Andrew Stewart MBE (30 December 1933 – 11 October 1993) was a Scottish singer and entertainer. He presented the

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...

variety show '' The White Heather Club'' throughout the 1960s, and his song "

Donald Where's Your Troosers? "Donald Where's Your Troosers?" is a comic song about a Scotsman who wears a kilt rather than trousers. It was written by Andy Stewart with music by Neil Grant. When performed by Andy Stewart and the White Heather Group, it was a hit in 1960, rea ...

" was a hit in both 1960 and 1989. Internationally, the song most closely associated with Stewart is "

A Scottish Soldier "A Scottish Soldier" is a song written by Andy Stewart using the tune of "The Green Hills of Tyrol", which was transcribed by John MacLeod during the Crimean War from "La Tua Danza Sì Leggiera", a chorus part in the third act of Gioachino Rossini' ...

Early life and education

Stewart was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

, Scotland in 1933, the son of a teacher. When he was five years old, the family moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

and then, six years later, to

Arbroath Arbroath () or Aberbrothock ( gd, Obar Bhrothaig ) is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus, Scotland, with a population of 23,902. It lies on the North Sea coast some ENE of Dundee and SSW of Aberdeen. Th ...

. Even in early childhood, he loved imitating people and amazed his parents with impersonations of famous singers and actors. He attended Arbroath High School, where his father taught science. In 1950, at the age of 16, he participated in the Arbroath Abbey Pageant, taking the part of "A Knight in Shining Armour". Up until this time, he had not thought seriously about a career in entertainment, as he had aspirations of becoming a veterinary surgeon. He then decided to train as an actor at the

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland ( gd, Conservatoire Rìoghail na h-Alba), formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama ( gd, Acadamaidh Rìoghail Ciùil is Dràma na h-Alba) is a conservatoire of dance, drama, music, production, and ...

in Glasgow, where he studied until 1954. During his first year at the college, he obtained First Prize for Comedy; he also excelled in fencing, particularly at the foil.

Career

Stewart's patriotic wearing of

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

and his use of

stereotypical In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

Scottish humour throughout the 1960s, echoed the

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

style and songs of fellow Scot

Sir Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

. Stewart himself attributed his "breakthrough" onto the international stage to the success of his "

" recording, which became a no. 1 hit in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, spent 40 weeks in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

(1961), reached no. 69 on the US

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...

and also achieved hit status in South Africa and India. His other international hit singles included "Come in-Come in", "

", "

Campbeltown Loch Campbeltown Loch ( Scottish Gaelic: Loch Chille Chiarain) is a small sea loch near the south of the Kintyre Peninsula facing eastwards towards the Firth of Clyde. The town of Campbeltown, from which it takes its name, is located at its head ...

", "The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre", "

The Road to Dundee "The Road to Dundee", or "The Road and the Miles to Dundee" (Roud 2300) is a traditional Scottish folk ballad. Synopsis On a cold windy night a woman asks a man the way to Dundee. He replies that it is difficult to describe, but he will accompany h ...

", "The Battle's O'er" (No. 1 on the Australian charts in July 1961), "Take Me Back", "Tunes of Glory", and "

Dr. Finlay Dr Finlay is a fictional character, the hero of a series of stories by Scottish author A. J. Cronin. Short stories The character Dr Finlay first appeared in Cronin's novella ''Country Doctor'' and in several subsequent short stories published in ...

" (1965). He is also remembered for being the compere of '' The White Heather Club''. This was a

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Irela ...

television programme that existed as an annual New Year's Eve party (1957–1968), and also as a weekly early-evening series (1960–1968). At the height of its popularity, the show had a viewership of 10 million. "Donald Where's Your Troosers?" was a hit in late 1960 and again when reissued in 1989. Stewart is said to have written the song in 10 minutes as he sat, minus trousers, in the lavatory of a recording studio. Stewart included an

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

impersonation An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...

halfway through the song. On the strength of this comedy hit, Stewart toured Australia and appeared on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in Septembe ...

'' in 1968, doing impersonations of

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

. His skill with different accents is also evident on "The Rumour", where the rumour moves across Scotland and into Ireland, with Stewart speaking in a different accent for each place. Stewart's stage shows often included his impersonations of other famous singers, including

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

, Dean Martin,

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and bl ...

