THE HAPPY HIGHLANDER’S RECORDS Episode 10 - 160,000 records... Why?? My story and a brief view of the collection.
- thehappyhighlander
- May 1
- 8 min read
Updated: May 3
You can watch the video episode here
(full of bonus images and slides with information in text form):
Or you can listen to the Audio Podcast here:
THE HAPPY HIGHLANDER’S RECORDS
Episode 10
160,000 records... Why?? My story and a brief view of the collection.
Fit like a’body. I hope you are all hale and hearty and most importantly, happy. So hello and welcome, friends, to The Happy Highlander’s Records — the programme where we combine storytelling with historic recordings at 78rpm.
I’m your host, and today’s broadcast is something very special. This is my tenth broadcast and to celebrate reaching double figures of episodes this is both a celebration of sound and a journey through time.
But before I move on to outline what is in store today, just a word about the greeting I have used ten times now at the start of my episodes – Fit like a’body. I come from Aberdeen on the north east coast of Scotland and this is a common, friendly greeting – “Fit like” means “Hey, how are you”; sometimes there is a longer greeting “Fit like are ye the’ day” (How are you today) and a’body basically means everybody. So I am simply asking everybody listening, how you are.
This is a language dialect called Doric which is common in Aberdeen and surrounding areas. It is claimed that Scotland has three languages spoken: English, the Scots Language and Scottish Gaelic and Doric has been dubbed Scotland’s “little known fourth language”. I will do a broadcast at a later stage, with old shellac records in The Doric.
This channel began from a simple passion: a love of the music, voices, and stories captured on old 78rpm shellac records. Over the past 40 years, I’ve built a collection that has grown—some might say slightly out of hand—to around 160,000 records. Each one has its own story, its own history, and in many cases, its own unique sound that you simply don’t hear anymore.
These records weren’t just music—they were moments. Played in living rooms, dance halls, and gramophones across the country, they brought entertainment, comfort, and joy to people long before the digital age.
In today’s episode, we’ll be exploring four sides of classic 78rpm records, all with a Highland or Scottish flavour. We will also hear brief snippets from the very first shellac records I bought back in 1984. I’ll share a few stories about my collecting journey and some interesting facts about each record, and of course, we’ll listen to the records themselves—just as they were meant to be heard, on wind-up gramophone record players.
And for this episode, we are going to use what they called a picnic gramophone. Small, just like little cases, they opened up, and in this case, which is an Edison Bell one, the tone arm pops up from inside the box. And you fold down the front, to provide the horn and the sound. Inside, is tucked away the handle which then got screwed in here.
Once you had finished your entertainment and your picnic, push that down and close the lid. The handle of course would have gone in. And you can go back to your home. No electricity, but pure, 100% entertainment.
So, let’s wind up your imagination, you settle in, and let’s begin.
Our first record takes us right back to the early 1920s, a time when recorded sound was still a marvel to many. This is ‘Hurrah for the Highlands’ by Alexander MacGregor, released on the His Master’s Voice label—one of the most iconic record labels in history, instantly recognisable by the image of the dog listening to the gramophone.
In my opinion, there is nowhere in the world that can beat the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. I now have my base here, but my collecting of 78rpm shellac records and gramophones started back in 1984 in mainland Aberdeenshire.
Whilst this next record is playing I will put up some images and text about my early days of collecting. If you are listening to the audio podcast version of this episode, then you can read the story via the “About” button on my website, TheHappyHighlandersRecords.com
Now back to Alexander MacGregor – he was known for capturing the spirit of Scottish music in a way that felt both proud and accessible. Recordings from this era were made acoustically—meaning no microphones, no electronics—just performers playing directly into a recording horn.
That gives these records their wonderfully raw and immediate sound… and also meant performers had to be very energetic to be heard clearly!
So here we are—just over a century later—still able to enjoy it.
Let’s have a listen to ‘Hurrah for the Highlands’.
If you are watching the video broadcast, you will have seen photographs of my very first 78s purchases during that last record. For those listening to the audio podcast, then I can tell you that those records were two albums of records, each containing six 12 inch, double-sided records; and one was of the Mikado opera and the other was of The Gondoliers, both by Gilbert and Sullivan on the HMV label, recorded in 1918.
As I mentioned earlier, you can read more on this and my stories and my links to these records, via the About button on the website Home Page main menu. Now I am going to play just a few extracts from those precious and sentimental Mikado records.
Next, we have a true legend of Scottish entertainment—Sir Harry Lauder.
This is ‘The Waggle o’ the Kilt,’ recorded in 1928 on the Zonophone label.
Lauder wasn’t just a singer—he was an international star, a music hall comedian, and one of the first British performers to achieve worldwide fame. At one point, he was reportedly the highest-paid entertainer in the world.
