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Once upon a time, on the wind-swept Shetland island of Burra, off mainland Scotland, a local fisherman named Thomas Fraser listening to American Forces radio in the 1940s was exposed to and fell in love with American oldtime country music, in particular Jimmie Rodgers and his yodeling....
Soon he was heard yodeling Jimmie Rodgers' songs on his fishing boat, his voice even audible above the noise of the motor. With the advent of electricity on the Shetlands in 1953, Thomas Fraser acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder and taped himself, often fulfilling relatives' or friends' requests and mailing these tapes to them. He died in 1978 after spending his whole life on Burra, without ever having performed (except for family functions) in public. Subsequently his grandson came across his grandfather's tapes and was struck by the sheer beauty of the performances. A first CD made from these tapes met with critical acclaim and rave reviews and was followed by more. Word got as far as Nashville and Thomas Fraser was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Soon he was heard yodeling Jimmie Rodgers' songs on his fishing boat, his voice even audible above the noise of the motor. With the advent of electricity on the Shetlands in 1953, Thomas Fraser acquired a reel-to-reel tape recorder and taped himself, often fulfilling relatives' or friends' requests and mailing these tapes to them. He died in 1978 after spending his whole life on Burra, without ever having performed (except for family functions) in public. Subsequently his grandson came across his grandfather's tapes and was struck by the sheer beauty of the performances. A first CD made from these tapes met with critical acclaim and rave reviews and was followed by more. Word got as far as Nashville and Thomas Fraser was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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Cached: Sun, 28 Apr 2024 19:27:57 EDT