Person Murray Shoolbraid 1764

Murray Shoolbraid was a piano player.

He was born November 10, 1931 in Kinglassie, Fife.

Already in Scotland he provided the musical accompaniment on the piano for the many classes his mother was teaching.

In 1961 he moved to Vancouver, Canada, joining his sister Mary Shoolbraid Brandon. He got actively involved with the SCD groups in the region that Mary had started.

Besides composing many tunes and having written a dance, Murray Shoolbraid played piano with the a number of bands, namely the "Schiehallion SCD Band" formed in 1975, “The Teuchters”; the “Vancouver Ceilidh Band” and Victoria-based “Barley Bree”. He is said, that he could transpose music to any key. This was very advantageous because many of the pianos he encountered were frequently off pitch.

In 1980 his family moved to Salt Spring Island.

He died on February 26, 2020 after a short illness.

There is an informative obituary on Salt Spring Exchange.