As a Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, UK, resident, many of my Posts are Kilwinning related in some way. I relate my personal experiences of how Kilwinning and its traditions have impacted my life from childhood. I also love the music of the 1960's and of The American Civil War so many of my films deal with those subjects. My own book "Shiloh Plain" covers both of these subjects as a love story set during The American Civil War. The Book comes complete with music composed during The American Civil War but set in the style of the 1960's - all songs performed by myself. Kind regards, Edward
Thank you Paul, As you may see I actually did add the month on each hit and on every video. However at final edit when a song had been deemed just too long to qualify as a short clip - it was trimmed down and it appears that the occasional date may have been trimmed along with it. I refer to EveryHit.com. for my info. Please go there for further dates. Regards E. btw Thanks for your service.
Thank you for your continued very kind comments @TheLeonhamm. They are so appreciated. These 1960’s years - and bands - are indeed very special to me. During those years that I was collecting the sheet music to enjoy playing, I was also lucky enough to have my band open for many of those great 1960’s UK bands back then in the Swinging Sixties, including a few of these No.1 bands in my videos. Bands such as The Kinks, The Troggs, Geno Washington, Crispian St Peters and The Ivy League etc. Truly wonderful memories indeed. Thank you again. E.
Thank you. Your kind comment is so appreciated. These 1960’s years - and bands - are indeed very special to me. During those years that I was collecting the sheet music to enjoy playing, I was also lucky enough to have my band open for many of those great 1960’s UK bands back then in the Swinging Sixties, including a few of these No.1 bands in my videos. Bands such as The Kinks, The Troggs, Geno Washington, Crispian St Peters and The Ivy League etc. Truly wonderful memories indeed. I am working hard to re-post all the other years' No. 1 music. Thank you again. E.
Thank you @arvidsmith1038. I loved and appreciated your kind comment . . . and you are of course correct. Whilst aware of that fact, I felt The Band name would resonate more easily with viewers of the post. May I tell you of the significance of my personal comment re that Garth Hudson “soaring Hammond organ” in my film? I was a UK organist gigging around German night clubs for a month in the Spring of 1966 and feeling very homesick. At 3 am after a gig I retreated into myself with a small transistor radio to my ear, when I first heard that soaring Hammond organ sound on “Like a Rolling Stone”. I could barely afford the monthly payments on my Farfisa organ and later my Vox Continental but vowed that one day I would get play that soaring Hammond B3 sound. I’m now 77 . . . still waiting on that Hammond to turn up. Lol. Kind regards, Eddie
Thank you @chochonero3419 . . . and you are so right . . . this wee dog certainly does that. My grandchildren watch the clip [on their i-pads] over and over. His bored, dead-pan expression is what does it for me. Kind regards E.
Thank you Sarah . . I wondered about that - Now I understand how the act worked. My grandchildren absolutely love this dog because he is so cute when disobeying every crazy order. lol. We are Golden Retriever folks and when we throw the ball and shout 'Fetch!' they do retrieve it at their own pace . . . but never return it. Eddie x
Thank you for kind comment @colfer222. The song was taken from my LP, The Best of Steve Conway, which includes other great songs like Good Luck, Good Health, God Bless You, Bless This House, Mary Rose, Ashes of Roses, My Thanks to You and Mona Lisa etc. and I always loved the sound of The Hastings’ Girls’ Choir on a few of them. Regards. E.
Yessss! McGavin park! Where this was always held. I have great memories of the carnival! Folk lining both sides of the Dalry road and watching the pipe band followed by the floats! My late father's pal Roy Lauchlan did a lot for this carnival. They even finally named the town bypass after him. I miss those days Eddie! Sorry it's been a while since I have commented on your videos! I hope you're well!
Great to hear from you Derek. Yes, Roy was a good friend of my wife and I also, We both were members of the Kilwinning Festival Society when Roy was Chairman. I hope you and your family are well. I still have not bumped into Graham Burns to mention you to him as we are seldom up the town much. Regards Eddie.
