Young Musicians Fundraiser - celebrating the life of Hamish Imlach

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Young Musicians Fundraiser – celebrating the life of Hamish Imlach

Saturday 5 September, 2026, 4 p.m.

Event by The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall 113-117 Trongate, G1 5HD

“Hi, we are Vhari, Jim, Fiona and Mairead, Hamish Imlach was our dad. Sadly it has been 30 years since Hamish left this mortal world and to commemorate we are starting a charity in memory of our dad to help young people but in particular musicians. This was the ethos by which Hamish lived his life, to help others where he could.”

“Hamish was a big part of the folk revival in the 1960’s. He was a very kind hearted and generous man who not only gave his time freely, he literately gave the coat of his back to someone in need. He influenced, mentored, advised and took on the road many musicians including John Martyn, Billy Connolly, Christy Moore, Barbara Dickson, Eddi Reader and many more.”

“Our first ‘Gig for Hamish’ will take place on Saturday 5th September at the Panopticon on Trongate, Glasgow. Doors will open at 4pm and music will start at 5pm. We have a number of local musicians who will perform a few songs each. The MC is Phil Shackleton who was took under the wing of Hamish when he was 16 years old. He was a solo entertainer but also toured with Hamish for over 20 years and became part of the Imlach family. Phil will regale the audience with stories of their antics together whilst they were together.”

“We are hoping to raise as much money as we can for the charity and will make the ‘Gig for Hamish’ an annual event. We have 60 tickets for the event and if you would like to own one of the tickets all you have to do is donate £10 or over. The first 60 people to donate this amount will be allocated a ticket. We will contact you to give you a code to validate the ticket on the night.”

“With so many young musicians listening to Hamish’s music we thought it was about time we did something in his memory to help them with their aspirations.”

“Thank you”

Tickets

Quotes from some musicians:

John Martyn – “If it hadn’t been for Hamish and his encouragement and patience with younger musicians, there would be far fewer musicians about, myself included. And Hamish had a great
influence in bringing humour into folk music. The Big Yin
wouldn’t have become the Big Yin without the Fat Yin.” 1992

Christy Moore – “I met Hamish in 1966 in Manchester. We hit it off and he took me on the road as his sidekick. I became his apprentice and learned many skills: how to work off an audience, where to find good food, how to suss the lie-down. He showed me which promoters should be trusted, and he pointed out those exploiters that needed to be watched carefully. Years on down the road I still find myself using many of Hamish’s licks and imparted skills. I also recognise the influence he has had on many other artists in diverse fields of performance. The most generous performer I have encountered has written his first book and it was my pleasure to recommend it.” 1992

Eddi Reader – “I am still convinced he didn’t realise the “Eddi” with the glasses singing on top of the pops with Fairground Attraction was the “Edna” that he helped mentor and talked through many nerves with.”

Barbara Dickson – “I remember your Dad most fondly as he was very kind and helpful to me and I, like many young singers of the time, held him in the highest regard.”