Fourth Thomas Fraser CD tracks finalised! (23-Aug)
The selection of tracks for the forthcoming Thomas Fraser CD to be released in November 2008 have been finalised. The fourth volume will once again contain 25 tracks, many of which were only recently unearthed. The track listing is as follows:- 1) With This Ring, 2) My China Doll, 3) Mother the Queen of My Heart, 4) Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues, 5) That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine, 6) Irish Hornpipe/Da Burra Man's War Dance, 7) Mexicali Rose, 8) Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall, 9) Rattlesnakin' Daddy, 10) All for the Love of a Girl, 11) Gamblin Polka Dot Blues, 12) I Want You to Know I Love You, 13) Traditional Reel, 14) The Hobo's Meditation, 15) Someday You'll Call My Name, 16) Winchester Cathedral, 17) Now and Then (A Fool Such as I), 18) I Get the Blues When it Rains, 19) Bucket's Got a Hole in It, 20) Daydream, 21) Traditional Reel, 22) There's no Room in My Heart (For the Blues), 23) With Tears in My Eyes, 24) This Song is Just For You, 25) That Beautiful Land. The title of the new CD will be 'That Far Away Land'.

More Festival news (31-May)
Just confirmed as appearing are The Moonshiners, who return for their third appearance and the newly re-branded Laeverick. Laeverick combine the vocal talents of Burra women Jenny Keldie (nee Napier), Mhari Pottinger and Thomas's Granddaughter Rhonda Simpson.

In what promises to be one of the most diverse yet, this year's Festival welcomes Foula resident Erik Isbister. Erik has only travelled beyond his native Foula twice in his lifetime and his performance will be a real, rare treat for music lovers in Shetland. Erik and Thomas Fraser corresponded numerously during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is said that Thomas's version of 'Over the Rainbow' was inspired by Erik's unique arrangment.

Festival line-up takes shape (23-Feb)
The first acts to be confirmed for the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival are Amercian duo Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan and Glasgow bluegrass outfit, the Moonshiners. It will be Tom and Kenny's first appearance at the Festival although they have been in Shetland before, for the Folk Festival. The ever-popular Moonshiners make their third appearance at the Festival. More acts will be confirmed through the Spring. This year's Festival will run from 6th November through 9th November.

30th Anniversary (06-Jan)
Sunday 6th January 2008 marks the 30th anniversary of Thomas Fraser's death, at his home in Setter, Burra Isle.

Merry X'mas (22-Dec)
We would like to wish all fans a very merry X'mas and a prosperous, happy new year. In 2008 we hope to complete and release the fourth Thomas Fraser posthumous release, provisionally entitled 'For the Sake of Days Gone By'. At present 25 tracks are being graded and selected for inclusion on the album.

Photograph feature (22-Dec)
The latest edition of the Shetland magazine 'i i Shetland' (issue 13) features a 4 page section of photographs taken by Ivan Hawick at the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival.

Festival success (17-Nov)
The latest Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival has been a resounding success. We would like to extend a massive 'thank you' to all those who took part and attended over the course of the weekend. It has been another truly magical experience. For an overview of the Festival, please click the Shetland Times link. Until next year!

Concert build-up (05-Nov)
Final arrangements are now in place for the sixth annual Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival. Amercian artist John Lilly arrives by plane on Wednesday 7th November just in time to perform a solo gig at the Voe Pierhead. The gig and his performances at the Festival will see him promote his new album 'Haunted Honky Tonk'. John was featured on Archie Fisher's BBC Travelling Folk Show on Thursday 1st November. The Thomas Fraser Festival was discussed in detail and Thomas's version of 'Blue Yodel No5' was aired.

Meantime, the first night of the Festival on Thursday 8th will see local Burra country singer Arthur Pottinger release his new archive CD collection 'The Setter Sessions 1962'. The CD is an 18 track compilation of songs performed by Arthur and recorded by Thomas Fraser at home in Setter. The tracks were discovered during the process of restoring the Thomas Fraser material. The CD is available to buy locally in Shetland but can also be ordered by mail, see the orders page for details.

Concert tickets go on sale (14-Oct)
Tickets for the 2007 Thomas Fraser memorial Festival were held up in the aftermath of the UK postal strike but they went on sale on Friday 12th October regardless. Tickets for Friday and Saturday sold out almost immediately. At time of writing, there is still good availability for the Thursday evening.

