenly playing the headline slot with a band that never existed! Well I said to myself "aye Bob! ye've managed to get yerself in a wee situation again" a band was formed quickly, a four or five piece which turned out to be a three piece on the night. There was band supporting us singing peruvian style music that you get on the streets. In fact I had seen them playing the streets in Glasgow city centre many times. They were were so tight and miles better than us ha ha! we should have been supporting them! At the end I went up to praise them for their performance and told them how many times I had seen them on the Glasgow city streets. Well they instantly denied ever playing the streets busking and selling cds and would not admit to it. About four months later I was walking along Arglye street in Glasgow and guess what? Yes your right . There they were playing with a huge crowd round them. Well I had to stop and have a wee listen and found myself right at the front of the crowd with this big silly smile on my face. You know the one I mean, it's the one that sort of say's ahuh! yeahhhh! Then they had the bit where one of them comes round the crowd with their CDs trying to get you to buy one. When he got to me I could see him looking at me as if to say I know you from somewhere? but where? Then he asked me the question I was desperately looking forward to. "would you like to buy a cd sir"? I replied "I would love to! but you know I cant" "dont you have any money"? he asked "yes I have plenty of money on me today" "why cant you buy Cd then"? "because your not here-you dont perfom in the streets, remember"? At that moment he remembered where he had met me as he scurried off! Everything comes to him that waits ha haha! That was the first line up of beggars Row and it died very quickly-we weren't ready yet.

One of the guys in the audience at that festival was Ian Raymond who I had begun to have sessions with at the festivals. I never knew that night that he and I would eventually form the eventual line up of Beggars Row the band. We never knew within months we would be playing huge concert halls to massive audiences, doing radio and tv shows, press conferences with hundreds of journalists and all within 6 months of forming. Beggars Row the band that came from nowhere, playing concert halls before anyone told us how you were supposed to perform at these hugely professional venues. We just did what we always did we had a party on stage and it was great fun. The audiences loved it and it didnt matter what song or tune we played. because we discovered the audiences were coming to join in the party. That was how I began. In the next blogs I will continue my music story. Until then peace and love to you all.

Love Bob

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Bob Ferguson Singer/Songwriter how it all began!

When I was teenager I was into heavy rock and then I spent a weekend with a friend who played nothing but the Corries Scottish folk song Lps to me.One song in particular nearly had me in tears evry time he played it. It was the Skye Boat song, it made me remeber my father as he cradled my young brother as a baby in his arms. He would cradle Derek around the room as he whistled this beautiful tune to make him fall asleep.Sadly for me my father had died only months before and I was still grieving for him.

By the time I went home I was totally brainwashed and gave up the heavy rock for folk celtic music. I started learning guitar around age 15 and when me and my mate went to Corries concerts we swore one day-we would perform at the glasgow city halls.

I never knew it would take me almost 40 years to play the Glasgow city halls. On saying that folk music was by no means the first songs I sang on stage. My first performance was in OlIVER when I sang FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD and then IF I WERE A RICH MAN in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

My mate to this day never has, a fact I like to remind him of!!After a short spell in my twenties perfoming at folk clubs. I had 18 years away from music and then I got made redundant. My wife asked me what I was going to do next-my reply was "I'm going to buy a guitar" That was me back into the music and I remembering wondering if anyone still sang all the songs I used to sing. After a few festivals I found out the songs were still popular. Still I didnt actually have a professional band yet . I did have a couple of attempts with a couple of line ups before things got more serious. One day I phoned a festival to see if there was any sessions for a sing a long and during the conversation I was told by the festival organiser that a band had postponed at the last minute.

Well that was the start of it--read my next blog to find out what I got myself into during that conversation.

peace and love

Bob Ferguson

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