Thomas Fraser (singer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fraser was a fisherman and Country and Western and Rhythm and Blues
musician from the Shetland Isles.
Fraser was born in on the isle of Burra
. He never released any recordings while he was alive, choosing to play his cover versions of American folk, country and western and rhythm and blues songs to close friends and family. He rarely even played live before paying audiences. During his lifetime he made a number of recordings on a reel to reel
tape recorder, and family members circulated these as a keepsake of him after his death. After a few years, these tapes began to circulate to a wider audience (Shetland, whilst isolated, has numerous folk and blues festivals, and is well connected in terms of international musicians). In the late 1990s some of these tapes were eventually transferred to CD, originally, again, simply as a more permanent record of his songs, but the greatly increased number of CDs pressed meant that Fraser's audience again increased.
Finally in 2002, Nel Records put out a small pressing of Long Gone Lonesome Blues a selection of some of the original tapes. To their great surprise this turned out to be a commercial success, and soon Fraser had fans in Japan, Europe, and, not least, the United States
, who responded to Fraser as a 'genuine' country and western singer, as opposed to what some see as the over-sophisticated sound of contemporary Nashville
. Two more CDs followed (You & My Old Guitar (2003) and Treasure Untold (2005)), and a yearly Thomas Fraser memorial festival was begun in Shetland in 2002. Fraser's work is attracting increasing international attention, and there are plans for an American release of his best work. A fourth CD release of unreleased material 'That Far Away Land' was released in November 2008. The following month, BBC Scotland aired a 30 minute documentary on the life of Thomas Fraser entitled 'Shetland Lone Star'. A DVD featuring this programme and highlights of the annual Thomas Fraser Festival was released in October 2009. The National Theatre of Scotland also toured Scotland during October with a full theatrical production on the life of Thomas Fraser, entitled 'Long Gone Lonesome'. A fifth CD of unreleased material is due out in November 2010.
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
musician from the Shetland Isles.
Fraser was born in on the isle of Burra
Burra
West Burra is one of the Scalloway Islands, a subgroup of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. It is connected by bridge to East Burra. With an area of , it is the eleventh largest of the Shetland Islands.-Geography:...
. He never released any recordings while he was alive, choosing to play his cover versions of American folk, country and western and rhythm and blues songs to close friends and family. He rarely even played live before paying audiences. During his lifetime he made a number of recordings on a reel to reel
Reel to Reel
* For the audio technology, see "Reel-to-reel audio tape recording"Reel to Reel is the debut album by Grand Puba. It was Puba's first solo venture, following group projects with the likes of the short lived group Masters of Ceremony and Brand Nubian. Both of the group’s albums were critically...
tape recorder, and family members circulated these as a keepsake of him after his death. After a few years, these tapes began to circulate to a wider audience (Shetland, whilst isolated, has numerous folk and blues festivals, and is well connected in terms of international musicians). In the late 1990s some of these tapes were eventually transferred to CD, originally, again, simply as a more permanent record of his songs, but the greatly increased number of CDs pressed meant that Fraser's audience again increased.
Finally in 2002, Nel Records put out a small pressing of Long Gone Lonesome Blues a selection of some of the original tapes. To their great surprise this turned out to be a commercial success, and soon Fraser had fans in Japan, Europe, and, not least, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who responded to Fraser as a 'genuine' country and western singer, as opposed to what some see as the over-sophisticated sound of contemporary Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Two more CDs followed (You & My Old Guitar (2003) and Treasure Untold (2005)), and a yearly Thomas Fraser memorial festival was begun in Shetland in 2002. Fraser's work is attracting increasing international attention, and there are plans for an American release of his best work. A fourth CD release of unreleased material 'That Far Away Land' was released in November 2008. The following month, BBC Scotland aired a 30 minute documentary on the life of Thomas Fraser entitled 'Shetland Lone Star'. A DVD featuring this programme and highlights of the annual Thomas Fraser Festival was released in October 2009. The National Theatre of Scotland also toured Scotland during October with a full theatrical production on the life of Thomas Fraser, entitled 'Long Gone Lonesome'. A fifth CD of unreleased material is due out in November 2010.