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By Frank Reid
Published in the Camberley Reel Club 40th Anniversary Ball programme, September 2000
Frank Reid was born in Glasgow and has been playing Scottish Dance Music on the accordion since he was 15. He formed his first band at the age of eighteen some twenty two years ago. The band in its present form has been playing the Scottish dance circuit for the past 10 years and is the best known Scottish dance band south of the border.
The band has recorded some five LP’s for the London Highland Club and three on its own label. In June 1991 it completed its fourth recording for BBC Radio Scotland’s Saturday night programme ‘Take the Floor’. A reeling CD was recorded in October 97.
In 1994 events included the premiere of ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ , and a solo appearance supporting the Glasgow representatives on ‘Come Dancing’. A band TV appearance in ‘Roughnecks’ was shown in December. 1995 saw the tercentenary celebrations of the Bank of Scotland, and a Duke of Edinburgh Award Ball in the presence of the Royal Family.
In July 1996 the band provided the music for the Leeds Festival of Scottish Country Dancing – the largest event of its kind in the world and also a highly successful 700 people ceilidh dance event at the Whitehall banqueting suite. The band returned to the Whitehall venue in 1999 for a 500 people St Andrew’s Reeling Ball. Burns Night events see the band playing to 2,500 people within two weeks! The band is already booked for two of the largest outdoor Scottish Dance Events in 2001.
Through its association with Furlongs Travel the band has accompanied Scottish dancing enthusiasts on holidays in Denmark, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Canada, France, Italy and in 1991 Australia and New Zealand where it was featured on the National TV news! More recent trips include Canada and the US, New Zealand again, Vienna, Nova Scotia and Prague.
The normal line up of the band is – accordion, fiddle, keyboards and drums. For the larger occasions a six or seven piece band can be supplied including two/three fiddles and second accordion. A piper can be included in the team for weddings and other occasions. We have lots of contacts in the piping world including my father in law who is a first rate ex Black Watch piper.
A high quality 2K PA system is used employing two/four Bose 802 speakers and one/two Bose 302 bass bins. The whole team hurtles round the country in a Volvo 850 Tdi estate and trailer.