, Elvis Presley,

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

. His albums, such as ''Scottish Soldier'', ''The Best of Andy Stewart'' and ''Andy Stewart's Scotland'', were also popular internationally. In 1973 he recorded a "live" album in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

, South Africa, entitled ''Andy Stewart in South Africa – White Heather Concert'', which also featured accordionist Jimmy Blue, singers Alexander Morrison and Anna Desti and pianist Mark Simpson. His international appeal was well-illustrated by his appearance at the World Fair, New York in 1964, attended by many thousands of people. From the early 1960s to the mid-1980s, he frequently and successfully toured Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand. He appeared in concert throughout South Africa in 1968, 1971 and 1973. He also performed in Rhodesia (now

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

) as well as in Singapore and Hong Kong. Coming out of retirement in 1991, he began tours at home and abroad once again. A prolific lyricist, he penned words to many traditional Scottish tunes, e.g. "Green Hills of Tyrol" (which he called "A Scottish Soldier"), "The Black Bear" ("Tunes of Glory"), and "The Battle is Over" ("The Battle's O'er"). He wrote his first lyric at the age of 14 (to a tune composed by his father) and called the song "My Hameland", which in 1969 (21 years later) became the title track of one of his albums. Stewart took part in the 1961, 1962 and 1978

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

s and also appeared for the Royal Family at a Christmas party at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

. ''Scotch Corner'', a Scottish television series (1972–1976) featured Andy Stewart and various guest singers and musicians. Some of the artists included in these broadcasts accompanied Stewart on his international White Heather concert tours during the 1970s. ''Andy's Party'' was another popular TV series on

Grampian Television Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and now named STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands (except Fort William a ...

in the late 1970s. He was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' in 1975 when he was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

. From 1973 onward, recurrent ill-health took its toll on his voice and stage vitality. Frequently hospitalised in the 1970s and 1980s, he underwent several heart and stomach operations, including triple heart bypass surgery in 1976 and again in 1991.

Retirement and death

In retirement, he moved back to Arbroath. "Donald Where's Your Troosers" was a surprise hit when reissued in late 1989. Marketed as a

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...

ideal for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

parties, it was actively promoted by

BBC Radio One BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Simon Mayo Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo (born 21 September 1958) is an English radio presenter and author who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 until 2022. Mayo has presented across three BBC stations for extended periods. From 1986 to 2001 he worked for Radio ...

and reached number 4 on the

. In response, Stewart provided a

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

for Mayo, "Simon, where's your troosers?". Coming out of retirement in 1991, he began touring once again and recorded two CDs on the Scotdisc label. In 1993 a summer season at the Capitol Moat House Hotel in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

was cut short because of a back injury. A further long season for the following year was planned at the same venue. Shortly before he died in 1993, he gave a small concert at Arbroath High School for the pupils. He was also due to appear in The "Pride of the Clyde" at Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre and other tours and concerts were planned. A

sheltered housing Sheltered housing is a term covering a wide range of rented housing for older and/or disabled or other vulnerable people. In the United Kingdom most commonly it refers to grouped housing such as a block or "scheme" of flats or bungalows with a s ...

scheme in Arbroath, 'Andy Stewart Court', was named in his memory. Stewart died the day after a performance at a Gala Benefit Concert for

Children's Hospice Association Scotland Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS), formally known as Children's Hospice Association Scotland, is a registered charity that provides the country's only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions. The ...

(CHAS) at Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Stewart suffered a fatal heart attack at his home. Stewart's funeral took place at St Andrew's Church (

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

) in Arbroath on Friday 15 October. His family were joined by many stars and friends from the entertainment world. A large crowd gathered outside the church to pay their respects to "The Tartan Trooper", while a piper played "A Scottish Soldier" and "The Battle's O'er".

Awards and family

Stewart was awarded an MBE in 1976. He received the Freedom of Angus in 1987. His son

Ewan Stewart Andrew Ewan Stewart (born 26 August 1957) is a Scottish film, television and stage actor. Early life Stewart was born in Glasgow, and is the son of the late Scottish entertainer Andy Stewart. His mother Sheila lives in Arbroath, Scotland. St ...

is an actor, whose film and television credits include '' Rob Roy'', ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

'', '' Valhalla Rising'', ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas ...

'' and ''

River City ''River City'' is a Scottish television soap opera that was first broadcast on BBC One Scotland on 24 September 2002. ''River City'' follows the lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch. In November 2017, a s ...

