George S. Morris (musician)
Encyclopedia
George Smith Morris, The Buchan Chiel, was born in Aberdeen
in 1876 and died in 1958. He is best known as a singer and writer of Doric
comic songs. His father was a farrier with his own business and in due time George too became a blacksmith. In 1912 he married Agnes Kemp, the sister of Willie Kemp
, the King of the Cornkister
s, and moved to Oldmeldrum
in 1919 where the Kemp family ran a hotel business.
During his time in Oldmeldrum he started performing and writing. By 1930 he came to the attention of the Beltona
record label and during the following decade he recorded more than 40 pieces, either bothy ballad
s or cornkisters, for them, some of which he composed himself or in collaboration with Willie Kemp.
His best known composition, still popular in Northeast Scotland today, was A Pair o Nicky-tams but he wrote many others the most notable of which were The Buchan Bobby, Aikey Brae and A New Lum Hat.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 1876 and died in 1958. He is best known as a singer and writer of Doric
Doric dialect (Scotland)
Doric, the popular name for Mid Northern Scots or Northeast Scots, refers to the dialects of Scots spoken in the northeast of Scotland.-Nomenclature:...
comic songs. His father was a farrier with his own business and in due time George too became a blacksmith. In 1912 he married Agnes Kemp, the sister of Willie Kemp
Willie Kemp
Willie Kemp, King of the Cornkisters, was born in Oldmeldrum in 1888 and died in 1965. He is best known as a singer and writer of Doric comic songs...
, the King of the Cornkister
Cornkister
A Cornkister is a Doric song, generally a comic song, written during the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries, in the tradition of the Bothy ballads. The name refers to the cornkist, , used to measure oats sufficient to feed a plough horse on the farms of North-east Scotland at that time...
s, and moved to Oldmeldrum
Oldmeldrum
Oldmeldrum is a village and parish in the Formartine area of Aberdeenshire, not far from Inverurie in North East Scotland. With a growing population of over 2000, Oldmeldrum falls within Scotland's top 300 centres of population. The A947 road from Aberdeen to Banff runs through the centre of the...
in 1919 where the Kemp family ran a hotel business.
During his time in Oldmeldrum he started performing and writing. By 1930 he came to the attention of the Beltona
Beltona Records
Beltona Records is a British record label founded in 1923, producing recordings 'of a mainly Scottish interest'. The company's early history began with 78rpm gramophone records of traditional Scottish music. They produced music common of the time, i.e. dance and barn music. Typical instrumentation...
record label and during the following decade he recorded more than 40 pieces, either bothy ballad
Bothy ballad
Bothy Ballads are songs sung by farm labourers, specifically in the northeast region of Scotland.Bothies are outbuildings on a big farm, where unmarried farm labourers used to sleep often in harsh conditions. In the evening, to entertain themselves they sang old songs and often composed their own...
s or cornkisters, for them, some of which he composed himself or in collaboration with Willie Kemp.
His best known composition, still popular in Northeast Scotland today, was A Pair o Nicky-tams but he wrote many others the most notable of which were The Buchan Bobby, Aikey Brae and A New Lum Hat.