Interview of Willie McErlean

Willie McErlean April 25 2012 Born: William James Farrell McErlean on Sept 11, 1931 in Glasgow, Scotland. He grew up in a tenement with his two sisters (one living in Portland, Oregon at time of interview). All of his siblings were born in the same bed in the tenement. He shared a bed with his Dad while his Mom shared with his older sister Dot. The beds recessed into the walls. It was 3 stories high, and the bathroom was shared in the hallway on each floor. There was no heat in the bathrooms. The area where the tenement was located has changed now. Father: Andrew Arthur Augustus McErlean. Born in Belfast, Ireland around in the late 1800s. 89 when he passed. William never knew his father was Irish and didn't ask much about his family. His father changed the pronunciation of the last name. Mother: Born Mary Elliot. Two brothers and two sisters. Her parents (Will's grandparents) lived upstairs from them in the tenement building. Maternal Grandfather: Thomas Farrell. William attended primary school at Grove Street School in Glasgow. He attended a high school on St. George's Road, and then it was "get a job or go in the Army". His dad took him to the unemployment exchange at age 15, and he took the first job – in a stationary office called William Love & Sons. He continued to work there until he moved to America. Willie started on the drums in the Boy's Brigade at age 12, it was something he'd always enjoyed. He stayed until age 17, when he went back and taught drumming. The Boy's Brigade would have a band of nine boys with an older Pipe Major. He was also in the HLI Cadets & Pipe Band. He also played in the Highlander Pipe Band, but none of these bands were competitive. A man named Stuart taught him drums in Boy's Brigade. James Thompson was his first drum instructor, who taught him the basics, step-by-step. William feels drummers may be rushed in nowadays. His biggest influences were Willie Patterson of the Clan MacCrae Society, and Irish drummer Patty Donovan. The Irish have a "jazzy" feeling to their drumming which William feels has influenced drumming today. John Wally of the Glasgow Police Pipe Band was another influence, Will never tried to model himself after anyone and tried his own style. Willie was Lead Tip with the Cadet Pipe Band around age 14. He was once in 3 bands at 1 time. He first came to America joining his sister in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Scottish Pipe Band paid his way to go to Edmonton, and he hated it. A man named Chester McNeil asked him to take over a drum group. He gathered two other drummers, and entered a competition as a drum corps called the Portland Scottish Band, as a B class. He has dabbled in side and tenor drum. He worked for another stationary company in Portland, until the Korean War broke out. He was drafted despite only being a permanent resident at the time. He was shipped to Camp Roberts, where it was 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. He wasn't able to drum while in the Army. He served for 2 years. He wrote to the commanding officer of a brass band in San Francisco in 1964. After the Army, he taught drums for the San Francisco Police Pipe Band. He worked for the police as a civilian employee. He was assigned to take reports and give out tickets in "Black neighbourhoods" – he wore a uniform, though different from an officer. He met his wife Theresa at Santa Rosa, where he was playing with the San Francisco Pipe Band. She played with the Vancouver Ladies' Pipe Band. Her family was unsure of him at first as he was older. Donald Ramsey was the Pipe Major of the San Francisco Pipe Band. The band had 8 pipes, 3 sides, 2 tenors, and a bass drum. He was the best pipe major in Willie's opinion – "always a gentleman". Johnny Patterson was the lead drummer when Willie joined. Willie played with them for 4 years, before moving to Canada with Therese. In Vancouver, he worked at another stationary supply stores, until he got another job through fellow drummer Davie Bruce. He drummed for the Vancouver Ladies for a time. Angus MacPherson asked Willie to take over the ANAVETS (Army/Navy) Pipe Band, based out of Kingsway in Vancouver. They went to the Worlds twice – in 1978 and 1979. They won the '79 World Drumming Championships in Nottingham. Jimmy Troy was there with the City of Victoria Pipe Band. Willie feels this was one of their best performances, although they usually placed in the top 3. Willie would recommend a new drummer get a good teacher with a good reputation, and then get to know the music. His favourite tunes included "Highland Wedding", "Donald Cameron", and "Loyal Highlanders". He wasn't allowed to choose the music he played as lead tip. He likes the Knightly drum, as it has a sharp sound. The type of drum a player used never impacted his judgement of them. He feels that Simon Fraser's Pipe Band is disciplined and only takes on the best players. It attracts great players from all over the world. Growing up, William's mother was the disciplinarian. She was a good housewife, and what they call a "French polisher"- she would polish tables until they gleamed, with a method from WWI used to shine the wings of planes. She would take odd jobs refinishing tables. None of his family members spoke Gaelic. His feelings of "Scottishness" have always been pronounced, as he never took much from his Irish roots, though he respects them. Politics and religion were not major topics in his family. His father was Catholic and his mother was Protestant, and Willie was raised Protestant. There was a Catholic and a Protestant school in his area, and kids went to one or the other. His favourite relative growing up was his Uncle Willie (his namesake), he lived in Springburn (in Glasgow) and had a toilet inside his apartment, which Willie thought was posh – he asked his mother, "Are they rich?" Coming to America, he travelled by airplane, and landed in New York. He got on the train to Portland, which took about 5 days. A sergeant from the US Army was getting off in Salt Lake, and looked out for him along the way. He arrived in Portland with a big bulky jacket in September, and was dressed too warmly for the season. He never experienced any discrimination in the US or Canada. In Vancouver, Willie worked shipping & receiving for Barber Ellis (stationary), a job he got through Davie Bruce. Willie has judged several drumming competitions in the past. Looking back on his life, he wishes he had more education, but it wasn't an option due to money. He doesn't have any opinions on the politics back in Scotland (such as the 2012 referendum for independence). His wife Theresa points out that jazz drumming has been a huge influence in Willie's life. He grew up in the "big band" era, and would go to dances and watch the drummers. He admired people like Buddy Rich. He studied with a man named Joel Allen in San Francisco. Willie played with a jazz band at the Fairmont Hotel, where they brought in performers like Tony Bennett. He got to know many great drummers, such as Shelly Manne. One of his most memorable experiences was at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. He played with greats like David Van Kriedt, there were lots of quality local musicians in the area. Played for Danny Kaye, who was always very nice. Even met stars like Joel McCrea, Jimmy Stewart, Phil Harris and Art Linkletter. Willie didn't play as much jazz in Vancouver. Andy White, a good friend of Willie's, was another great jazz drummer. Willie has always tried to make his drumming "swing" the band, whether a pipe band or jazz band. He always enjoyed piano, and wishes he had taken it up. Billy Gladstone was one of the best symphony drummers in his opinion. He describes the difference in sound between drums, like rope drums, snares, etc. Willie was honoured with a salute by the Simon Fraser Drum Corps at the SFU Pipe Band concert at the Vogue Theatre.