Sunday, 25 September 2011

The beating heart will never die


We came to Dunfermline from Newcastle and Manchester, Glasgow and around Fife. We came as friends united in our respect and admiration for one man.

The golden leaves were drifting down as part of the annual surrender to winter but the sun shone with summer heat and the sky was a clear, brilliant blue. It was appropriate as we commemorated the glorious summer of Stuart Adamson's life.

The unveiling of the beautiful bench that celebrates the life and work of William Stuart Adamson was a simple ceremony but one of genuine warmth and heartfelt gratitude for all that he meant to us.

Stuart was a man of integrity with a love for his fellow man that many would do well to replicate. He believed in the beauty of the human spirit regardless of how much money a person had or the social class they were born into. All of those qualities were reflected in his music, passionate songs with compassionate lyrics, he was a Scottish poet.

In my life music has been a constant companion. There are artists like Elvis, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix whose music I particularly connected with. As I detailed in my previous blog, for me, Stuart stands in that category and possibly, as a Scot, even closer to my own life and experience. 

Yesterday we forgot about the troubles of his later life, instead we remembered the real man.

The man who as part of The Skids and Big Country, reached out through his music to touch our hearts. He was the man who wrote lyrics of hope and peace and a belief in social justice. He was a man who loved his nation and sang of its grandeur and its wonderful people. He was a fine Fifer and a great Scot.

Yesterday may not be my last memory of Big Country, but it did ensure that there will be a lasting memory of Stuart Adamson and all that he meant to the people he reached with his music. The beating heart of our memories will never die.

More photos here.

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