Michael Marra 'Quintet' (18-Sept)
Michael Marra has just released a 5 track EP CD entitled 'Quintet'. The CD features five special tracks about five musicians, played and sung by five musicians and recorded in five days! The tracks concern musical figures which have inspired Michael through the years. Track 3 sees the long awaited official release of 'Thomas Fraser', Michael's specially composed tribute. Also featured is 'Schenectedy Calling Peerie Willie Johnson'.

2007 Concert line-up announced (06-Sept)
The line-up for the 2007 Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival has been announced. John Lilly is making a welcome return from West Virginia. Renown Shetland group The Wisharts are new to the Concerts as is popular Shetland singer Freda Leask who will join Thomas's granddaughter Rhonda. Fiddler Gemma Donald will get her own slot for the first time. John William Ward, Martin Pottinger and the Jenny, Mhari Rhonda Trio are back for their second appearance. Regulars Eddie Williamson, Arthur Pottinger, Robbie Cumming, Allan Tulloch and The Pottinger Bros are welcomed once more while Thomas's daughter May completes the bill. Tickets are expected to go on sale in mid October.

Concert extras (06-Sept)
Jonh Lilly has just confirmed an extra concert date at the Voe Pierhead on Wednesday 7th November, the night before the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival kicks-off. Meantime, plans are afoot to hold a gospel matinee performance on Sunday 11th November. More news as we have it.

Peerie Willie Johnson (23-May)
We are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of the legendary Shetland guitarist 'Peerie' Willie Johnson. Willie died on the 22nd of May aged 86. Thomas and Willie were pals and could often be seen in and around Lerwick in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Please click this link for a full obituary.

Thoms Fraser Commemorative Guitar on display (03-May)
The Thomas Fraser Commemorative Guitar built by Moon Guitars in Glasgow is on display at the Islesburgh Centre in Lerwick for one week. The guitar is showcased as part of the Shetland Folk Festival.

John Lilly's Thomas Fraser Podcast (16-Feb)
Acclaimed West Virginian artist John Lilly can be heard in an exclusive podcast in which he tells the story of Thomas Fraser. The Podcast can be heard here. We are delighted to announce that John will be returning to Shetland for the 2007 Thomas Fraser Festival!

Maverick Feature (21-Jan)
Maverick Magazine features as review by Rob Ellen on the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival. The review is in the February issue of the mag out now.

Festival interviews (13-Jan)
Medicine Music have posted a collection of interviews and soundclips covering the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival last November. The links to these can be found here. The clips include interviews with John Lily and Thomas Fraser's daughter May.

John Lilly 'a Transatlantic wonder' article (16-Dec)
John Lilly has written a wonderful article on Thomas Fraser and his recent experience in Shetland performing at the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival. Click here on the Middle Atlantic Folklife Association pages to view.

Thomas Fraser goes digital (21-Nov)
The Thomas Fraser Recordings are now available via digital distribution. The albums 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues', 'You & My Old Guitar' and 'Treasure Untold' can be purchased as downloads from most popular sites such as itunes.

Festival Thoughts (21-Nov)
The Shetland Times carried a 2-page review of the 5th Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival in their Friday 17 November issue. In addition, Rob Ellen of Medicine Music posted a review of the festival on the crooked rain website. Click the link to view.

Review of new Thomas Fraser Commemorative Guitar (15-Nov)
Highly respected Shetland guitarist Brian Nicholson has reviewed the new Thomas Fraser Commemorative Guitar. To view Brian's thoughts click on a special section in the new Shetlandmusic.com website. Brian's review is also due to appear in the Shetland Times on Friday 17th November.

Memorial Festival hailed as huge success (14-Nov)
The 5th Thomas Fraser festival helf over 9-12th November has beenhailed as a huge success. The general conclusion is that this year's show has been the best so far with stunning performances from local and international acts alike. West Virginia's John Lilly was a great hit with the audience while local debutants the Jenny, Mhari & Rhonda trio went down a storm. A 55 minute programme of highlights from the Saturday night concert was aired on BBC Radio Shetland on Monday 13th November. The Shetland Times plans to cover the Festival in detail in the Friday 17th Issue.

New Shetland Music Website (05-Nov)
Shetland Arts are launching a brand new website for Shetland Music. The new-look site www.shetland-music.com was launched on Thursday 2nd November 2006. As well as a section on Thomas Fraser, there will be a section for Thomas' daughter May who sings in the May & Mackie duo. Click here for the Thomas Fraser feature and here for the feature on Thomas's daughter May. There is also a section dedicated to the Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival - click here to view.