@@eddiejohnstone9797 Cheers Eddie! We're keeping well thanks! With a bit of good fortune, we should be down to Prestwick for the airshow on Saturday. We usually head to the car park at Greenan castle. Graeme should roughly be around 53/54, I did glimpse his profile thanks to my wife, and he's still recognisable, in his Rangers shirt ( we were both Rangers daft as wee boys!, I maybe shouldn't have changed to the maroon team after the recent dire results 😵💫😕) anyway, I remember him as wee Willie winkie in 1979's carnival and Radio Clyde's Dave Marshall doing the DJ on a lorry trailer (W H Malcolm I think). The film you had seemed like it wasn't as packed and busy as it used to be, or was that my perspective. Glad you knew Roy! Mr Kilwinning! Surprised we never bumped into you back in the day! Anyway, keep well and will speak soon! All the best! 👍
Watched a scene from the movie, one hour later i read the story from Helmuth Szprycer a holocaust survivor who whistled the tune of Jeepers Creepers to get picked up by Americans.. is this a coincidence?
This brought back some lovely memories, my mum Elizabeth Savage moved from Kilwinning to Leeds after the war with my dad, every year we came to Kilwinning during the summer and I would go to Vaults Lane with my Aunt Chrissie and Uncle George, I loved going there and Uncle George made me feel very loved when he let me stand at the front and Sing 🎶 my cup’s full and running over, precious days and precious memories.
A wonderful family story. Thank you for sharing. Might I also suggest that you may like to share your tale on a local Facebook Page called Kilwinning Memories where I also post. The folks there would love it. Kindest regards, Eddie. x
My ancestor was burned there.. I lived there.. I am a GRAHAM...I'm more outspoken than 'Bessie' ever was..' Goddess Bless Bessie Graham'... she may not have been a WITCH...but her ancestor is and PROUD. I would put a red rose at the Abbey every year for her. In her day she was called outspoken...today, she'd be known as a 'KAREN'
Thanks for your kind, and very poignant, comment Johno4521, By co-incidence I posted a related item re John and Paul earlier today on that same McCartney Songbook thread. The touching moment was when, at the height of his Orlando show I had attended, after wild applause for the Lennon/McCartney number he had just performed, a clearly emotional Paul stopped the show to give credit and thanks to John with a request that the audience in the vast arena remember him. “Let’s hear it for John”. Their response was immediate. Well done, Paul.
Is it true that my ancestor 'Bessie Graham' has finally been pardoned and a Street will finally be named after her. My name is Kathryn Graham and I once lived in Eglington Place
Thank you Kathryn. Apologies for the delay - your message was not notified to me by RU-vid until a week late. It is indeed true re your ancestor - on the new state being built now. By the way, I lived over the back door from you, Kathryn [St Joan's Crescent] and I walked that wee path between my street and Eglinton Place through to Almswall Road every day. I actually mentioned Bessie's sad story [fleetingly] in my book Shiloh Plain back in 2016. Kindest regards, Eddie x ps Please do visit my many other Kilwinning videos on my page.
Interesting, but babe you would never get me to walk that narrow passage at the end. So after 60 years, I finally get to hear that beautiful Scottish accent❤
Another good video Eddie! That photo of the William Baird locomotive made me smile, as I live just a 5 minute walk away from a local haulage company called Basil Baird! (Also has a farm). Just remember Wilson's of Kilwinning was based in Eglinton. Shame it went to the wall. A neighbour of ours across the road (Joe Gartley) worked there. I think my dad at that time worked for Beecham's in Irvine before moving on to Clarke Chapman/NEI building the cranes for the iron ore terminal at Hunterston.
