Gerard Dott

Educated at Edinburgh’s George Heriots School and started on gtr in skiffle groups in late 1950s. Clt with school boy ‘Mound City JB’, then ‘Bill Salmond’s Louisiana Ragtime Band’ and ‘New Savoy JB’ before joining ‘Old Bailey and his Jazz Advocates’ in 1964. Later with ‘Pete Martin All Stars’, the ‘Summerhall Six’ and a short-lived version of the ‘Old Bailey’ band led by Kenny Ramage before joining ‘Charlie McNair’s JB’ with whom he remained for some years. Toured professionally with folk/rock ‘Incredible String Band’ 1972/73 before returning to Edinburgh and playing with ‘Carterbar’ folk group and ‘Granton Jass Works’. Later with the 1970s ‘Nova Scotia JB’ and quartet with Gus Ferguson (tpt), Graham Blamire (bs) and Johnnie Harper (gtr/bjo) before re-joining Charlie McNair. Following a break from playing in early 1980s, was with ‘Bob Craig’s JB’, later led by Al Fairweather after his return to Edinburgh, and band led by Jim Petrie. Inactive in jazz from about 1987 to 2006 when he was persuaded out of retirement to join the ‘Maid of the Forth Stompers’ playing on the cruise boat of that name on the Firth of Forth. (Blamire, 2020)