Obituary: John (Jack) Eaglesham 
singer, songwriter, concertina player.
1938-2014

John Eaglesham was at the heart of the of ‘The Clutha’ in the 1960’s and ‘70s and their blend of fiddles, voices and John’s concertina gave them the signature sound which made them the finest folk group in Scotland at that time. Within the group, John’s songs were a delight and he could sing a Ballad, a Bothy song or a comic music hall piece with equal skill and taste. There are a few good recordings of Clutha still available on Topic records.

John retired from The Mitchell Library in Glasgow to continue his great enthusiasms, playing and singing and being a ‘weekender’, travelling all over Scotland enjoying the outdoor life and the community of folk who camp and walk.

In the 1980’s John joined a group of like-minded musical friends in the group ‘Stramash’, performing and recording various themed shows, one of which, ’McGinn of The Calton’, was broadcast by STV and recorded on Greentrax Records.

He could put beautiful original tunes to Scots poetry (‘Last O’ The Tinkler’) and his own songs, often hilarious, such as ‘Inveroran’ were a highlight of Stramash shows at festivals and folk clubs.

His recent solo CD ‘Song of Passion’ was a fitting tribute to his generous engaging and skilful musical sensibility. It was chosen as ‘Album of The Week’ on Celtic Music Radio.

Copies of John’s CD can be ordered here

(All proceeds to PSPA)

Finlay Allison