NEWS: Cam's Band Days For Sale

MARK McLAUGHLIN
Edinburgh Evening News
5 April 2010


Royal favourite Cam Robbie's artifacts in hands of curio queen

HE was one of the country's best known band leaders and a favourite of the Princess Royal but his legacy has lived on largely in memory only - until now.

Scores of artifacts from the life of late Edinburgh band leader Cam Robbie are going on sale.

They were found by property investor turned shopkeeper Dawn Kirkwood-Niven, 46, who recently opened vintage and curiosity shop Alexa K in Corstorphine.

Ms Kirkwood-Niven bought the accomplished musician's home on Cammo Road, in Barnton, shortly after his death in 1992.

She said: "When I bought the house I went up to explore the attic and discovered the whole history of his life was still up there.

"There were loads of his old percussion instruments, recording equipment, old stage sets, original handwritten manuscripts of music and over 40 original programmes of his performances at the Royal Caledonian Ball in London from the late 1950s right through to the 1980s.

"There are also loads of personal items including his old trilby and a duck's-head walking stick with a cheeky wee secret inside. If you flip up the duck's head on the stick there's a little test-tube sized receptacle that he would have used to keep his drams in.

"In the middle of it all was a big photograph of Cam Robbie in his heyday, looking very much like Clarke Gable."

Robbie, who was born and raised in Edinburgh and attended George Watson's College, was a regular on the national social circuit. He formed his first band, The Harlequins, in 1934, frequently played at the Edinburgh Palais in Fountainbridge, and became a familiar figure at Edinburgh University, Dalkeith's Empress Ballroom, and the Maybury, where he led the house band five nights a week during the Forties.

The Princess Royal was a big fan of Robbie since he played at her 21st birthday party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Whenever royalty came north of the Border, Robbie was sought. He played for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Margaret at events such as the Perth Hunt.

He retired as a leader in the late 1980s and died, aged 71, in November 1992. He had no children, and his long-term companion Ann Stanley died in 2008.

Ms Kirkwood Niven added: "I've held on to all this stuff all this time because I wasn't sure what to do with it, but with the new store opening I decided to put it all up for sale. I've not decided whether to put it all out on the shop floor with a price tag or hold some kind of auction, but I'm sure there's someone out there that will be interested in buying it."

Brian Fallon, chairman of the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival, said the artifacts would be likely to appeal to historians, local music aficionados or broadcasting buffs.

He said: "My own recollection of Cam Robbie is that his bands could play anything, from Scottish country dancing to show-band numbers to rock'n'roll.

"He was an extremely popular performer in his day - I know my mum was a big fan - and he also did many performances on the radio so I'm sure this stuff will generate a lot of interest."