Arthur Argo (1935–1981) was a Scottish traditional folk musician, promoter and collector and the great grandson of Gavin Greig. Argo came from a family with a rich traditional song heritage. Argo worked alongside

Hamish Henderson (James) Hamish Scott Henderson (11 November 1919 – 9 March 2002) was a Scotland, Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. Henderson was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk s ...

collecting field recordings from the North East of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and beyond. Argo, was a promoter of the work of Scottish folk artists and their music. After working as a journalist in the North East, from 1966 he worked for

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

, from 1973 as a producer with Radio Scotland. He produced the long-running radio series 'Fit Like Folk?', and 'The Reel Blend', a Scottish music series. He was the founder and president of the Aberdeen Folksong Club and published a series of folk song booklets in the 1960s called 'Chapbook'. Many musicians such as

Aly Bain Aly Bain MBE (born 15 May 1946) is a Scottish fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. The former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell called Bain a "Scottish icon." Career Bain was born in the town of Le ...

Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include " I Know Him So Well" (a chart-topping duet with Elaine Paige), " Answer Me" and " January February". Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK ...

Jean Redpath Jean Redpath MBE (28 April 1937 – 21 August 2014) was a Scottish folk singer. Career Jean Redpath was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots songs and passed them on to Jean and her brother, and her fath ...

and

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...

cite Argo as a major influence and stepping stone in their early careers. Argo visited the United States twice in the early 1960s and met many of the established and rising stars of the American folk scene including

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weav ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argo, Arthur 1935 births 1981 deaths Scottish musicologists Scottish folk musicians 20th-century Scottish poets Scottish male poets 20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Scottish musicians 20th-century British male writers 20th-century British writers 20th-century British musicologists 20th-century British folk musicians