Thanks Derek, Wow, you just brought back another wee memory . . . I worked in Wilsons on a forklift in the stores. We got discounted tins of mince [no labels on them] lol. Regards Eddie
My mother was from Kilwinning Margaret Cowie Smith…. She immigrated to America and met the love of her life. Where I was born into this world as an American….. Kilwinning, Saltcoats, Irving give me many fond memories….. My Grandfather Mathew (Matha) Smith was well known in Kilwinning…… My mother moved back to Scotland and moved to the Dirrans across from Eglinton estate park….. She was taken by cancer and my heart has been shattered since…… Guilt is my ball and chain….. Love you all..
Thank you for your kind comment. Can I ask you to please view my RU-vid page “Eddie Johnstone”. I concentrate on posting old memories of Kilwinning only and many of course contain the Dirrans landmarks of old . . . and new. The Salmon Hole The Salmon Ladder, The Slag Hill, The Football Park & Pavillion. It was also there at the Dirrans that I hosted The Kilwinning Mini-Olympic Games from 1982 - 1986. Kind regards Eddie
I wonder if he was related to Terry Donnelly. He was a classmate of mine. Talking of pals, I was pals with Graeme Burns (related to Charlie Burns the shoe shop owner).
Thanks Derek. Couldn't say Derek but I am friends with Joe Donnelly [relative] who played in the local bands in the 60's and I'll certainly enquire. However I do know that Graeme Burns is doing chiropody out of the Burns Shoe shop now. Regards E.
@@eddiejohnstone9797 thanks Eddie! Would be interesting to know if Terry is a relative. Pass on my best wishes to Graeme if you see him! We were at abbey primary school together. Thanks!
Thank you for your kind comment. It has been my pleasure to keep the band’s memory alive in that it was a really special time for me at age 17 to have been asked to join such a great band. They gave me the opportunity to do all the great things I have detailed in all my videos and The Hi-Fi Combo website. They are forever etched in my memory. I will always be grateful to Dick, Tommy, Andy and Kenny for giving this wee boy his start in music. I recall, whilst studying for my nursing course, dancing to records by The Troggs, Kinks, Crispian St Peters and Chris Farlow etc. on the staff canteen jukebox. Then just a few short months later I was standing beside those same big groups up on stage as we opened the shows for them. [I even thought our band sounded better]. Lol. Please do give my best wishes to all the Gray family. Kindest regards, Eddie Johnstone
Evening Elizabeth, Eddie here. I hope you don't mind me writing once more, but re your recent kind comment on my "The Hi Fi Combo" video I just wanted to let you know that [at time of your comment] I had been already working on another rather more comprehensive video about my personal memories of the 1965-66 story of our guys in the band and the Scottish Pop scene at that time. It is now complete and has just been posted up on RU-vid - should you wish to check it out. It is titled: "Scotland's 60's Summer of Love". I hope the family will also enjoy the tale. Kindest regards, Eddie Johnstone. x
ps. CAN ANY VIEWER PLEASE HELP THE CAKE! Hi Guys! The girls from the 2017 gig [those performing in the band at the end of my video] also generously took part in a Jimi Hendrix tribute gig at The BBQ King Club in NY. It would be wonderful if any viewer could help them find any footage of the concert. [Especially their own acapella contribution]. Please do contact this page if you can assist. Thank you. Eddie
Thank you SO much, Eddie! This is Karen Lee Larson, and Barbara Morillo and I are together RIGHT NOW watching this!!! Derby sent it to Barbara. I will try to message you separately. Terrific footage - thank you for creating this homage montage - we love it, and are grateful! Fun fact: Barbara just shared with me that Dr. John told her he wrote "World of Dreams" for her 😉
I vaguely remember the slag heap getting removed, I think much of it ended up becoming part of the Hunterston iron ore terminal (now also sadly gone, to a degree) my dad worked on the construction of the ore terminal and also earlier in his life worked at Biggs Waterfall! It's a pity that you never managed to get a lot of films of Kilwinning in the 70's, that would have been fantastic to have seen it again as I remember it. You got a snap of the Ardeer ICI works in there WITH the cooling tower, before it collapsed in 72/73. Fantastic Eddie!!👍👍👍
Thanks again Derek. The only reason I got the film was because I had splashed out and rented a video camera and recorder from Radio Rentals in 1979. I did have more footage of my walks and family films from then but . . Just cannot trace them now. Regards Eddie
@@eddiejohnstone9797 cheers for the reply Eddie! Radio rentals! We used to get TVs from them back in the day!😄, I remember the British Relay shop at the junction of Almswall road and the Howgate! I think you had to go to Irvine to the radio rentals shop there! Unless you were flush, then you would have bought a TV from Harris of Saltcoats! I'm hoping to "come home" this summer to show my daughter the place where I used to live and have fun in, as well as bringing the stories of my childhood antics to life in some respect. I will try to get the slides transferred to digital and pass them to you.