Press clippings (05-Nov)
As anticpation mounts in the lead up to the Memorial Festival, there has been quite a lot of Thomas Fraser press in the media of late. The Shetland Times 'Views from the Scord' column by Catherine Emslie contains a feature on the new Thomas Fraser Commemorative Guitar. BBC Radio's 'Global Gathering' programme featured Thomas's unique rendition of 'Wedding Bells' last week.

Guitar exhibition (31-Oct)
The new Thomas Fraser Commemorative guitar is on display at a unique exhibition of guitars being held at the Bonhoga Gallery in Weisdale, Shetland. A guitar inspired by Thomas's daughter May is also on display. The exhibition, the brainchild of David Smith, runs until 26-November.

Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival tickets (31-Oct)
Tickets for the annual Thomas Fraser Memorial Festival went on sale on Friday 20th November. Both Saturday 11th November and Friday 10th are now sold out. There is still limited availability for Thursday 9th. Tickets are available only from Hamnavoe, Scalloway Main Street and 'Da Peerie Shop' in Lerwick. The full line up of artistes is as follows: Rick McWilliams, John Lilly, The Moonshiners, Eddie Williamson, Arthur Pottinger, May Mackie & Rhonda, Robbie Cumming, Alan Tulloch Band, The Pottinger Brothers, Jenny Mhari & Rhonda, Duncan & Angus Cumming, John William Ward, Martin Pottinger, Erin Sandison and Ian Stewart. The weekend's entertainment will be closed by a special exhibition of Thomas Fraser memorabilia on the Sunday afternoon. The new Thomas Fraser Commemorative guitar will also be on display.

Musical Tradition (01-Sept)
Ray Templeton writes a superbly crafted review of all three Thomas Fraser releases in the latest edition of the online music magazine Musical Tradition. The review offers fresh insight into Thomas Fraser's recorded legacy. The review can be found online at http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/fraser.htm

Commemorative Guitar in honour of Thomas Fraser (08-July)
A special commemorative guitar is being built in honour of Thomas Fraser. The guitar will be a replica of the Levin Goliath model purchased by Thomas in 1961. The instrument is being built by Moon Guitars in Glasgow and will be unveiled in November at the Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts. Thomas will become the first Shetlander to have a 'signature' guitar produced in his name. The guitar is being bult with full co-operation from Thomas's family. The story was featured last week in the Shetland Times - click here to read the article. Stay tuned for further updates on the guitar and see exclusive pictures in the images gallery.

Observer Music Monthly - The Tale of Thomas Fraser (18-Jun)
Peter Culshaw reports from Shetland on the 'Tale of Thomas Fraser' in today's Observer Music Monthly magazine. See the article online at http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,1795962,00.html

Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts 2006 (03-Jun)
The line up for the annual Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts is taking shape. The concerts are being held this year on the 9th, 10th and 11th of November at Burra Isle. Already booked is Jimmie Rodger's relative and nephew of Elsie McWilliams, Mr Rick McWilliams, from Meridian, Mississippi. Rick makes his second journey across the pond, having featured last at the 2004 concerts. Also from the USA - Charleston, West Virginia to be precise - is John Lilly, a multi-talented acoustic music performer specializing in Americana, roots country, and traditional folk music. His creative original songs recall the sounds of earlier generations, while his innovative treatment of early country and traditional music is timeless. According to one reviewer, "If Hank Williams had a sunny disposition, he'd be John Lilly." Also due to appear is Burra exile John William Ward, who makes his first appearance at the concerts. Crack Glasgow bluegrass outfit the Moonshiners are scheduled to play their second consecutive Thomas Fraser concert while Arthur Pottinger and Eddie Williamson complete the list of performers flying into Shetland in November. The line-up will be enhanced further with local Shetland musicians including Robbie Cumming, The Pottinger Brothers, May & Mackie, Alan Tulloch and Thomas's grandaughter Rhonda who will perform with friends. Stay tuned for more details on the line-up and some surprises to be announced soon!

Folk Roots (11-Apr)
The April issue of Folkroots magazine carries a review of 'Treasure Untold'. "Absolutely superb" is their verdict!

Country Music People review (24-Feb)
The March issue of Country Music People features a review of Thomas Fraser's Treasure Untold'. Reviewer Al Moir gives the disc 4 stars.

Maverick Magazine feature! (20-Feb)
The popular UK country music magazine 'Maverick' will feature a lengthy article on the life and music of Thomas Fraser in their March issue. The article is penned by Larry Kelly.

