Jimmy was born in Dunfermline, Fife on the east coast of Scotland in 1950. He moved with his family to Cumnock in Ayrshire on the west coast when he was 15.
At Cumnock Academy he discovered the world of Gilbert & Sullivan, the school were doing a production of Iolanthe, but was disappointed to learn that he couldn’t take part as his voice hadn’t yet broken.
During his student years at The Glasgow School of Art, graduating with a DA in Textile Design, he had singing lessons with Winifred Busfield and sang in several amateur productions of Opera and Musicals.
After returning to Cumnock Academy as a member of staff for a year, he joined the chorus of Scottish Opera singing in 51 Operas over 10 years.
He then moved south, temporarily, with his wife and 2 young sons to sing Leporello in Don Giovanni for Opera ‘80, but didn’t return to Scotland when he was cast in the original company of The Phantom of The Opera.
Over a long association with Phantom he played several roles in the show including the title role and eventually became the show’s resident director.
Having enjoyed entertaining 2 sons and 7 nieces with spontaneous silly stories, he started writing in 2013 with the intention of amusing family, friends and fellow Scots who, like him, are now expatriots.
About Wee Books fir Big Bairns
Wee Books Fir Big Bairns is a collection of 10 short, illustrated stories telling of events that occur in the fictitious wee toon of THISPLACE, somewhere up in the North of Scotland.
THISPLACE consists of “five wee hooses, a wee shop, an even wee-er wee pub, ten folk an’ wan coo.”
Each story of approximately 3000 words, written in the Scottish vernacular, relates how the inhabitants of THISPLACE deal with problems such as when “a coo escaped fae a field”, “a lum fell aff a roof”, “a polisman bloo his whistle”, “a cloak stoapt”, “the Queen came”, “financial affairs”, “the sun came oot”, “deliverin’ parcels”, “there wis a weddin’” and “a bairn wis born”.
If, like the author, you remember waking up really early on Christmas Day, opening your presents, then abandoning them all to get back into bed with The Broons or Oor Wullie, we know you will enjoy reading Wee Books Fir Big Bairns.
The author reads Book One
Get Me to the Church
REVIEWS
Mrs McCulloch from New Cumnock, East Ayrshire has been given a book and here are her reviews
Click on her face and she will take you to YouTube on a new page to see the video and then you can return here for more
Review No 2
Mrs McCulloch is starting to get into the book and it appears she likes it
Review No 4
Mrs McCulloch is ecstatic and is going to buy copies for all her children to read to their children
Review No 1
Mrs McCulloch has received a present from an admirer on her birthday
Review No 3
Mrs McCulloch is getting through the book and is enthralled by it all. Doesn't want it to end
Would you like to be informed when the next book is published?
Best git a move oan. Looks like Sully's aff wi them aw!
Buy your books here
All books are priced at £10(+p/p)
There will be 10 books in the series However only Books 1 and 2 are available at the moment. If you wish to be contacted when others are available, then fill in the form above