Thanks. You are right @hmarr . . . all were “well-kent” names way back then. I was just commenting on another page of how shops come and go . . . remember all those video-rental shops which went extinct. They could never have known just how fast technology would move on to be replaced by DVD and streaming services. Such is progress. Kind regards E.
theres an error at the start, the rail line you said was the kilwinning to ayr line was the in fact the old kilwinning east line that went to the old ardrosson oil works which is now the pennyburn football field
No, there is no error. My home from 1950-1962 and the same house again 1975-1982 in Blacklands Crescent is one of those houses seen in the background of my family movie so indubitably I am aware that the Ayr to Kilwinning railway line runs directly past my house. What you picked up on [wrongly] was that the text advising viewers of my correct information - it is the Ayr railway line - appeared for a split second under the second clip of the other branch line.
Hi @@chmarr Thank you. Believe it or not, my parents lived in the bungalows that you referred to , [Dunure Court] back in the 1990's however I just cannot recall the layout prior to that. Kind regards, E.
Hi @skyhill4279. Thanks for kind comment. Re the computer voice .. . when I first made the video some years back [this version was re-posted in April 2022] the choice was either the computer voice or my own rather faint voice. Thus, there really was no choice. Anyway, so glad that you enjoyed the story. Kindest regards, Eddie.
@@eddiejohnstone9797 Hi Eddie, fair enough bud, I completely understand. It was one of the best Radio Scotland videos I've seen in a long time. I'm a massive offshore radio fan, my favourite being Radio Caroline North closely followed by Radio Scotland. Being from the IoM I was lucky I could hear morst of the offshore stations especially RCN which was out in the bay of my home town and Radio Scotland. Glad I came across your video. Cheers, Sky.
Merci pour ton aimable commentaire Philippe. Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec vous. Je crois aussi que la merveilleuse technique du « mur de son » sur quelques-uns de leurs morceaux [similaire à celle produite à l'époque par Phil Spector] rendait leurs chansons assez spéciales. Et que dire de leurs routines de danse folles? Très unique en effet. Cordialement, Eddie.
Radio Scotland was calling you on 242 in the 60s its a pity that stayions such as radio scotland had to end and i cant help wonder whether there would still be a place for floating radio ships today but i guess its wishful thinking on my part
Thank you for your kind comment John . . and I couldn’t agree more. Radio Scotland 242, like Caroline et al connected personally with young people and drew them in by [in 242’s case] promoting the Clan Balls which provided the youngsters with the chance to see and hear the big Chart Stars up close singing their No.1 hits . . and of course it gave we wee Scottish bands a chance to shine up there on stage beside The Kinks, Troggs, Geno, Crispian etc. . . . It was a great time for young Scots. Sadly, the 242 project collapsed after little more than 18 months. Kindest regards, Eddie
Could really hear it in the Midlands and use to belt in to London with a slight whistle after dark, the boat was perhaps to wee for the purpose of broadcasting, but always maintained a friendship with its listening audience, Tommy's voice was full of melancholy pity for him and the station because it was attracting some high power accounts when it was forced to close, wonder what happened to the transmitters? they would have been practically new, anyway the hands,of the clock are whirling around so it's left to the dj to sound " end of transmission "
@@eddiejohnstone9797 and só many important musicians died in 2016, like Prince, Bowie, Leonard Cohen or George Michael, but no one said anything about Eleanor Batooshian who died in the same year!!