The Cowboy and The Spaceman (29-Jan)
On Friday 10th February, the exhibition 'The Cowboy and the Spaceman' opens in Aberdeen's Peacock Visual Arts Centre. The new film is made by celebrated Orkney artist Colin Kirkpatrick. References to the real and imagined Wild West are found throughout Kirkpatrick's work. His Orkney childhood made him realise "that you were living in what your elders often saw as a parallel frontier to the Wild West". The film explores two very different views of planet earth. Punctuating the film - which contains many stunning shots of Orkney's landscape - area series of vignettes in which a number of islanders are asked to consider their impact on the planet - are they a cowboy or a spaceman? The film contains music from Thomas Fraser. In a curious aside, cowboys and spacemen were two of Thomas's favourite subject matters. Thomas Fraser CDs will also be on sale at the Peacock exhibition which runs from 11th February to 18th March, Tuesday to Saturday, 09:30 to 17:30.

The Sunday Post (23-Jan)
The Scottish Sunday Post featured Thomas Fraser in their Sunday January 22nd issue. The article entitled 'How the world is getting a taste of the Shetland blues' tells the story of Thoma's life and of an unlikely success story of an island fisherman, 28 years after his death.

Another Thomas Fraser Concert??! (15-Jan)
We can confirm that a special one-off Thomas Fraser music night will be held in the Bridge End Hall in Burra Isle on Saturday 4th February 2006. The event is being put together as a special treat for a visiting party from the The Observer. Tickets will be on sale from the Hamnavoe Shop only from 21st January and are priced at £8.00 each. The event will feature Arthur Pottinger, Eddie Williamson, May, Mackie & Rhonda, Alan Tulloch and the Pottinger Brothers.

Living Tradition Review (15-Jan)
'Living Tradition' Magazine reviews the new Thomas Fraser CD 'Treasure Untold' in its January 2006 issue.

Radio Shetland interview (15-Jan)
BBC Radio Shetland will air a special country music programme on Up Helly Aa night - 31st January. Thomas's daughter May and Grandson Karl will be interviewed by Sheila Manson and Jim Pearson for the show which will air four Thomas Fraser tracks.

Thomas programme on BBC Radio Scotland (22-Dec)
BBC Radio Scotland plan to repeat the acclaimed half-hour radio documentary on Thomas Fraser at the New Year. The programme 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues' was first aired in December 2003. The programme will be updated to include the recent release of 'Treasure Untold'. Date to be confirmed soon.

Pete Smith review (06-Dec)
Country music expert Pete Smith comments on the new Thomas Fraser CD in The Advertiser. Pete says that Thomas Fraser deserves to be recognised as Britain's finest country performer and that Thomas is the only performer to truly reclaim Britain's country music heritage. Also out and about, the Daily Mail ran a feature on Thomas Fraser last week entitled "Nashville honour for country & western crofter".

Daily Telegraph (26-Nov)
Helen Brown reports on the Thomas Fraser phenomenon in today's Saturday Telegraph. The feature can be read online here.

Observor Music Monthly (20-Nov)
'Treasure Untold is reviewed in the latest Observor Music Monthly magazine roundup of best new releases (Sunday 20th November, No.27) Reviewer Casper Llewellyn Smith describes it as "played beautifully, and truly otherworldly".

Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts take on Nashville! (19-Nov)
"For one weekend, a small island off the west coast of Shetland gave Nashville a run for its money" - that was the verdict of reviewer David Gardner after witnessing another fantastic set of Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts on Friday and Saturday 11th & 12th November. Read the full review here .

'Treasure Untold' - album of the week (05-Nov)
The new Thomas Fraser CD 'Treasure Untold' is album of the week on Iain Anderson's BBC Radio Scotland show. Iain played a Thomas Fraser track every night from Monday 31st October to Friday 4th November.

Treasure Untold - Radio Faroe feature (02-Nov)
Radio Faroe's Roots & Rhythm radio show hosted by Petur Rouch will feature an exclusive look at the new Thomas Fraser CD 'Treasure Untold' on Saturday 5th November. The programme will be repeated on Wednesday 9th November. Petur will be spinning 'Wedding Bells' and 'Lonesome Road Blues'.

