Biography

Peter Fraser was born in Finnigarth, Walls in May 1883. He was a renowned fiddler in Shetland and worked as a joiner, being a partner in the Pearson & Fraser building firm. He was recorded multiple times by the well-known Shetland musician Tom Anderson, who in the recordings took particular interest in Peter Fraser's version of Da Muckle Reel o Finnigarth which used to be performed at dances in Peter's native Finnigarth.

Peter Fraser's niece, Iris Sandison, remembers going to visit Peter in Finnigarth in the late 1950s:

"It was a magical place, with its watermill and burn lined with flowers in the summer and a lovely little wooden bridge across the burn. The house still had its thatched roof with a chimney that unfortunately was not very good at venting, so when you opened the outside door, you were met with a thick cloud of blue peat smoke from the open fire, which was the only means of cooking. It took a little while for the eyes to become accustomed to the dark interior - and to catch sight of my Great-aunt Liza, sitting by the open fire."

Peter passed away in 1966, leaving a large legacy of recordings for future generations of Shetland fiddlers.