His performances were full of humour, personality, and a strong sense of Scottish identity. Songs like this one often played on character, costume, and a bit of cheeky charm.
Interestingly, by 1928, recording technology had begun shifting from acoustic to electrical methods—so you may notice a fuller, clearer sound compared to earlier recordings.
You will see that I too wear a kilt in all episodes. You might have gathered that I am proudly Scottish, and the kilt of course is a strong image from Scotland and touches deep on our heritage and national identity. Whilst this record is playing I will share some images of my record collection and you will get a sense of the scale, and just a tiny insight into the nature of what is in the collection.
I moved into this room because behind me are some of the records that are quite unique records, including for instance, signed box collections by King George V, given to Ramsay MacDonald, the Prime Minister, and a whole range of autographed records by well over 200 artists, and a whole plethora of very interesting spoken word records by personalities from the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s.
So , lets listen to the record with a bit of humour and Highland flair, here’s Sir Harry Lauder with ‘The Waggle o’ the Kilt.’
Before we move to our third record, here is a short video of two of the insulated containers that I have, containing only around 40,000 records between them.
Our third selection brings us into the 1930s—the golden age of dance bands. This is ‘Misty Islands of the Highlands’ by Roy Fox and his Band, recorded in 1935 on the Decca label, with a vocal chorus by Master Bobby Joy.
Roy Fox was known as ‘The Whispering Pianist,’ and his band was one of the most popular British dance bands of the era. His style was smoother and more refined than some of his contemporaries, which made his recordings particularly appealing for radio and home listening. The addition of a vocal chorus—especially by a young performer like Master Bobby Joy—was quite fashionable at the time, adding a sentimental and accessible touch to the music.
By the mid-1930s, recording quality had improved significantly, and records like this give us a much richer listening experience.
During this record I will show some video and images that I have taken from my island base. So let’s drift away for a moment to the ‘Misty Islands of the Highlands.’
And finally, we move into the post-war era with a recording from December 1950. This is ‘Ferry Boat Inn’ by the Tanner Sisters and the Hedley Ward Trio, released on the His Master’s Voice label.
But why “the ferry boat inn” record? Well, my home has served various roles over the centuries. It has been a farm house, it has been a post office, it has been an Inn (and then a Temperance Hotel after it lost its licence to sell alcohol) and yes, it has also been the ferry boat masters house, with the passenger ferry going to and from the mainland from a jetty just outside my home.
In the days before telephones, etc those on the mainland had to raise a flag to summon the ferryman across. The more modern ferry is now based on the mainland and I can happily call my home a home – but it was once the Ferry Boat Inn.
By the time this was recorded, the world of music was changing rapidly—vinyl records were beginning to replace shellac, and new styles of music were emerging. But traditional and nostalgic songs like this remained very popular.
The Tanner Sisters were known for their close harmonies, and when combined with the Hedley Ward Trio, the result is a warm, polished sound that feels both comforting and timeless. Interestingly, 78rpm records were still widely produced in 1950, even as newer formats were starting to take over, like vinyl —so this record sits right at the crossroads of old and new. A fitting way to round off our journey. Here is “Ferry Boat Inn”
And so we come to the end of today’s journey through The Happy Highlander’s Records - several sides of shellac, spanning nearly forty years of music, memory, and Highland spirit. From the proud, acoustic energy of the 1910s… through the warmth and humour of the music hall… into the elegance of the dance band era… and finally to the comforting harmonies of post-war Britain - each record has carried with it not just a tune, but a feeling. These have been the soundtrack to my collecting story.
And that’s the magic of these old 78s. They’re more than recordings - they’re echoes of real moments in time. Laughter in a crowded hall, a quiet evening by the fire, a song that reminded someone of home.
And perhaps that’s why they still matter today. Because happiness - real happiness - is often found in the simplest of things: a familiar melody, a well-worn record, and a few minutes just to simply listen.
As the great Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson once said: ‘Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing.’ These records have been doing just that for over a century—and long may they continue.
This edition was recorded on an island off the West coast of Scotland where my collection of some 160,000 old shellac records is lovingly kept – to preserve, record and share these sounds from the past at 78rpm. You can listen to more episodes via my website TheHappyHighlandersRecords.com and you can also listen to recordings of each individual record via my YouTube Channel, Scottish Island Records.
Thank you for joining me on this episode of The Happy Highlander’s Records. From the early acoustic recordings of the 1910s to the richer sounds of the 1950s in this episode, these records remind us just how much history can be captured in a few minutes of music. And with 160,000 records on the shelves, there are plenty more stories still to tell.
Until next time, keep the music spinning… and keep a little Highland happiness in your heart.
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