Another amazing tape discovery...
At a recent exhibition to mark the centenrary of the Burra Public Hall, a new Thomas Fraser reel-to-reel tape was discovered on one of the exhibits - an old 'Murphy' tape machine. The tape was recovered and played back before being sent for immediate restoration. The tape has 23 Thomas Fraser songs on - 6 of which are to date unreleased. Three of the songs are the only known Thomas Fraser versions available. The consistency of new tape finds is remarkable and all on the eve of the latest Thomas Fraser release 'Treasure Untold' due out on 11 November 2005.

Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts 2005: latest news!
The new CD 'Treasure Untold' is set to be launched with the biggest tribute to Thomas Fraser so far. A host of musicians are now booked to appear at the concerts on Friday 11 th and Saturday 12 th November. Banjo player Eddie Williamson is confirmed as making his long-awaited return to Shetland along with his son Tom. Jimmy Moon and the Moonshiners are also making their first trip to Shetland since their appearance at the Shetland Folk Festival in 2002

Local favourite Kenny Johnson has formed 'The International Bluegrass Band' especially for the concerts. The band consists of ex-Billy Connolly, Barbara Dickson and Gerry Rafferty banjo player Noal Rocke, Bjork's current slide & dobro player Soren Venema Duch, Denmark-based mandolin maker Victor Smith, Jimmy Moon on bass and Kenny himself on Mandolin. The Scots folk singer Michael Marra is also booked to appear. Michael is a firm Thomas fan - so much so that he wrote his own tribute to Thomas Fraser back in 2004.

The line-up is bolstered by local favourites Robbie Cumming, the Pottinger Brothers and Arthur Pottinger who travels from Orkney. Thomas's daughter May and Grand-daughter Rhonda complete the bill.

Thomas Fraser feature in 'De Gitarist'
Thomas Fraser and his Levin Goliath guitar are featured in the latest July 2005 edition of 'De Gitarist' in Holland.

'Treasure Untold' - 3rd CD release well on the way...
March 19th 2005 and the third Thomas Fraser CD is nearing completion. The family are at present putting the finishing touches to the track listing. Producer Karl Simpson is looking forward to the release: "we are having a tough time choosing the tracks so that is an excellent sign of the quality to expect from this release. A number of exciting tape discoveries have provided us with a wealth of additional material to include so I am really looking forward to November - we now have a tight schedule to maintain so in the next few weeks I will be finishing the sleeve notes and preparing more rare photographs for the booklet."

The working title for the next Thomas Fraser release is 'Treasure Untold'. The disc will be another bumper 25 tracks and the release date is scheduled for 11th November 2005. The launch of the first disc in 2 years will be celebrated with the now annual Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts.

Laura Cantrell
Thomas Fraser was featured on Laura Cantrell's radio show in January. Thomas's cut of 'Brakeman's Blues' was aired as part of a programme looking at Jimmie Rodgers cover versions. http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/13362

Happy New Year!
2005 promises to be another very exciting year for Thomas Fraser. There will be news on the next CD release very soon. The master tapes are being processed at the moment and a final decison will be taken on the tracklisting early in the new year. The third Thomas Fraser CD release was given a great boost in November when friend Robbie Cumming found a small suitcase of reel to reels on his loft. Around 3 of these reels had previously unreleased and unheard Thomas Fraser material on them!

Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts - better every year!
Look out for a special feature in this Friday's Shetland Times on the Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts held on 12th and 13th November. Both nights were packed to capacity and the audience heard some great acts from all over Shetland and beyond. Topping the bill was the much anticpated appearance of Rick McWilliams from Meridian, Mississippi. Rick, the grandson of Elsie McWilliams and Grand nephew of Jimmie Rodgers did not dissapoint. Stunning renditions of 'California Blues', 'T For Texas' as well as tracks from his recent album 'Cold Winter Rain' went down a treat and ensured the audience was sent home happy for the third year in a row. As well as Rick, standout performances were gleaned from Thomas Fraser's Grandaughter Rhonda Rawlinson and Shetland country singer Robbie Cumming. The Thomas Fraser Tribute Concerts are now an annual event and becoming bigger and better every year. Some very special acts are being lined up for 2005 when there will be a new CD release to celebrate. Indeed, the third Thomas Fraser CD is in the planning stages as we speak!

New Thomas Fraser profile
Checkout the link below for a great profile of Thomas Fraser: http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/thomas_fraser.htm

Nashville Radio special
BBC Radio Shetland aired a special 50 minute documentary on the recent trip by Thomas Fraser's family to Nashville to promote his music. The documentary can be heard online by cliscking on the link and choosing Thursday's programme. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland/view/show.shtml?news

Shetland Life
The October 2004 issue of the 'Shetland Life' magazine features Karl Simpson's diary of his visit to Nashville to tell the story of his Grandfather's musical legacy. Three pages are devoted to how the Thomas Fraser story was received. The magazine is out now.

