Alexander Brothers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Alexander Brothers are an easy-listening folk-music duo from Scotland, who have been performing since the 1950s.
Tom Alexander (b 1937) and Jack Alexander (b 1939) were born in Cambusnethan, near Wishaw. From 1950 they won many talent contests until becoming professional in 1959 when they performed at the Webster Theatre, Arbroath.
Their biggest hit was "Nobody's Child" in 1964. It sold more copies in Scotland that year than did recordings by The Beatles.
Their other hits include "These are My Mountains", "The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen", "Bonnie Wee Jeannie McColl", and "Two Highland Lads". They toured in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. They appeared at the Sydney Opera House with Jimmy Shand as a guest, and have also played in Carnegie Hall in New York.
Painters and decorators by trade, they still give shows and their hits are still in print, but the audience is now mostly over 65. The brothers' fame and popularity probably peaked in the late 1960's, after which Scottish folk music began to lose it's mainstream appeal and their audience dwindled. However, the Alexander Brothers experienced something of a revival in the mid-1990's when they began to release music videos, and later DVD's, to supplement their live performances.
The Alexander Brothers have been in showbusiness for nearly half a century, and are considered some of Scotland's best loved entertainers. In recognition of their contributions to the world of music, they received MBEs from the Queen in the 2005 New Year Honours List [1]. The ceremony took place in Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.
"Nobody's Child" is sometimes described as traditional but was actually written by Coben and Foree. The song was first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949, then by Lonnie Donegan in 1956. The Beatles recorded it in 1961 while they were a backing band for Tony Sheridan. Billy Connolly did a humorous version of it in his live shows. Billy Fury also did a recording of it. George Harrison and Ringo Starr recorded it again, in 1990, as part of the Travelling Wilburys; proceeds from the single were devoted to a Romanian children's charity.
