 Renowned Shetland fiddle teacher Dr.Tom Anderson had many pupils. Amongst his most famous, Aly Bain and Catriona MacDonald, two fine musicians who have gone on to put Shetland music on a world stage.
"They were calling Tom Anderson (1910-1991) ("Tammy") the saviour of Shetland's musical heritage long before he died. He was a Shetlander through and through, born in 1910 on a croft at Eshaness in the north of Mainland. He learned to play the fiddle from his grandfather; and although he became an insurance agent by profession, his life - his real life - was in the conservation of traditional Shetland fiddle - playing and passing it on to younger generations. His career as a musical mentor really took off when he retired in the early 1970s and began teaching traditional fiddle playing in local schools. Today, hundreds of pupils all over Shetland have studied it in school as a direct result of his efforts.
His passion for his life’s work earned him international renown, an MBE in 1977, and an honorary doctorate in 1981 from Stirling University, where he conducted a memorable series of ‘Heritage of Scotland’ Summer Schools which attracted countless enthusiasts, year after year after year.
One of the most impressive and popular of Tammy’s 500 original compositions has been The Slockit Light ('slockit' is a good Norse word meaning 'extinguished'). It was inspired by the gradual dwindling of the population in Tammy’s native Eshaness: as each family died out or left, there was one light fewer. Tammy Anderson’s magnificent bequest of music and recordings, and the associated royalties, to the Shetland Musical Heritage Trust means that the lamp he lit will now never be extinguished."
The above text forms part of the foreword Magnus Magnusson wrote for the book Tom Anderson Collection (Volume one)"I knew Tom from the day I was born until the day he died, a time span of over fortyv years. During World War II Tom and his wife Babs lived across the landing from my parents at Market Street where I was born in 1946. How can one describe Tom? He was a big man with a presence equal to his size. When he walked into a room you were inclined to notice.
Tom was born in Eshaness as far north west as one can travel on the Shetland mainland. He was born into a croft house full of musicians and that is where his musical journey began. His love of fiddle music and his unshakeable belief in the native culture of our islands has assured him a special place in the history and future of Shetland music. He collected an archive of his own on his old Grundig recorder as he travelled around Shetland as an insurance agent. He inspired people such as myself all over Shetland and beyond to play and appreciate traditional music. His vision of how this music should be taught is now a reality - implemented in many schools throughout Scotland - and also at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, where traditional musicians can now obtain a degree. Tom began to compose music early on in his life. From the early 1950s until his death he composed four to five hundred tunes, many of which are played all over the world from Australia to Stockholm. The tunes he wrote are dedicated to the places and people he loved......
The above text forms part of the foreword Aly Bain MBE wrote for the book The Tom Anderson Collection (vol two)
In May 2004, A video was partly recorded during a concert held at the Eshaness Community Centre with an invited audience and was filmed by Malcolm Younger. Included is archive footage of Tammy Anderson having a tune with friends and pupils, Catriona Macdonald, Aly Bain, Charlie Simpson, Heritage Players, Halliget, Vikki Johnson and the Northmavine Accordion and Fiddle Club. It was produced by Shetland Television for the organisation 'HEARD' (Hillswick, Eshaness Area Regeneration and Development Association). Released on DVD & Video under the title 'Tom Anderson - a slockit light: His days remembered' . Both DVD and Video are available to purchase from the HEARD website: http://www.heard.shetland.co.uk
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