Kerr's Cornkisters. Contains all the favourite bothy ballads (cornkisters*) as sung and recorded by Willie Kemp. Willie, known as the ' 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.  In his forward to 'Kerr's Cornkisters' Willie Kemp writes in October 1950:

"Weel folks! efter a gey lot O' priggin' frae a' the airts for these sangs, I have pairted wi them tae the Publishers. Nae doot a  lot o' ye will enjoy singin' them, an I hope, for mony a long day tae come, ye will get some o the pleesure that i hae gotten wi' them mysel'.
We are a' hame ower kin o folk in the Nor' East o' Scotland, an' we like oor ain hame ower sangs. Some o' ye may dirl yer heels on the corn kist when ye sing them, but whether in the stable or the parlour, aye dae yer best tae spread pleesure tae ithers. There's naethin' cheers the he'rt better when ye're in the dumps than a guid he'rty Cornkister! It's the kin o' medicine that cures maist O' oor ills, and faith, we sometimes need a lot!
Fine feathers mak' fine birds, but faith, ye ken, the peacock is nae a very bonnie singer! Likewise, the 'BOTHY BALLADS'  may nae be classics, but dash't ye ken, there's somethin' aboot them that speaks o' hame, and the countryside.
Whar'iver the buikie may gyang, may guid luck ging wi' it, and even tho' ye canna sing, ye can aye dunt yer feet!"....Willie Kemp, (The Cornkister)"

Ballads included are The Dying Ploughboy,The Ball of  Kirriemeer, Mormond Braes, the Iron Horse, The Weddin O McGinnes, Willie Gillander's Goat, Tipperty's Meg, The Barnyards o Delgaty, Drumdelgie, Awfa like it's Father, My Wife's First Man, McGinty's Meal and Ale.

Musical notation for piano accompaniment. Singers will find the melodies in both Staff notation and Sol-fa. There are also piano accordion symbols.

*The name refers to the cornkist, (corn chest), used to measure oats sufficient to feed a plough horse on the farms of North-east Scotland at that time. The reason for the association was that it was assumed that the singers -- or one of the listeners -- sat on top of the cornkist while singing and kicked their heels against it in time to the music...

Paperback. 72 pages