''. Stewart's grandson Harris Beattie played the title role of

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the film is about a working-class boy w ...

in the eponymous West End production. In 2017 Harris won the prestigious

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

Gold medal at the Genée International Ballet Competition and currently is a dancer with

Northern Ballet Northern Ballet, formerly Northern Ballet Theatre, is a dance company based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with a strong repertoire in theatrical dance productions where the emphasis is on story telling as well as classical ballet. The compa ...

based in Leeds. Another grandson, Alistair Beattie, toured internationally as a dancer in Matthew Bourne's, ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'' (2018-2020).

Discography

Albums

*''A Scottish Soldier'' (1961) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart'' (1961) (EMI) *''Andy Sings Songs of Scotland'' (1963) (EMI) *''Andy the Rhymer'' Comedy Verse (1963) (EMI) *''Tunes of Glory'' (date unknown) (EMI) *''I'm Off To Bonnie Scotland'' (1966)) (EMI) *''Campbeltown Loch'' (1965) (EMI) *''The Best of Andy Stewart'' (1967) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart and his Friends of The White Heather Club'' (1967) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart on Stage'' Live from Canada (August 1967) (EMI) *''I Love To Wear The Kilt'' (1969) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart Sings Harry Lauder'' (1969) (EMI) *''My Hameland'' (1970) (EMI Music for Pleasure) *''Here's Tae You!'' (1971) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart Invites You to Scotch Corner'' (based on the television series) (1973) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart in South Africa – White Heather Concert'' (1973) (EMI) *''The Very Best of Andy Stewart'' (compilation) (1975) (EMI) *''Brand New From Andy'' (with Jimmy Blue and his Band) (1975) (PYE) *''Country Boy'' (with Anne Williamson)(1976) *''Andy's Hogmanay Party'' Live Album (1977) (PYE) *''Andy Stewart's Greatest Hits'' (with Jimmy Blue and his Band) (1977) (PYE) *''Scotland is Andy Stewart'' (1978) (EMERALD) *''Sing A Song of Scotland'' Double Album (1979) (Warwick Records) *''For Auld Lang Syne'' (1980) (EMERALD) *''Come In, Come In'' (1983) (LISMOR) *''Back to the Bothy'' (1987) (LISMOR) *''Andy Stewart's Scotland'' (1992) (Scotdisc) *''Andy's Party'' Live Album Recorded in the Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen (1993) (Scotdisc) *''20 Scottish Favourites'' (compilation) (1993/re-issue: 2001) (EMI) *''Andy Stewart, Forever In Song'' (Compilation) *''My Homeland'' (70's and 80's compilation) *''Andy Stewart Scottish Songs'' (2010) (Compilation of early material) (Pickwick Group Ltd) *''The Scottish Soldier'' (2012) ( Compilation of less well known early material) (Pickwick Group Ltd)

Singles

" (1960 UK; 1961 US) *"

" (1961) (EMI Top Rank) *"Campbeltown Loch" *"The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre" *"The Road to Dundee" *"The Battle's O'er" *"I've Never Kissed A Bonnie Lass Before" *"Soldier Boy (The Sunset Call)" *"Barren Rocks of Aden" *"Take Me Back" *"Tunes of Glory" *"Dr. Finlay" (1965) *" The Gallant Forty-Twa" (1968) *"Rainbows Are Back in Style" (1969) *"Farewell My Love" (1972) *"Song of Freedom" (1975) *"The Green Crystal Bag" (1976) *"Mcginty's Meal and Ale" (1986) *"The Muckin' O' Geordie's Byre" (re-issue, 1986) *"Donald Where's Your Troosers?" (re-issue, 1989) *"Donald Where's Your Troosers?" (re-re-issue, 2018)

Four track EPs

*''Andy Sings'' (1960) *''Andy Sings'' (1961) *''Andy's Hits'' *''Heather Bells'' (1965)

DVDs

*''Andy Stewart's Scotland'' (1992) *''Andy's Party'' (1993) *''Andy Stewart and the Scots Dragoon Guards''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Andy 1933 births 1993 deaths Musicians from Glasgow Alumni of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Scottish entertainers 20th-century Scottish male singers People from Arbroath British comedy musicians British novelty song performers Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century British comedians