Jump to content
aberdeen-music

Tell Me About Marc Ellington...


Guest DustyDeviada

Recommended Posts

Guest DustyDeviada

Just found out today that some guy called Marc Ellington who has worked with members of The Byrds and Fairport Convention is the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire!

Pretty cool.

I did a search on here but only found a couple of references from Alan Cynic about him, not much on the web either.

So tell me more!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know me, Dusty...probably repeating myself again!

He had a few albums out in the 70s, with Fairport folks backing him....sort of soft folk-rock. I've a couple of his albums, 'A question of roads' and ' Marc Time'. They're OK-ish.

He bought a castle up here (I think it was Towie Barclay, but I could be wrong), and opened studios there. I was told he had folk like Richard Thompson out there. Rumours abounded that he was matey with Dylan, and that Dylan was a regular visitor...might be true, might not. Rumours also abounded that it was Marc who started those rumours:laughing:

From a personal viewpoint I liked the TV series he did for Grampian in the 70s, also called 'Marc Time', which had people like Sandy Denny, Richard & Linda Thompson, Loudon Wainwright etc appearing. I managed to see afew of those being recorded. The only downside was some musician's union ruling that the artists had to be backed by Alex Sutherland and his jazzy pals, which spoiled a lot of the songs :) Marc himself was a genial host ,and it was a pleasant series.

He can often still be seen at folkish gigs in the Music Hall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest DustyDeviada

Ah, very interesting!

I used to play in the Alex Sutherland Band for a while, doing weddings and that sort of thing. But I think I didn't get asked back because I wasn't "jazz" enough. Bah dip bop dip bop a doo.

Good cash though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

Just thought I'd mention that, as a direct result of this thread, one of the songs which I recorded from the 'Marc Time' show is being included in the forthcoming Sandy Denny box-set! :up:

Seems no video footage, or even audio recordings still existed, apart from mine. Wish I'd used a better quality cassette though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just thought I'd mention that, as a direct result of this thread, one of the songs which I recorded from the 'Marc Time' show is being included in the forthcoming Sandy Denny box-set! :up:

Seems no video footage, or even audio recordings still existed, apart from mine. Wish I'd used a better quality cassette though!

Wow, so somebody putting together the set found this thread? I'm pleased to finally have contributed something worthwhile to humanity. Don't suppose you made a cine film of that BBC drama from the 60s starring Bob Dylan that they destroyed did you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's exactly what happened.....they contacted me to see what I had on tape, then checked with STV and Marc Ellington.

Sadly I was too wee for that Dylan one......wish they'd repeat the documentary about that which was on a few years ago, as a snippet of the 'Seven swans' (I think it was) song was aired.

Anyway...thanks go to you for starting this thread up!!! Apparently I'll get a name-check on the boxset.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A name check? You should be getting a complimentary copy IMO, especially at 150 notes.

Kris Kristoffersson gave Fred Foster a writing credit (and therefore half the roayalties) on Me and Bobby McGee. Foster had no hand in writing it but had suggested that KK write a song about someone called Bobby McKee. By that rationale, I should get a namecheck on the set too as the track wouldn't be there if I hadn't been bored at work one afternoon three years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

To bring the Sandy Denny boxset story to a conclusion....having been told I'd get a namecheck I raided my pension money (leaving me somehat hard-up) to get the set...and, sad to say, not a mention, despite the 2 songs I copied being included (and it's my recordings..I can tell by a wee bit of bleedthrough on my cheap cassette). Also..the boxset says the 2 songs are from a Granada show, instead of Grampian. Even worse...poor Marc Ellington gets nary a mention either, despite the songs coming from his show, and his voice being heard introducing them!

Still...the music is lovely though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To bring the Sandy Denny boxset story to a conclusion....having been told I'd get a namecheck I raided my pension money (leaving me somehat hard-up) to get the set...and, sad to say, not a mention, despite the 2 songs I copied being included (and it's my recordings..I can tell by a wee bit of bleedthrough on my cheap cassette). Also..the boxset says the 2 songs are from a Granada show, instead of Grampian. Even worse...poor Marc Ellington gets nary a mention either, despite the songs coming from his show, and his voice being heard introducing them!

Still...the music is lovely though.

apparantly there's a brilliant track with a Sandy Denny duet with Robert Plant kicking about but Mr Plant didn't give permission for it to be used on the new box set.

I'll stick to my beautiful 4LP box set

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...
  • 10 months later...

I've always believed that this Marc Ellington is the same guy who - in 1966 - played the Cafe Espresso in Portland, Oregon, U.S. for a few months. He had short hair then, but the pictures on his albums really do look a lot like the guy I saw play 15 or 20 times. He had a strong baritone voice that matches up to what I've heard on record I got to talk to him between sets a few times...he didn't seem to have a Scottish accent even when talking back then. Marc left town soon after, with a girl-friend from my high-school named Karen. Rumor had it around the local scene that he had bought a castle in Scotland. 

So it all seems to match up, right? And here's a fact that might clinch things...he played guitar left-handed. If anybody has seen him play, could you confirm or deny this?

And...if this is true...this may explain how few details he puts in his official biography....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
On 09/09/2016 at 7:54 PM, Pinotarian said:

I've always believed that this Marc Ellington is the same guy who - in 1966 - played the Cafe Espresso in Portland, Oregon, U.S. for a few months. He had short hair then, but the pictures on his albums really do look a lot like the guy I saw play 15 or 20 times. He had a strong baritone voice that matches up to what I've heard on record I got to talk to him between sets a few times...he didn't seem to have a Scottish accent even when talking back then. Marc left town soon after, with a girl-friend from my high-school named Karen. Rumor had it around the local scene that he had bought a castle in Scotland. 

So it all seems to match up, right? And here's a fact that might clinch things...he played guitar left-handed. If anybody has seen him play, could you confirm or deny this?

And...if this is true...this may explain how few details he puts in his official biography....

It is indeed the same guy!  I just ran into him and had a long chat with him and his wife Karen at Crovie on the northeast coast of Scotland.  He said he put out 6 albums with Island Records and Fairport Convention were his backing band . I'd never heard of him before  but he is a very nice guy - currently writing a book about smuggling on the coasts of historic Scotland  ..

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...