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From the mid-1960s, Nora Devine ran the famous Linlithgow Folk Club, which started at the \u2018Football and Cricketers\u2019 Arms\u2019 and welcomed some of the biggest names in traditional music at that time. The club was also credited with giving an early performing opportunity to young musicians and singers who went on to greater things.<\/p>\n
Included among these were people like Aly Bain, Barbara Dickson and the McCalmans. Nora acted as an adviser to the steering group which set up the Linlithgow Folk Festival, but sadly passed away just two weeks before the first event in September 1999. A memorial concert, featuring many of Nora\u2019s musical friends and associates, took place in 2000 and among those taking part was the acclaimed singer and songwriter, Ian Walker. Ian was closely involved with Linlithgow Folk Club in the early part of his career and knew Nora well. He was delighted to hear about the Hall of Fame announcement, and he told me:<\/p>\n
\u201cNora Devine was the warm hearted, unassuming host at Linlithgow Folk Club. In fact, Nora was Linlithgow Folk Club and Linlithgow Folk Club was Nora. In contrast to many other clubs, there was no committee or panel to decide which acts to book or which \u201cpolicies\u201d to have – there was just Nora. I was involved from around 1982 to 1995 when the Club was in The Star & Garter and The Black Bitch. Nora was always located by the door and would welcome people with a genuine smile and an affectionate twinkle in her eye. She had a profound love of folk music in all its forms from traditional to contemporary and she always seemed genuinely pleased to have this love shared by all who attended. She booked a diverse range of artists from well weathered performers, like The McCalmans and Dick Gaughan, to unknown upcoming acts for whom she unstintingly offered a platform to showcase their talents. Nora also liked to encourage members to help in the running of the folk club. For years I (and others) compered and assisted with press publicity. I don\u2019t recall any serious squabbles, tussles or rammies about the choice of acts or the way the club was run. The ethos she engendered meant that no one grandstanded or stepped over marks as everyone recognised that Nora, in her typically benevolent way, was ultimately the first word and the last.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo airs or graces here, what you get is what you see!\u201d<\/p>\n
The club ran weekly throughout the year normally with a guest act. There were few breaks and very few \u201csingers\u2019 nights\u201d. The frequently packed nights generated an entertaining and sociable buzz with, back in the day, a fairly smoke laden atmosphere! Singers and musicians from all over the world sang at the club and usually Nora would provide overnight accommodation for them before they headed off next morning over the horizon to another venue. Nora\u2019s renowned hospitality was indeed a \u201cHome from Home\u201d for these troubadours.<\/p>\n
For Nora to have been inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame is simply fantastic. The Award recognises individuals that work tirelessly to help their community and enrich the lives of others through selfless or charitable work\u201d. Nora was never one for being in the limelight and would have been modestly astonished at receiving this Award. Nora was much loved and has left us with enduring memories and with a tangible legacy in Scottish Folk music, especially in Linlithgow, where the music and songs continue to be celebrated in the current vibrant music scene and Folk Festival. After she died, I tried to sum up Nora\u2019s legacy in a song to portray both her personality and the friendly reception she offered to the many touring artists
\nwho came to her door:<\/p>\n
Welcome to my room she smiled,
\nyou\u2019re a long time gone
\nThis is your \u201chome from home\u201d
\nsing us your song
\nAnd we will lift our voices,
\nblend some harmony
\nNo airs or graces here what you
\nget is what you see.
\nHow we try to catch the moments,
\nbut they always journey on
\nThanks for your company,
\nthank you for your songs
\nTake care until the next time,
\nyou\u2019re passing by this place
\nI\u2019ll leave you with a smile she said
\nand an honest warm embrace…\u201d<\/p>\n
Ian\u2019s song for Nora has been recorded by many artists and is always the opening number on Linlithgow Folk Festival\u2019s outdoor Nora Devine Stage at the Cross. This initiative allows young talent the opportunity to perform right at the heart of the Folk Festival and is always one of the highlights of the five-day musical extravaganza in September. common with other events throughout the country, the Folk Festival will not take place this year. The Festival Association continues to organise regular Sessions and other online events and full details can be found on the Facebook page and the website www.linlithgowfolk.com.
\nMurdoch Kennedy<\/p>\n
Nora passed away in September 2009.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From the mid-1960s, Nora Devine ran the famous Linlithgow Folk Club, which started at the \u2018Football and Cricketers\u2019 Arms\u2019 and welcomed some of the biggest names in traditional music at that time. The club was also credited with giving an early performing opportunity to young musicians and singers who went on to greater things. Included among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3204,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-3198","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3205,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3198\/revisions\/3205"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/hall-of-fame\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}