Andy Stewart: Biography and Fact File
About Andy Stewart
Andy Stewart MBE was a Scottish singer and stage entertainer. He was also known as host of The White Heather Club, a BBC Scotland television variety show that showcased Scottish music and dance, in the 1960s. Stewart was also a popular recording artist releasing over 25 albums throughout his career. He gained widespread popularity with his novelty song “Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?” and a worldwide hit with “A Scottish Soldier“.
Born
30 December 1933
Glasgow, Scotland
Died
11 October 1993
Arbroath, Scotland
(Aged 59)
Nationality
Scottish
Family
Father: Andrew Stewart
Mother: Alice Stewart (nee Thomson)
Sister: Moira
Spouse: Sheila Stewart (nee Prentice)
Children (6): Tara, Andrew (Ewan), Debbie, Lynsey, Melanie, Magdalen
Education
- Drumoyne Primary School, Glasgow
- Craigie Primary School, Perth
- Perth Academy
- Arbroath High School
- Glasgow College of Dramatic Art
Awards
- Member of the Order of the British Empire – MBE (1976)
- Honorary Freeman of Angus (1987)
Andy Stewart’s Career Beginnings
After graduating from the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art, Andy Stewart began his professional career in 1954 performing in Variety theatres as a comedian and impressionist.
In 1956 he was master of ceremonies to the first ever packaged Rock ‘n’ Roll stage shows to tour Britain. His unique ability to combine traditional Scottish songs with Rock ‘n’ Roll impressions such as Little Richard and Elvis Presley would lead to his first and best remembered recording “Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?“
The White Heather Club
The White Heather Club was a BBC television series featuring the most popular “traditional” Scottish singers and dance bands of the day and featured a regular troupe of Scottish Country Dancers. The show was broadcast in Scotland from May 1958, then across the whole UK network from October 1961. 285 programmes were made in all, the last edition being broadcast in 1967.
To most viewers Andy Stewart was the most popular host and the “face” of The White Heather Club, hosting from 1959-1963. Although today the programme is regarded as tartan kitsch it was tremendously popular at its peak, pulling in 10 million viewers and it’s popularity played a large part in making Andy Stewart a household name in Britain.
The show’s signature song “Come In, Come In” was featured as part of the opening ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Andy Stewart – Touring and Stage Performing
Andy began touring the world in 1963, realising that the business for Scottish entertainers abroad was an extremely viable one. A pattern soon established itself of an almost constant round of touring. Andy could easily spend 30 weeks annually traveling worldwide with his stage shows.
In the summer of 1964, Andy broke box office records at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen, entertaining over 150,000 people, the highest attendances since the theatre’s opening. During this summer season, Andy also made a remarkable 7,000-mile round trip to New York for a single show at the World’s Fair, before an audience of 15,000, travelling back immediately, arriving back in Aberdeen for his next show.
BBC New Year (Hogmanay) Programmes
The production team behind The White Heather Club also produced the annual BBC TV Hogmanay programmes throughout the 1960s. The natural choice for host of these celebrations was of course Andy Stewart and so across the length and breadth of Britain the name of Andy Stewart became synonymous with welcoming in the New Year on TV screens.
A Scottish Soldier
Andy Stewart’s biggest hit single, “A Scottish Soldier“, was a song based on an old pipe-tune, “The Green Hills of Tyrol“, a tune he had first heard as a boy when the family visited Braemar Highland Games. The song had been growing in popularity following repeat performances on The White Heather Club – performances demanded by the sheer number of viewers requests to the BBC.
It was subsequently recorded at EMI’s Abbey Road studios in London in September 1960 and within a couple of weeks of release it became the number one best-selling record in Scotland. Although it only peaked at #19 on the UK charts, it spent 36 weeks in the Top 40, a run that lasted from January to September 1961, becoming the fourth top-ranked UK hit single of the year. Following this success, the single was released in most other western-speaking countries reaching the number one spot in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Andy Stewart became the first ever Scottish artiste to be awarded a silver disc for a record release. The silver disc, awarded for selling over 250,000 copies, was a significant achievement (and a remarkable feat for a Scottish artist at the time) and showcased the universal appeal and emotional depth of the song. But the success didn’t stop at silver. By 1963 “A Scottish Soldier” had achieved “gold” status and remained in print throughout the world during the sixties, selling steadily. Ten years after it was recorded it was still available to buy as a 7″ record and neared two million in total sales.
Notable Andy Stewart Stage Performances
- Royal Scottish Variety Performance 1958
(in attendance HM Queen) - Royal Variety Performance 1961
(in attendance HM Queen Mother) - Royal Variety Performance 1962
(in attendance HM Queen) - Glasgow Empire 1961 season
(sold-out twice-nightly for 26 weeks) - New York Worlds Fair 1964
(before an audience of 15,000) - CHAS Charity Concert, Edinburgh 1993
(his final appearance)
Andy Stewart Chart Stats
- Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?
UK #37 (1960), USA #77, Canada #1, Australia #6 (1961) - A Scottish Soldier
UK #19, USA #69, Canada #1, Australia #1, New Zealand #1 (1961) - The Battle’s O’er
UK #28, Canada #1, Australia #1 (1961) - Dr Finlay
UK #43 (1965) - Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?
UK #4 (1989)
Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?
In late 1989, Andy’s song from 1960 “Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?” experienced a resurgence in popularity among younger audiences after Radio 1 DJ Simon Mayo played it on his breakfast show. The song quickly gained traction, leading to its re-release as a Christmas novelty record by the UK division of the Swedish Sonet record label. It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart – his first chart hit since 1965.
The song, originally a fragmented traditional tune, was enhanced by Andy with additional lyrics and an Elvis Presley impression, which contributed to its success. The song’s catchy tune and witty lyrics have ensured its enduring popularity, not just in Scotland but around the world. Fifty years after it was recorded the song was ranked 17th in a poll of the UK’s favourite comic songs in 2009.
Andy Stewart’s Health Problems
Throughout most of Andy’s adult life he had suffered bouts of illness, events dating back almost to the start of his career, and the time spent touring around the world placed extra strain on his health as the years passed.
During the latter half of the 1970s Andy was in and out of hospital with recurring heart, stomach and kidney problems and had several major operations. Warned by doctors more than once to ease up on his workload he was habitually unable to rest, finding the temptation to perform hard to resist.
In 1986 Andy had a heart bypass operation and continuing ill health finally forced him into a period of retirement. However after a second heart bypass in 1991, Andy felt sufficiently well enough to make his return to showbusiness.
Read more about Andy’s Stewart’s Health Problems and Forced Retirement
Death and the Funeral of Andy Stewart
On Sunday the 10th October 1993 Andy appeared as top-of-the-bill in a charity concert at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh. The evening was a great success and Andy played to an audience of 1000. Back home in Arbroath the following afternoon, Andy took a sudden turn for the worse. Paramedics were called but Andy passed away at home; just two months short of what would have been his 60th birthday.
Andy Stewart’s funeral was held on Friday the 15th October 1993, 500 mourners filled the St. Andrews Church in Arbroath to capacity, as hundreds more citizens of Arbroath lined the streets paying their last respects.