Silly Wizard
Silly Wizard was a Scottish folk band from Edinburgh, formed in 1970. It began with Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas, who were soon joined by Chris Pritchard and Bill Watkins. The group adopted the name Silly Wizard in 1972 for their first paid gig, and Johnny Cunningham joined later that year, helping the band grow in popularity.
They built a following in Edinburgh’s Triangle Folk Club and signed with Transatlantic Records in 1973. An early album was recorded but never released after Madelaine Taylor left and the master tapes were lost.
The lineup changed often. Neil Adam and Andy M. Stewart joined in 1974; Freeland Barbour and Ali Donaldson joined in 1975 (Donaldson was later replaced by Martin Hadden). The band’s first LP, Silly Wizard, appeared on the XTRA label as they toured the UK and Europe. In 1976 Barbour left and Phil Cunningham joined, with the six-member lineup going on to record Caledonia’s Hardy Sons (1978). Bob Thomas left around the time of So Many Partings (1979). Johnny Cunningham left for the U.S. in 1980, briefly replaced by Dougie MacLean for six months.
Silly Wizard continued recording into the late 1980s and disbanded in 1988 after 17 years and nine albums. Their final show was in Voorheesville, New York. The group’s music mixed fast instrumental reels and jigs with slow airs, and included original songs as well. Phil Cunningham wrote much of the instrumental work for the accordion, while Andy M. Stewart contributed several traditional-flavored songs, giving the band its distinctive sound, centered on the driving energy of the Cunningham brothers and Stewart’s singing.
Key deaths: Johnny Cunningham in 2003; Andy M. Stewart in 2015.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:55 (CET).