Arthur Argo | |
Birth Date: | 1935 |
Death Date: | 1981 |
Nationality: | Scottish |
Known For: | Traditional folk musician and collector |
Arthur Argo (1935–1981) was a Scottish traditional folk musician, promoter and collector[1] and the great grandson of Gavin Greig.
Argo came from a family with a rich traditional song heritage. Argo worked alongside Hamish Henderson collecting field recordings from the North East of Scotland[2] 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, 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'.[3] Many musicians such as Aly Bain,[4] Barbara Dickson, Jean Redpath and Billy Connolly cite Argo as a major influence and stepping stone in their early careers.[5] 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 and Bob Dylan.