Folk music fans are in for a treat when Ronnie Browne – “that guy fae the Corries” – appears in Courier Country.
The legendary Scottish musician will be showing that there’s more to him than singing when his one-man show comes to Dundee and Comrie next week.
The Corries are one of Scotland’s most celebrated folk bands, famous for Flower of Scotland, the country’s unofficial anthem.
They first performed as The Corrie Folk Trio and Paddie Bell in the early 1960s and went on to achieve global fame, belting out songs such as Killiecrankie, Will Ye Go Lassie Go, and Wild Rover.
Although the group was a trio in the early days, it was the partnership of Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne for which it became best known.
Ronnie and Roy performed as a duo between the 1960s and 1990, when Roy died of a brain tumour.
Since then, Ronnie, now 78, has said he will never perform in public again because he can’t get through a song without breaking down in tears.
He revealed he struggled to get through a rendition of Flower of Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
However, his long career means he has many fascinating tales to tell, and he can’t wait to share them with audiences in Dundee and Comrie.
In his evocative autobiography – That Guy Fae The Corries – Ronnie described his childhood and revealed what it was like to grow up when Britain was firmly in the grip of austerity.
The Dundee and Comrie events will see audience members taken on an illustrated journey through his long and varied life – everywhere from the cobbled streets of Edinburgh to the sandy floors of the Great Temple of Rameses II.
A gifted storyteller, Ronnie will also chat about his life, career and his associations with showbiz stars, including Chic Murray, Ricki Fulton and Morecambe and Wise.
He will also talk about the death of Roy and the years that followed as a solo artist. Throughout this time, Ronnie has been a much sought after painter and portraitist.
“The evenings won’t be music events,” says Ronnie. “I can’t sing because I start crying. I contained my emotions for all those years but now they just spill over. I’ve sung enough, and who wants to hear a 78-year-old sing, anyway? I always say singing is like sex. You’ve got to know when to stop.”
Ronnie, who lost his wife Pat four years ago, has been doing literary festivals such as Pitlochry and Edinburgh for a few years and says they’ve gone down really well.
“There are usually quite a few grey hairs in the audience but a few young people, too,” he says.
“I want to get across that there’s a lot more to my life than The Corries. That was just a third of my life. I’m proud of being a Corrie and I’m also proud of being a painter.
“This show is about all aspects of my life, from birth all the way through to when Roy died and beyond. Life went on.”
Ronnie says he has always been an “Edinburger” and since growing up in Auld Reekie, he’s never moved far, with the exception of a stint in the Borders.
“This is home to me,” he says. “But I’m very much looking forward to coming to Dundee and Comrie to talk to people.”
Join Ronnie at Dundee Rep on May 25 and at Comrie’s White Church on May 27 for a fascinating evening as he shares some of the funny and extraordinary tales from his colourful life.