Biography

Arthur Argo was a journalist, radio producer, folk singer and collector. He was born in Aberdeen in 1935 and spent his childhood in New Pitsligo and Maud. His mother, Nan, was a granddaughter of Gavin Greig, the renowned North-East folksong collector. Arthur’s father John was a talented traditional singer.

Arthur started his career in journalism in 1952 as a junior reporter with the Turriff Advertiser and later worked for the Press and Journal and the Evening Express. He was then employed by the press department of the BBC before taking up a post as a radio producer in 1973. Many of the programmes he produced, such as ‘Reel Blend’ and ‘Fit Like Folk’, reflect his love of traditional music and Doric.

His interest in song collecting began at a young age and he assisted both Hamish Henderson and Alan Lomax with collecting songs from North-East Scotland in the early 1950s. Arthur was instrumental in founding the Aberdeen Folk Club in 1962 and this provided a platform for many fine tradition-bearers, including Jimmy MacBeath and Jeannie Robertson. He also ran a booking agency which was of great assistance in the early careers of musicians such as Barbara Dickson, Billy Connolly, Isla St Clair, and Aly Bain.