Thomas Fraser Tribute Concert - Jimmie Rodgers relative to appear!!
Rick McWilliams, the Grandson of Elsie McWilliams, will perform at the Thomas Fraser Memorial Concert in November 2004! Rick hails from Meridian, Mississippi and has released two CDs 'Cold Winter Rain' and 'Rick McWilliams'. Jimmie Rodgers' fans will know his Grandmother well. She was Jimmie Rodgers Sister in Law and the main songwriting talent behind The Singing Brakeman's biggest hits. The McWilliams-Rodgers songwriting partnership has gone down as one of the most important in American musical history and Elsie is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in Nashville. Tickets for this unique show are expected to sellout earlier than usual - details of how to buy will be announced soon...

Thomas Fraser creates a stir in Nashville
The Thomas Fraser story created genuine interest at the recent International Country Music Conference in Nashville last month. Thomas's Grandson Karl took many questions from the delegation which was full of Country music writers and fans alike. The trip created widespread media interest in the UK with 'The Sunday Times', 'The Sunday Herald', 'The Times', 'The Press & Journal' and 'The Daily Record' all covering the trip and Thomas Fraser's unique story in detail.

International Country Music Conference - Nashville, May 2004
Thomas Fraser's Grandson Karl Simpson presented a Paper on 'The Legend of Thomas Fraser' to the annual International Country Music Conference in Nashville. The Conference is attended by worldwide authorities on country music. Karl also answered questions at the Country Music Hall of Fame while a visit to the descendents of the late, great Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams took place afterward.

Thomas Fraser CDs available at Red Lick
This from Red Lick Records in England: "Two absolutely brilliant  CDs! Recorded from 1953 to 1977 by a crofter/fisherman from the Shetland Islands, these are stellar performances of old time music in the style of Jimmie Rodgers, The Delmore Brothers, Hank Williams etc. Just one man and his guitar having a whoopiní good time  wailing out the good old songs into his reel to reel tape recorder for no better reason than he loved the music and loved to play it! After his death, aged 50, in 1978, the tapes of his stunning legacy lay undisturbed for years until his grandson found them and decided they should be heard. Damn right! These great CDs contain music filled with all the power and passion of the originals . A truly fabulous release that will leave traditional country music fans in ecstasy!"

Thomas Fraser - 'You and My Old Guitar' reviewed in Independent on Sunday Magazine
Thomas Fraser's 'You and My Old Guitar' is reviewed in the latest Independent on Sunday Magazine (18 April 2004). Reviewer Nick Coleman gives it 4 stars and says: "You don't have to swallow the anti-hype or submit to the blandishments of your sentimental old heart to hear what's good about this Shetland fisherman's home recordings of the classics of hillbilly America - I feel a cult coming on".

'You and My Old Guitar' - review in '3rd Coast Music'
Thomas Fraser's 'You and My Old Guitar' is reviewed by Stateside DJ John Conquest in the March issue of the Texan '3rd Coast Music' magazine. John says: " Regular readers need no more than the assurance that this second instalment is every bit as wonderful as 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues'. Fraser is one of the great, almost unbelievable, discoveries of the 21st century. The combination of Fraser's abilities and the absolute purity of his art makes his music magical".

Folk Roots Magazine Review
Thomas Fraser's 'You and My Old Guitar' is reviewed in the April edition of 'FolkRoots' magazine. Reviewer Maggie Holland says: "his singing is superb and his performances have utter authenticity. The lo-fi effect of the music somehow only adds to the atmospheric quality".

Dutch alt-country
Fans from The Netherlands! - Thomas Fraser's 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues' is reviewed at the Dutch website alt-country run by Bart Ebisch.

Thomas Fraser fan Mike Harding
'T for Texas', the opening track of Thomas Fraser's 'You and My Old Guitar' CD, was aired by Mike Harding on BBC Radio 2 in February. Mike said it was "a fantastic album". He added that Thomas Fraser's 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues' was one of his most favourite albums of 2003. Click here for the Radio 2 Review of 'Long Gone Lonesome Blues'.

Shetland's early Jimi Hendrix!
The Beeb's Mel McClellan reviews 'You and My Old Guitar' and compares Thomas Fraser to an "early Shetland Hendrix'! Find out why by clicking into the BBC Folk & Acoustic site