John Armstrong

Born of well respected Border Ancestry, John Armstrong is best remembered as a musican, but he was also well known as a stick dresser and huntsman. He worked two large farms in Elsdon, near to the Army firing range. The Armstrong family claims an unbroken tradition of Northumbrian piping going back at least four generations. The clough family visited the Armstrong family home at Rylee just after the First World War. It was here that John often played duets with Tom clough. He also played with Billy Pigg. John owned a magnificent collection of pipe tunes, including original manuscripts by James Hill, Tom Clough and Robert Whinham. He provided many tunes for the Chorlton Memorial Tune Book. A series of accidents to his hands, resulting in a stiffening of his fingers, forced John to concentrate on the fiddle in later years. He started playing duets with Joe Hutton in 1972, transfering arrangement for two pipes to pipes and fiddle. He is featured on the Topic Album 'Bonny North Tyne' (12TS239).

On this short audio clip we hear John Armstrong (fiddle) playing with Joe Hutton (Northumbrian pipes). The first tune is 'Ye Banks and Brays o' Bonny Doon', this is followed by a march.