Tributes have been paid to well-known band leader John Crawford, of Freuchie, who has died at the age of 96.
Mr Crawford was born at Burleigh Castle in Milnathort and grew up surrounded by music. His father played the bagpipes, fiddle and melodeon, his mother the piano and his five brothers and three sisters all played instruments.
He had his first accordion at aged six and also played the chanter in the Boys Brigade band.
After serving his apprenticeship at Dalls garage, Ladybank, as a mechanic he later worked as a mechanical engineer in the quarry at Newburgh.
During the war, he saw service in the army and was posted to Ireland, London and Germany.
It was there in 1945 as he was speaking to a POW who said his father worked in the Hohner factory that his interest in the accordion was properly sparked.
So began his hobby of tuning and repairing accordions after he visited the factory when the war ended, and he was offered a job there.
He turned down the offer, but later carried out tuning and repairs at Bill Wilkie’s Music Shop in Perth for a number of years.
Mr Crawford and the East Neuk band played all round the country, playing at dances, weddings, for country dance classes in Falkland and recording for the BBC.
Later, he had a band under his own name and continued with that into his late 80s, travelling far and wide to guest at accordion club nights.
Often Lizzie, his wife, and daughter Anita, a fine accordion player herself, went along and supported the band.
He also found time to compete in the Perth Festival, winning in 1960, and later went on to become a judge for many years.
He composed several tunes, including ‘Freuchie’s March to Lords’, for the local cricket club who won at Lords in 1985.
This was played on the pipes by the Reverend Ian Wotherspoon who also took Mr Crawford’s funeral service at Falkland cemetery.
He was honoured by the Accordion and Fiddle Clubs for his services to Scottish dance music in 2002 and will be remembered as a quiet, unassuming, honest and hard-working man who was never happier when helping people out.
A friend said: “John will be sorely missed by his family, friends and musicians from all over Scotland.”