@@eddiejohnstone9797 Great to hear from you, the family are doing great, and the videos posted are always very good, especially with the little snippets of family in them, it always is good to see photos of some people who are still in our thoughts. Keep them coming. Christopher
Ah sweet memories Barry. Quite amazing how those 1960s songs trigger great feelings. Btw although I’m Scottish my ancestors hailed from your neck of the woods - a little township called Drumgullane, although I’ve yet to realise my dream of visiting the area. Sadly the three small cottages listed in the census are now gone. Kind regards E.
@@eddiejohnstone9797 not familiar with those place-names in Mayo. Sometimes feel that I'm cursed with having a good memory as those, assd with 208 go back to 55 years ago. I still remember some of those girlfriend s🤗
@@pitayanadia2682 Thank you very much indeed. I played the Carli version on RU-vid and really loved the different orchestral arrangement. Beautiful lady too. Kindest regards. Eddie.
That is amazing, I never thought there was anything online, how I loved the Ice Rink when my Gran was the chef and my mother was on the silver service for all the Curlers in the '60s, I used to walk with my pals from Ayr Tech to the old Tech at Saint Lenords road and pop in we were fed for nothing, I also got into the Ice rink for free although I never managed to skate as it is slippy on the ice. But I was lucky to see all those great groups of the day, I only wish I had kept some of the autographs from those days. Thank you very much for posting this.
Thanks Oor Wullie, glad you enjoyed. I had actually posted the wee film on a Facebook Page called Auld Ayr some years back and someone re-posted it. Kind regards Eddie
Hi Eddie, your video popped up in my You Tube for some reason. Your name jumped right out at me - not joking!! - Did you used to be the manager of Irvine Grange Ladies Football Club? If so, you were my manager in 1983? or 1985? I played left wing and swapped with your Charlotte for a shot on the pitch at the games. I remember a game with Wishaw, held in Wishaw. I remember that Charlotte was a lefty too. I was sad that the club ended, but that's life. I was only 15, but a super scrawny wee girl. I am 52 now. Anyway, I hope you're well. Good to see you online.
Great to hear from you! Thanks for commenting. I will pass the word around. [I won’t enquire re your name on-line]. The most recent chat I had with one of your team-mates [other than Charlotte] was with Jennifer last year re the sad passing of our coach, Jim. Look back into my channel soon and I’ll have re-posted my Irvine Grange Ladies tribute video over the next day or two . . . that will bring back some great memories for you. x
@@eddiejohnstone9797 That's great Eddie. I don't know who Jim was, but I remember you for sure. You took on myself and wee Christine - the wee red head who was my best pal. She was fast on the pitch and in the hall as well. Thanks so much!! Looking forward to your videos. 😀👍
Hi again, Thanks again for your kind comment yesterday. As promised, I have re-uploaded to my RU-vid page my wee tribute from some years back to the girls and coaching staff of Irvine Grange Ladies FC team of the early 1980's. Enjoy. Regards, Eddie x
@@eddiejohnstone9797 Thanks so much Eddie. I watched it earlier. Very good. I remember most of the girls bar two of them. I was not in any of the photos, nor was wee Christine, my wee best friend at the time. We must have joined the club after those photos. We were only in the team a few months before the team finished up if I recall correctly. It was good to see all those faces again though. How time flies so very quickly. Thanks so much for putting up such a nice video. 👍❤️
Hi again. Eddie here (Irvine Grange L. F. C.) I just had to contact you again. One of the girls who played in the team’s sister kindly compiled a lovely book about the team including many newspaper reports about the team and had it printed. She kindly presented Elaine & I with a copy. I intend making another wee video about the girl’s team and will post it to RU-vid. I hope it will bring back a few memories. Thanks again for being in touch. Kindest regards, Eddie x
